Utility Week

26 www.utilityweek.co.uk/fLeX F rom self-service systems to chatbots, today's consumer is faced with a world increasingly shaped by new technologies. But is digitalisation really improving customer experience, or will the pursuit of these disruptive technologies leave consumers disengaged? For Michael Jary, managing director of smart energy start-up Verv, digitalisation is integral to the business and its customers. Verv is an intelligent home hub that allows users to control their energy usage and reduce their energy bills and carbon footprint. e system samples electricity consumption at up to a million times a second using an Internet of ings (IoT) box that clamps to the mains line and can be installed by the customer. Using machine learning, this box analyses the specific electrical signatures of the appliances in the home. "From this, we can tell exactly which appliances are on, how much they're consuming and in some instances whether they are about to break," explains Jary. "With that information you can start to provide a really useful service to customers to help them reduce energy consumption, alert them if they've inadvertently left a device on, and enable the next step in smart grid development by promoting user-friendly demand-side response and dynamic pricing." e Verv concept was born out of a frustration with the challenges of smart meter uptake. " e key barrier to the smart meter rollout is the choice of technologies," says Jary. "IHD [in-home display] is really 1990s technology. ere's so much more that can be done with energy data in far smarter ways." Jary insists that smart meter programming is an example of digitalisation done poorly. He laments that it's not uncommon for customers to look at their IHD screen for a couple of weeks and then abandon it to the dark recesses of a kitchen drawer because it's taking up a socket or valuable worktop space. " at choice of technology and that approach to digitalisation was wrong from the start," he says. It seems the IHD technology fails to speak to any specific customer segment: digitally enabled consumers generally want their data in real time on their mobile phone, while those who are less digitally inclined are unlikely to attempt to interpret complex data on an LCD screen. " ere are better technologies, which can drive genuine, enduring consumption reduction and better engage customers," he adds. But while the energy sector focuses on how to unpick the challenges around the smart meter rollout, businesses risk falling behind and missing out on the opportunities that digitalisation offers. result in a Does the onset of for consumers? By Nadine Buddoo digital technology better deal // I think new business models will emerge as we get more data out there, and I think that will be transformative // Laura Sandys, Challenging Ideas 01000100 01100001 01101001 01000100 01100101 01100001 01101100 01101001 01101001 01110100 01101000 00100000 01100100 01000100 01100101 01100001 01101100 01101001 01101110 01100111 00100000 01110111 01101001 01110100 01101000 00100000 01100100 01100001 01110100 01100001 01100100 01100001 01110100 01100001 01100100 01100001 01110100 01100001 C U S T O M E R S

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