John, Kent

I have always been interested in new gadgets and have an inquisitive mind – in 1968 I remember my wife and I buying our first automatic washing machine and sitting in front of it intently, watching as it did its job. It was the same with our smart meters. As soon as we were offered the upgrade by our energy supplier and had them fitted I would study the energy consumption data on a daily basis! 

My favourite feature has been using the data shown on the in-home display to calculate how much energy each individual appliance uses around the house. I really think people would be shocked at how much it costs to boil a full kettle of water! 

The installation of our smart meters was painless and didn’t seem to take long at all. The engineer from our energy supplier popped along, swapped our existing meters and then explained how to use the in-home display. 

The display started life in the kitchen, but as it can be moved around we now have it located in the lounge. I still like looking at the energy consumption data, as well as how much our energy is costing. Over time I have found that I just tend to check the display to get an idea of what my bill will be, and to check on what might be happening around the house that I’m not aware of. 

It wouldn’t be true to say that the in-home display has brought on a sudden transformation in our energy use, I have always had a keen interest in making my homes as energy efficient as possible – in my new home, as we have double glazing and loft and cavity wall insulation the only other thing to do was replace our light bulbs, which we have now done.