Bristol energy firm OVO’s innovative electric vehicle products, which use smart meters while recharging, have been praised by energy minister Claire Perry.
OVO has invested heavily in the technology that enables electric vehicle owners to charge them at off-peak times by using smart meters. They not only save money on their bills by using cheaper energy, some are even making money by selling energy back to the grid.
Such smart energy innovations, including smart tariffs, could save the UK as much as £40bn between now and 2050, Ms Perry said on a visit to fast-growing OVO Energy’s showpiece Temple Way head office.
The firm is one of just a few companies to use smart meters to offer innovative products.
The minister said: “Almost 12m meters are already empowering consumers to reap the rewards of a smarter energy system, putting homes and small businesses on the road to a smarter future.
“Smart meters will be the cornerstone of a cleaner, flexible and efficient energy system, saving the country tens of billions of pounds.
“New innovative products and tariffs like these will put consumers in the fast lane when it comes to control of their energy use, saving and even making them money when using their electric vehicles.”
OVO founder and CEO Stephen Fitzpatrick added: “Getting the smart meter roll out right should be the top priority for the government and the energy sector in the UK right now so it’s encouraging to see the minister here today.
“The smart meter roll out is a huge and complicated programme. However, there’s no question it needs to be done as we can’t build the energy system of the future unless we know accurately how much energy people are using and when.
“OVO is using technology like electric vehicles, smart electric heat and batteries to help lower energy bills for consumers and enable us to use more renewable energy. None of this technology will work without smart metering.
“We welcome the government’s recent efforts to improve the delivery of smart meters but there is still more work to do.”
Pictured: Energy minister Claire Perry chats with OVO founder and CEO Stephen Fitzpatrick at its Bristol HQ
