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People & Opinion Utility Week community UTILITY WEEK | 20TH - 26TH NOVEMBER 2015 | 7 Denise Massey writes the latest in a new series of innovation columns for Utility Week. C arbon Monoxide Awareness Week brings our attention once again to the shocking fact that half of the UK is at risk from the silent killer by failing to have an annual boiler check. With 50 deaths a year from carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning and 4,000 people treated in hospital annually, it's clear that identifying innovative ways of tackling this has to be a priority. Encouraging people to install CO alarms has to be the first step – something which is being done wonderfully through the Carbon Monoxide – Be Alarmed! campaign currently being run by Energy UK on behalf of British Gas, EDF Energy, Eon, Npower, Scottish Power and SSE. While fitting CO alarms and raising awareness is a priority for gas distribution network operators, this is also where innovation can be game- changing. One innovation being piloted across the networks is a "smart" CO detector developed by SME Smart Compli- ance. The detector issues texts to a nominated mobile phone if the poisonous gas is detected. It also issues a weekly report to show the device is fully functional or highlight when the battery needs replacing. Social land- lords, for example, can ensure that hundreds or even thousands of properties are continuously monitored for CO without the need for expensive inspection visits. The Energy Innovation Centre recognised the poten- tial in this technology and helped set up a pilot with three of the networks – Wales & West Utilities, Northern Gas Networks and National Grid. The results to date are incredible: in just six months, two lives have already been saved. For the networks involved in the pilot, though, it goes beyond a simple CO alert. It also allows them to collate data on carbon monoxide levels and inci- dents. It is at this point that true innovation can happen as the networks can evaluate this data, check for trends – where it is happening, why and when – and take clear action from this. The data can be shared and analysed within the industry for positive outcomes. This is an example of where adding creativity to sci- ence delivers great innovation. Accelerating the deploy- ment of innovations such as the smart CO detector has the potential to make a tremendously impact. Denise Massey, managing director, Energy Innovation Centre Analysis, p24 'Smart' detection of silent killer can save many lives Eureka Denise Massey We all laugh at a bit of toilet humour – but the state of the world's toilets is really no joke. When it comes to delivering sanitation, there is no 'one size fits all' solution. WaterAid works closely with communities to identify the most suitable one for their circumstances and it is consist- ently learning and developing new technologies and approaches. For more information read WaterAid's world toilet day blog on www.utilityweek.co.uk WaterAid: Talking toilets People more relaxed about energy security In its 15th quarterly consumer tracker survey, the Department of Energy and Climate Change reveals that concerns about the UK's future energy security fell compared to when the questions were asked previously in March 2015, and down to the lowest levels since the survey began in 2012. WaterAid/India WaterAid/James Wicken The eco-vapour toilet in India Handypods in Cambodia 24% of consumers are very worried or fairly worried about paying their energy bills (September 2015 vs September 2014) 36% of consumers support new-build nuclear (September 2015 vs June 2015) support for shale gas, according to gender -10% +4% 30% 17% vs AGAINST FOR 45% 10% people's attitude to having a renewable energy system in the home Not developing technology to use existing sources of fossil fuels sufficiently Not investing fast enough in alternative energy sources Too dependent on other countries for energy Fossil fuel supplies being sufficient to meet UK demand Power cuts becoming more frequent Steep energy rises in the future September 2015 March 2015 Level of concern 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 "The detector texts a nominated mobile phone if the poisonous gas is detected"