Vodafone UK will support British Gas in the roll out of smart metering in the UK. A multi-million pound contract will see Vodafone UK provide nearly one million GPRS connections within household meters to help families monitor the energy they use, leading to cost savings and reduced CO2 emissions.
Families will no longer need to wait in for someone to read their energy meter. Instead they will automatically receive a bill for exactly what they’ve used. Vodafone’s UK network can send real time energy use data from the in-home smart meter back to British Gas.
“As the UK’s best network we are always improving services to make our customers’ lives easier,” said Peter Kelly, Enterprise Director, Vodafone UK. “We’re pleased to be working with British Gas on this trial to accelerate the roll-out of smart meters into British homes. Consumers can count on our fast, reliable network to help them manage their energy costs with British Gas and do their bit to help reduce carbon emissions.”
Vodafone UK rigorously manages its own environmental impact in order to contribute to the Vodafone Group target of reducing energy use and CO2 emissions by 50% by 2020, against the 2006/07 baseline.
In addition, Vodafone’s commitment to the privacy and security of customer data and its holding of the BS25999 continuity standard for both its 2G and 3G networks makes it an ideal partner for British Gas’ smart metering roll out.