Challenge
The roll-out of smart meters provides an opportunity to provide enhanced and tailored energy advice to consumers. The data from smart meters alone, however, will not result in energy saving. The smart meter data needs to be interpreted and used to create tailored advice that meets consumers’ needs and is delivered in such a way that they will take action.
Insight
This project brought together our data analysis and research expertise with our comprehensive understanding of customer motivations and behaviour change techniques. Working within a European, multi-partner project, we were able to position the delivery of energy saving advice at the heart of the smart technology revolution.
Action
We worked with 10 partners across Europe to develop a mechanism for creating tailored energy efficiency advice in natural language. This means creating advice that is emotionally intelligent and evolves with the user’s needs. This involved extensive research – literature reviews, consumer surveys and focus groups – plus analysis of smart meter pilot data to develop a proof-of-concept tool for the delivery of tailored advice.
Result
The Natconsumers Handbook – a guide to the generation of tailored natural language advice – takes readers through the theory and process of providing energy saving advice based on complex household data, allowing them to develop their own tools from the research.