About Us

The way we intend to do so is by developing a training program for installers, social workers and other frontline staff in contact with vulnerable people, so that they can inform vulnerable consumers about the benefits brought about by smart metering and advise them on how to use their Smart Meter and In Home Display (IHD) units (where fitted) to best effect each time they are in contact with them.

Indeed, most vulnerable and low-income householders require one-to-one and ongoing support. However, there is no common definition of vulnerable people in Europe, and the project will address various target groups suffering from fuel poverty living in different types of households.

The specific barriers are:

• Consumers do not have access to clear/easy to read and understand information on smart meters; vulnerable consumers are desperately in need of specific energy advice relevant to them and general info on energy consumption and smart meters
• Consumers in general, and even more vulnerable consumers, have not understood that their energy bill is related to their energy consumption and is not a fixed tax to be paid
• Consumers are not familiar with smart meters in general and do not see it as a tool which may help them monitor their energy consumption and even reduce their energy bills
• Consumers in general find it difficult to know how much they are consuming, how much they will have to pay in the next bill or how much you can reduce your energy consumption by, for example, changing your fridge/freezer. For vulnerable consumers this problem is exacerbated. This is one of the main barriers to overcome with this project.
• These aims will be achieved by training smart meter installers, social workers and other frontline staff that have contact with vulnerable consumers so they can advise them on how to use a smart meter and in-home display (IHD) to the best effect. Consequently, the tangible objectives of this project are as follows:
• Existing training packages will be adapted to the different national contexts (French, English, Spanish, and Italian): one for training smart meter installers, and another for frontline staff in contact with vulnerable consumers. Guidelines on how to fit the training packages to other Member States’ contexts will be developed

• Installers and/or other frontline staff will be trained in each partner’s country (between 30 and 60) to enable them to deliver enhanced support and advice to 1,000 vulnerable consumers during the course of the project (5,000 households advised in total); these households will be empowered to use their smart meter effectively (with an IHD or an energy monitoring tool where no IHD is provided)
• Vulnerable consumers will be encouraged to take action by changing energy-related behaviours and consumption habits in order to achieve an average of 10% energy savings
• Installers and frontline staff will signpost vulnerable consumers to available grants and assistance they can access as well as additional support to repair or replace heating systems and inefficient appliances where appropriate
• Different types of interventions will be trialled on a small scale, among 60 to 65 households in each country; these trials will involve testing some IHDs in the countries where they are not currently included in the smart meter roll-out (France, Spain, Italy) and some advanced training/advice, integrating follow-up calls and an aftercare service in their protocol
• Key stakeholders in each partners’ country will be involved (energy suppliers, DSOs, installers, local authorities, housing associations, social worker associations/organisations) to ensure further dissemination of the training packages.