Two things I do not do: Bake and estimate. That’s probably why I was invited by Smart Energy GB to combine the two.
The point of it was to show the importance of being on top of your energy bills and not just estimating your energy usage – smart right? I always thought that we should have accurate bills from our energy supplier, just as we do with our phone bill.
Smart Meters: Estimation Challenge:
About the challenge – the event was to support Smart Energy GB’s recent Estimation Nation Campaign, where they showed people how we don’t accept estimation in other parts of our lives, yet we pay for one of the largest household bills based on estimates.
We took part in two cooking challenges, of course with a twist. We were given all the ingredients for a recipe to follow, however the measurements of each ingredient required were not included or provided, Yes! Everything was based on our best estimates.
The good news was that we were paired up into teams of two and had Ian Cumming as a mentor. He was extremely friendly and gave us a few hints and tips!
The first challenge was to bake cupcakes. It might sound easy… well not for me. Like I mentioned in the beginning of the post: “I do not bake” neither does Franca (my partner). You can imagine the struggle. So, let’s just say that we did not perform so well on the first challenge.
When it came to the second challenge I was much more confident, why? We had to make savoury scones. I cannot bake, but I learned to cook when I was 8 years old. So, I knew we were going to do much better this time around. What I didn’t know was that were actually going to win!
During the coffee break the Smart Energy GB team explained the project in depth. The highlight for me was knowing that you’ll always know what you owe, how? The portable display will show you exactly what you’re spending in pounds and pence and in near real time. This means you can work out which appliances are the ones to watch. In my case it’s probably the TV as I sleep with it on (I know, I’m 22 years old! But I am a little weird about the dark – no biggie).
For the parents:
Well, you’ll be able to show the kids the difference it can make when they remember to turn the lights off.
Do you have to pay to get this installed?
No. Smart meters do not cost you anything and will be installed without charge by your energy supplier. Let me mention that smart meters aren’t compulsory and people can choose not to have one, but who does not want to save their hard earned money?!
What if I have a prepayment meter?
Smart meters will make pre-payment as easy as pay-as-you-go on your mobile. You will have the ability to switch easily between payment options with no need to change your existing smart meter.
What does the future hold?
We can look forward to greater flexibility and choice, with cheaper optional tariffs at off-peak times. This means we will pay less to use or charge devices when electricity is not in high demand. For example, you’ll be able to programme your dishwasher to come on when electricity is cheapest or be alerted if you leave the heating or lights on by mistake.
Did you know that other countries already got smart meters? The United States, Canada, Italy, Australia, New Zealand and the Netherlands are among the countries already benefiting from smart meters and most other EU countries are currently rolling them out. I think it’s time for us to start saving too.
Basically, estimated bills is nuts! We don’t estimate on other bills, so why do we estimate our energy? Accuracy is the way forward. #EstimationNation
Observation: this is not a sponsored post 🙂
What’s your opinion about Smart Meters? Let me know in the comments.
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