British Gas energy saving initiatives continue to be launched and at the heart of their strategy to get everyone more conscious of carbon emissions, is the smart meter.

It may not be the most innovative of the British Gas energy saving initiatives – remember the idea of solar panels on Church roofs – but the smart meter is the most effective weapon when it comes to making people realise their energy usage and wastage.

The national rollout of smart meters doesn’t kick off until 2012, but British Gas is keen to take every opportunity to promote their widespread use. The devices represent a huge step forward, allowing users to track their energy usage, save money on their heating bills and help cut carbon emissions on a national scale. And gone will be the days of ‘approximate billing’, when consumers don’t always fully understand how much energy they have used and the money it costs.

Smart metering is the future say British Gas, not least because consumers will be able to truly see which of their appliances are responsible for draining their cash. People are understandably mostly in the dark when it comes to the energy consumption of their appliances. The focus behind the recent campaigns to switch appliances off when not in use – rather than relying on standby mode – was to make people aware that electrical appliances have a healthy thirst for power even when not being used.

It’s likely that most people will be surprised when they see the energy consumption of their appliances. Computers tend to use less than people think, whereas televisions – especially the older models – use far more than people think.

A spokesman from the British Gas Smart Commercial Team, Jim Ebbs, said: “British Gas has been ahead of the curve in all aspects of smart metering: we’ve already installed over 100,000 meters, we’ve substantial trialling activity underway and we’re driving the industry on the meter specification and the approach to rollout. It follows that we’d want our customers to know about Smart meters as early as possible.”

Expect many more British Gas energy saving initiatives in the future, but also expect them to keep banging on about the rollout of the smart meters; afterall, it does represent the biggest and most meaningful step forward in energy conservation for many decades.

Guest Article by Neil Camp