Background

A UK business energy solutions provider was tasked with rolling out smart & advanced meters to business customers by 2025, on an opt-in/out basis. They had set a target to install 3,000 smart & advanced meters every month for their business customers in 2022 and wanted to maximise their chances for success.

To achieve this target, understanding common barriers to smart & advanced meter uptake for SMEs was crucial. Our client wanted to know when and how to engage SMEs and what to say to maximize success. This would also support their evidence around efforts to meet regulatory commitments.

Approach

Our approach involved both broad and deep methodologies to understand common views and the rationale behind them.

We conducted a survey of over 1,000 business decision-makers, and then followed this up with interviews with key roles at SMEs. We targeted industries with low uptake of smart & advanced meters, focusing on specific business sizes and roles within those sectors.

Through this methodology, we developed insights into the penetration, interest, and barriers related to smart & advanced meter adoption among SMEs, as well as their thoughts on incentives such as bill credits.

Outcome

The project delivered strategic recommendations to improve smart meter adoption among SMEs through tailored communication and incentives.

These insights will enable the client to effectively address SME concerns, enhance engagement and ensure a smoother smart meter rollout, ultimately helping them to meet regulatory commitments and improve customer satisfaction in the smart meter initiative.