Working with Digital Birmingham, Family helped test and develop a smart meter system that measures the amount of energy used at home. This was different from the smart meters you can get from many utility companies and provided information to the household via broadband.

The project was called DEHEMS (Digital Environment Home Energy System) and was funded by the European Union with the aim to improve energy efficiency, cut household fuel bills, and reduce household carbon emissions. It was a partnership between European Local Authorities, businesses and universities and was undertaken across Europe, with other households selected in Bristol, Manchester, Bulgaria, Romania and Czech Republic.

We selected households from the Summerfield and South Lozells areas of Birmingham to take part in the project, including our tenants as well as private homeowners.

The test run ended in April 2011 and an evaluation of the project is due later this year.

You can see a short film about the project on YouTube : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wS418xrHovg

You can also download the film at Save Your Energy video.