Scots are now getting ready for a smarter future
IT’S been a landmark year for those of us increasingly troubled about climate change and the threat it poses to the environment – and while Greta Thunberg’s rallies and major street demonstrations here and abroad have dominated the headlines, many are asking exactly what practical steps we can take to improve the situation.
Scotland as a country has set itself ambitious benchmarks to help tackle the problem, including an all-renewable target of 50% by 2030 and the equivalent of 100% of the country’s electricity from renewable sources by 2020.
And individual Scots are getting in on the action too, with more than 900,000 households already taking the small but important step of getting a smart meter installed, which will help to pave the way for a cleaner, greener country.
You might wonder how having a new energy meter installed can make a contribution to tackling climate change.
On its own, you may think that it doesn’t seem to do very much.
It keeps track of your domestic energy usage, and shows you, on a convenient in-home display, exactly how much you are spending on energy in your home, and what it costs to keep the house ticking over the way you like.
Yet all the time, the smart meter is also quietly playing its small part in helping to decarbonise Great Britain’s energy system by reducing our reliance as a society on fossil fuels and non-renewable sources of energy.
This is because the information from smart meters allows our energy system to become much smarter. For example to accurately anticipate the peaks and troughs of demand, and to better balance renewable sources of electricity.
By making these smarter assessments of the nation’s energy needs, the system will be more efficient and will be able to reduce waste.
This in turn will lessen our carbon footprint and help tackle climate change.
To join the hundreds of thousands of Scottish households already helping to build a smarter, cleaner energy system, call your gas or electricity supplier to arrange a time and date for installation of your smart meter.
This article was paid for by Smart Energy GB. Smart Energy GB is the organisation tasked with informing Britain about the benefits of the smart meter rollout. To find out more about smart meters, visit Smartenergygb.org