Ideas to Save Energy at Schools, Hotels and Retail Stores

Why should you look for ideas to save energy at schools, hotels and retail stores? Well, these sectors use the same amount of gas and electricity as 4.3 million homes. However, with more efficient energy practices, these industries could cut this number down by over a million.

Experts estimate that smart technologies, smart meters and an upgraded energy grid can help the UK save up to £40 billion on energy costs over the next few decades.

How Government is seeking ideas to save energy at schools, hotels and retail stores

The government has awarded funding of £8.8 million to schools, hotels and retail sectors to help them control energy usage by using smart meters. This forms part of the government’s modern Industrial Strategy.

This funding has been awarded to innovative projects developed to help SMEs, restaurants, retail, hotels and schools use smart meter data to help control their energy consumption. The Non-Domestic Smart Energy Management Innovation Competition was initiated to drive innovation and efficiencies in three non-domestic sectors:

The challenge was set for small businesses to come up with ideas to use smart meters to improve their energy management and reduce energy consumption.

Smart meters can help small businesses:

Highlight real-time spikes in energy use
Recommend ways to cut energy use in the long-term
Identify faulty equipment or inefficient ways of working

This can enable small businesses to take control of their energy usage and bring down their energy bills as a result.

Despite the benefits of smart metering solutions, there is currently a lack of products aimed at SMEs to help them use their smart meters effectively. This is why the winners of the Non-Domestic Smart Energy Management Innovation Competition have been granted fund to develop such products.

The Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) selected nine projects have been selected to receive initial Phase 1 funding to develop innovative energy management solutions using smart meter data. These UK-based competition winners range from tech giants to small energy management companies. All of these companies have designed solutions for using smart meters to provide small businesses with real-time, tailored energy consumption data.

The nine companies selected to receive the funding are:

ANDtr (AND Technology Research)
Considerate Hoteliers
Element Energy
Hildebrand
Hoare Lea
Pilio
Samsung
Toshiba
Transition Bath

Some of the best ideas to save energy include:

RAE2 BY ANDtr – software that can visualise energy consumption and trigger push alerts or recommendations.
Element Energy – a mobile-friendly tool with real-time comparative feedback on consumption, as well as customer-specific energy saving analysis and advice.
The Energy Saving Catalyst Platform for SMEs by Pilio – an energy management tool and marketplace to help small businesses reduce energy consumption and save money.
hub4 for SMEs by Toshiba – clear and accurate energy consumption information that allows users to track performance against monthly energy budgets, receive energy saving advice, and forecast future consumption.
Considerate Hoteliers – developing an energy management application for the hospitality market. The app will provide real-time information that hotel managers can act on immediately to minimise operational inefficiencies.

Projects with ideas to save energy are set to boost the productivity of UK SMEs, save them money, and contribute to the UK’s emissions reduction targets.

So far, over 11 million smart meters are in operation in small businesses and home around Great Britain. Government’s aim is to have 52 million smart meters offered and/or installed by 2020.

Smarter Business can help your small business get a smart meter installed to control your energy consumption. We can also shop the market on your behalf to help you secure cheaper energy tariffs and save your business money. Contact us for a no-obligation quote today.