Sarah Darby from the University of Oxford’s Environmental Change Institute has published a useful article on smart metering and it’s potential for householder engagement.  The abstract is as follows:

The argument for the implementation of ’smart’ metering, which is an elastic term, varies according to circumstance and place. In some countries, the business case for establishing an advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) relies in part on improving consumption feedback to customers and assisting in the transition to lower-impact energy systems. There is an expectation that AMI will lead to reductions in both the demand and the cost to serve customers through improved communication, but little evidence exists to show overall demand reduction. To what extent might smart meters improve the prospects for customer engagement? To assess this question, end-user perceptions and practices must be considered along with metering hardware and economics. Using the theory of affordances, qualitative research is examined to understand how householders have used consumption feedback, with and without smart meters. Although AMI offers possibilities for household energy management and customer-utility relations, there is little evidence to suggest it will automatically achieve a significant reduction in energy demand. For that, there has to be a determined focus on overall demand reduction (rather than on peak electricity demand reduction), on designing customer interfaces for ease of understanding, and on guiding occupants towards appropriate action. Appropriate forms of interface, feedback, narrative, and support will be needed to reach diverse populations.
Building Research & Information, 1466-4321, Volume 38, Issue 5, 2010, Pages 442 – 457

Copies are available for purchase via the Informaworld site.

Ofgem and the DECC have published proposals for the delivery of smart metering in the UK.  It invites consultation from experts and consumers on issues such as privacy and the handling of data.  The deadline for responses is the 28 October 2010.  Details of the documents are available at www.ofgem.gov.uk

Dehems will be demonstrating the energy management system at Manchester’s Science Festival at the Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI) on the 23rd and 24th October.  The Science Festival runs from the 21st to the 31st and offers over 200 events for families, young people and adults, with walks, talks, workshops, shows, comedy, exhibitions and more all in the name of science.

DEHEMS will be at  Beyond 2010 is a major two day intercontinental conference exploring the central role of digital technologies in delivering efficiencies, transparency and reform that are key to driving economic growth and delivering better, more efficient and sustainable public services. Scheduled for 20th & 21st October 2010, the conference brings together the digital and mobile technologies that are already transforming the delivery of public services across the world and the people who are making it happen to give you real life examples of best practice; the chance to benchmark your progress and tap into a network of joined up digital thinking that will help you find effective solutions to the challenge of delivering enhanced public services for less.

This is a short video (3 minutes) demonstrating how to install the individual appliance monitoring equipment manufactured by Plugwise,

Dehems Cycle 2 – Plugwise Info from MDDA on Vimeo.