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KHT launches UK's First Energy Monitoring Service
1st March 2010
Audio Visual specialist Kensington Home Technology has launched a new energy monitoring service in response to demand from high end residential customers who are looking to enjoy their homes, without wasting unnecessary and expensive power. And with some experts predicting that energy prices are set to keep on rising, despite wholesale costs continuing to fall, KHT's new service is particularly timely as people across the UK are reconsidering their energy usage.
Malcolm Stewart, Co-Founder of KHT, commented "Our clients - who own wonderful, high value properties - have recently been expressing concern about their high energy usage and utility bills, and have turned to us for help. In response to this demand, we have invested time and money to develop an in-depth knowledge and understanding of domestic energy usage monitoring and reduction. The service we have developed is already helping many of our clients to implement energy saving solutions, which are tailored to their specific property and lifestyle. Our recommendations have a short payback time, and the cumulative savings over a 10 year period can be huge."
KHT's new energy efficiency service requires an energy reading meter to be installed inside the client's home and for an initial survey to be conducted. The company uses the installed meter to remotely track energy usage in every room, as well as for each individual appliance or feature such as lighting, underfloor heating, washing machines, oil boilers and televisions. After a one month period, KHT assesses current energy usage against current energy prices and subsequently recommends the best course of action to keep energy bills at a minimum, going forward.
KHT recently completed an energy survey at a period 19th. Century home in Somerset, with a floor area of c.5,000 square feet.
The company indentified a series of 'free to adopt', 'easy to adopt' and 'expensive to adopt' measures which had the potential to reduce energy costs. Even if the 'expensive to adopt' measures were not acted upon, the company identified potential energy savings of c.£700 per annum. When allowing for necessary remedial work, these suggested actions would provide a payback period of less than 3 years and provide a 35% per annum return on investment. If the 'expensive' recommendations were adopted, potential annual savings of £6,250 were identified, providing a net payback period of 3.2 years and an annual return on investment of 31%.
Meantime, a similar survey undertaken at a 9,000 square feet house in Berkshire, built in 1990 and refurbished in 2006 provided for potential energy savings of some £12,900 per annum.
Whilst the very term 'energy saving' may conjure up images of wearing extra underwear or shivering in the cold, KHT emphasise their approach need not adversely impact upon their customer's lifestyles.
Mr. Stewart says, "We take a sensible and realistic approach to our clients' energy requirements in their homes and do not expect them to live in cold, dark habitats. We understand their requirements and help them to live in their homes the way they want to live, but without wasting unnecessary power. If customers want their house nice and warm in the winter - which, of course, most people do - then we identify the need to change from, say, oil-fired central heating to biomass boilers.
"And if clients want the house and grounds well lit at night, then we recommend, and can install, LED lamps instead of non-energy efficient fittings. We are not the 'fun police' - we want our clients to enjoy their homes even more than before, which they will when using far less power to create the same effect."
For more information on KHT's energy monitoring and reporting service, click here.
