Monitoring helps to reduce energy by 14%
May 1st 2007

Whatever your industry good energy management starts with good measurement

Bglobal, provider of smart metering solutions to the energy market, has helped Comet cut its energy consumption by 14% over the past 4 years in conjunction with Npower and Western Power Distribution.

The electrical specialist was frustrated with the inaccuracy of 'guesstimated' energy bills and wanted to find a way of taking control of its energy usage and improving its overall energy efficiency. By using innovative 'smart meter technology' provided by Bglobal and installed by Western Power Distribution, Comet has been able not only to slash costs, but also accurately budget energy billing for its 250 stores.

In essence, the smart meter system continuously records the amount of energy being used on a half-hourly basis.

This information is remotely retrieved by Bglobal using the GSM/GPRS network.

Bglobal provides Comet with regular reports, enabling the company to track peaks and troughs and pinpoint times when savings can be made.

Originally, meters were read manually approximately every six months with a meter reader having to visit the stores. This not only meant that bills were based on calculated guesswork, but also that it was impossible to budget accurately. The new meters are remotely read every month and the meter readings are provided by Bglobal to Npower to enable them to promptly issue accurate energy bills.

Greg Robinson, energy manager at Comet, comments: "The smart meters have revolutionised the way we think about energy and have allowed us to budget properly. The data accumulated has also increased our understanding of our energy usage and allowed us to monitor each and every store and create a benchmark against which to measure their individual performances.

"Store managers have also been made responsible for improving their store?s energy efficiency in a bid to cut bills even further, which is not only great news for Comet, but also for the environment, as we are constantly looking at ways in which we can further reduce our energy usage." To help managers improve their store's performance, they all received training on how to tackle energy wastage. This included simple measures such as not lighting entire stores until opening time, and leaving signage switched off during the night.

Greg adds: "We've been investing in technology to help cut our energy consumption and reduce our carbon footprint for some time now, and we are absolutely delighted with the outcome of the smart meter installation programme.

We would recommend any organisation to invest in them." Peter Kennedy, managing director at Bglobal adds: "We have been working for more than four years alongside organisations such as The Carbon Trust to establish a model for smart meters in the UK and around the World. We believe this is the way forward for businesses and households alike. Studies indicate that providing users with information about their energy 'expenditure' not only helps them understand where it is being spent, but also encourages them to use energy more cleverly. All of a sudden, people can see that leaving computers or lighting on all night costs a lot of money, and changes in behaviour follow." Bglobal offers an end-to-end fully accredited smart metering solution with DC/DA and MOP accreditation, by manufacturing, installing, reading and operating smart meters.