New collaboration aims to end energy bill misery for thousands this winter

An innovative Yorkshire-based technology brand is aiming to tackle the energy bill crisis head on thanks to a new collaboration with a rapidly growing consumer energy advisory group.

ivie, a consumer technology brand that aims to help people make smart energy decisions and reduce their energy consumption and costs at home, has teamed up with Energy Support and Advice UK (ESAUK). ESAUK is an online Facebook-based community group offering free support and advice to people about saving money on their energy bills and being more energy efficient. The group has a growing 101k strong community of members.

Last month, ivie launched its new energy saving app which has been specifically designed for users to save energy in the home more easily and quickly than ever before. The ivie app, which is free to download and integrates seamlessly with most domestic energy smart meters, has already been adopted by over 10,000 users.

ESAUK was launched two years ago by Gemma Hatvani. Having worked in the energy industry for 14 years, Gemma founded the group to directly support the growing number of people facing difficulties, confusion and concerns about their energy bills.

The new collaboration will see ivie experts assist the community members by offering technical support and helpful advice. Key areas of concern covered include confusion and problems arising from smart meters and practical ways to improve energy efficiency measures in the home. Volunteer group members from ESAUK are also providing product feedback to enable ivie to incorporate the views of real consumers into its future consumer product development plans.

The overall aim of the collaboration is to help the ESAUK community to save energy, cut their bills and be more energy efficient. As an intuitive piece of consumer technology, the ivie app is already helping users reduce their energy consumption considerably to save money and carbon.

The free ivie app gives users more control over their home energy by using smart meter energy data to give a personal and smart saving experience. Users see their energy usage broken down by their everyday activities allowing them to pinpoint which areas of the home use the most energy. The app also shows live energy data when connected to an ivie Bud in-home display, helping households to make instant, smart energy-saving decisions that will reduce costs, energy and carbon.

A typical household in Great Britain can now expect to pay an average of £2,500 a year on their energy bill until April 2023, after which prices are likely to increase substantially. With energy bills and the cost of living at an all-time high, the ivie app is a helpful tool for households looking to save energy and keep their bill to a minimum.

Personalised energy-saving tips and challenges based on a user’s energy usage are generated by the app, helping to save even more on escalating bills. Households can earn reward points for their energy savings which can be exchanged for prizes such as Amazon vouchers, providing a greater incentive to be more energy conscious around the home.

Mike Woodhall, founder and CEO of Harrogate-based Chameleon Technology, the tech company behind the app commented: “We created the ivie app and ivie Bud to make managing energy simpler, smarter and more personal. Accurate, real-time energy data is crucial for achieving this. With live data, people can make smart energy-saving decisions on the spot that bring genuine change to how they use energy.

“By teaming up with ESAUK, we aim to help over 100,000 people to not only save money on their energy bills but to make changes to their energy habits which will make their homes much more efficient in the long term. This will be of great benefit to the environment too by reducing carbon and energy waste. Households across the UK are desperate to reduce outgoings during this very challenging time and saving as much money as possible remains the top priority for millions of people. Thanks to our partnership with ESAUK, we are delivering simple and free energy saving guidance that we are confident will help to make a real difference to people this winter and beyond.”

Gemma Hatvani, founder of ESAUK, said: “This is a positive and very welcome collaboration which will be a major benefit to our growing number of community members. Soaring energy bills, being more efficient to keep bills down and the increasing cost of living are all key concerns for the majority of people in the country and many are confused and worried about what is going to happen and how they will manage.

“I created the ESAUK community as an advisory support group which aims to educate, support and advise as many people as possible. We have assembled a wealth of experience and expertise from the energy industry and elsewhere who, collectively, can answer almost any energy-related question. To now have the expertise and energy industry insight of ivie on board will be invaluable to the whole community and provides an extra dimension to the level of support we are able to provide.”