Customers can now understand exactly which devices are using power and when, identifying where easy savings can be made on ‘vampire appliances’.
‘If you can’t see where your money is going, how can you think about saving?’ Sergey Ogorodnov asked himself after noticing the complete lack of detailed breakdown in domestic electricity bills.
Skip forward to today and that question has led him to set up Voltaware, advanced sensors which use complex AI to analyse energy use in the home, identifying which appliances are using the most power at which times, before sending a full report to the customer’s mobile phone. This offers a notable advantage over the use of smart sockets, as the single device is categorising and measuring mains electricity consumption throughout the entire property.
According to the company, which is now partnering with suppliers including Octopus Energy and Utilita, those using the system can enjoy up to 30% savings on their energy bills. In part, this is down to the identification of so-called ‘vampire appliances’, which continue to drain energy even when they are switched off, or on standby.
Once installed, the Voltaware Sensor produces real-time breakdowns of full household energy use, delivering daily and monthly reports. From this, it’s then possible to identify the actual cost tied to each appliance, enabling them to make behavioural changes that lead to a reduction in energy bills. Notably, the focus is on helping people understand where electricity is being wasted, making ‘silent’ savings possible – those which we don’t really notice because turning off has no impact on our day-to-day activities.
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Image: Voltaware