First 4k Smart Bills issued by ESB Customer Supply

Electricity User Trial of the National Smart Meter Plan began testing a range of Time of Use Tariffs on 1st January 2010

ESB Customer Supply

In one of the largest Smart Billing trials worldwide to date, 4,000 participants in the Electricity User Trial of the National Smart Meter Plan began testing a range of Time of Use Tariffs on 1st January 2010.

The trial participants have now received their first Smart Bills from Customer Supply that contain enhanced information on their electricity consumption and costs. These bills include hints and tips on how to improve energy efficiency and save money. The bills show average daily usage graphs and tables displaying costs of running the main appliances at different times of the day (e.g. washing machine, dishwasher).

A thousand participants have received In Home Displays (IHDs) – small devices which display real-time information on current electricity usage and costs in the home. It is expected that the range of initiatives being trialled will help consumers to better manage their electricity consumption so as to improve their energy efficiency and cut their energy costs. The trials will run throughout 2010 and will inform decisions in relation to an optimal design for a full rollout of smart meters. Smart meters will form an integral part of a future smart grid.

5,500 ESB Customer Supply customers nationwide began using smart meters; the next generation of energy meters, on Friday January 1st. By providing real-time information on customer’s energy consumption and cost, these sophisticated meters, which replace old fashioned electro-mechanical meters, offer a range of benefits.

  • Information: A smart meter records customers’ actual use of electricity over short intervals (e.g. every 30 minutes) and automatically sends the readings back to ESB Customer Supply, who then use these readings to deliver useful information to customers regarding their electricity consumption and costs.
  • Efficiency: In particular, smart metering will allow electricity suppliers to create innovative pricing arrangements that can be offered to consumers to support the efficient use of electricity, such as ‘Time-of-Use’ electricity tariffs. This is where the price of electricity varies at different times of the day to reflect the changes in the overall costs of producing electricity as demand fluctuates.
  • Lower Costs: Smart metering offers the possibility of lower costs for customers. Time-of-Use tariffs enable customers to respond to price signals and take advantage of electricity produced at cheaper times of the day.

The results gathered from the trial will be analysed to support production of a cost benefit analysis by ESRI for full roll-out of Smart Meters nationally.