Opus Energy hits 12000 smart meter installations

Opus Energy expects to have installed 20% of client base by spring 2011.

Opus Energy, the leading independent supplier of electricity to UK businesses, has expanded its portfolio of smart meter providers. Already working with another major player in the market, IMServ, Opus Energy has today revealed new partnerships with UPL and National Grid owned OnStream. Opus Energy is the first energy company to make smart meters available to all of its customers, free of charge.

The agreements will cover the delivery and operation of meters and remote data-collection from them, and will allow Opus Energy to further ramp-up its customer roll-out. Having already installed over 12,000 meters in 2010, the company now expects to fit a further 3,000 by spring 2011, nearing 20% of its client base.

Planned installations include all of its maximum demand ‘Profile Class 5-8’ users, who will have their meters fitted well in advance of the Government’s 2014 target.

Smart meters have been recognised by the Government as a key tool in reducing the UK’s carbon emissions, allowing businesses to proactively manage their electricity consumption by providing accurate meter readings, as well as facilitating a range of wider energy efficiency measures.

Commenting Charlie Crossley Cooke, Managing Director of Opus Energy said,
“Smart metering is clearly an easy win for UK businesses. Since becoming the first energy company to offer meters to its customers at no cost, we have seen huge interest from SMEs and corporates looking to reduce their energy spend and carbon emissions.

“Our agreement with OnStream and UPL not only increases our capacity to service this demand, it also reiterates the major role that Opus Energy is playing in the roll-out. We remain committed to ensuring that as many as possible of our customers can enjoy the benefits of smart metering, as quickly as possible.”

Case Study: Dulux Decorator Centres
Many of Opus Energy’s customers have already been able to take advantage of these benefits. One such customer is Dulux Decorator Centres. Since the installation of smart meters in 2009, the company has benefited from Opus Energy’s tariff optimisation scheme. The company’s smart meter consumption data has been analysed and tariffs amended to reflect its detailed consumption use, which has enabled the company to reduce its energy bills by switching to the most cost-effective tariffs. As a direct result, Dulux Decorator Centres has been able to make savings of between £23,000 and £42,000 per month.

Commenting Mike Dwyer of Dulux Decorator Centres said;
“In today’s uncertain economic climate, there is clearly more pressure on businesses than ever before to reduce their costs. Smart metering has at a stroke allowed us to make a step-change in our energy spend. It has also laid the foundations for us to look at introducing a range of other efficiency measures that will continue to improve our financial and environmental performance.”

Sharon Rodriguez, Director of OnStream added:
“We are delighted to be partnering with Opus Energy as their smart metering provider. It is an excellent opportunity to utilise our wealth of asset and installation experience to support their smart ambitions and allow Opus Energy’s customers to access the benefits of smart metering.”

- Ends -

For press enquiries, please contact
Oliver Williams / Rob Arnott (FD)
T. 0207 269 7294 / 0203 077 0404
E. oliver.williams@fd.com / rob.arnott@fd.com

About Opus Energy
Opus Energy is a leading independent supplier of electricity to UK businesses. With offices in Northampton and Oxford, Opus Energy employs over 250 people.

Opus Energy supplies over 80,000 UK business sites across all sectors. Corporate customers include: Stagecoach, Farmfoods, FirstGroup, and John Lewis.

Opus Energy’s management team has a 50 per cent stake in the business, while International Power Plc (LSE:IPR.L) holds 30 per cent and Telecom Plus Plc (LSE: TEP.L ) has 20 per cent.

For further information about Opus Energy, please see www.opusenergy.com

About OnStream
OnStream, a National Grid company, is one of Britain’s leading metering companies, providing dual fuel traditional and smart metering solutions to customers across Great Britain. OnStream offers a flexible and professional range of meter management services to both residential and commercial customers, with more than 4.5 million meters installed to date.

OnStream offers smart metering services aimed at improving service provision and reducing environmental impact and has, so far, installed more than 45,000 smart meters in homes and businesses. To support smart metering it offers data collection and aggregation services ensuring a holistic, end-to-end service for its customers.

In addition, OnStream provides traditional meter reading services alongside world class Automated Meter Reading services for both domestic and non-domestic customers, through which it collects consumption data on a daily basis from more than 20,000 AMR devices.

For more information, please visit www.onstream.co.uk.

About Utility Partner Limited (UPL)
Utility Partnership Limited (UPL) is an end-to-end utility infrastructure and energy management service provider. They are an accredited Meter Operator (MOP) and Non Half-Hourly Data Collector/Data Aggregator (NHHDC/DA), which enables them to offer a complete and independent metering and data service. They have more than 14 years’ experience with a nationally approved installation team, and have developed a bespoke range of advanced Smart Metering solutions. To date they have installed over 30,000 meters in the UK, Ireland and Germany and process almost 500,000 meter readings per month.

UPL also have trained energy auditors and analysts to operate throughout the UK, offering targeted energy-saving advice on how to reduce both costs and carbon emissions.

About Dulux Decorator Centres
Dulux Decorator Centres is the UK leading decorating specialist offering expert advice to help accomplish any decorating job – big or small. Each centre carries a wide range of products, from paint to wallpaper, accessories and tools, as well as a decorator recommendation service.

For further information on DDC please contact Becky Roberts at Tangerine PR on 0161 817 6600 or email Becky.Roberts@tangerinepr.com.

Part of AkzoNobel, Dulux Decorator Centres has almost 200 centres across the UK, supplying a full range of decorating products and service needs. Dulux Decorator Centres is now the UK’s leading decorating specialist, offering a wide product range and unrivalled product and sector knowledge.

About Invensys IMServ
IMServ, part of Invensys Operations Management, was founded in 1992 and, collect energy data from over 120,000 meters that is spread across 100 000 sites in England, Scotland and Wales equating to 30% of the UK’s total energy consumption.

IMServ is a leader in providing world-class carbon & energy solutions that help organisations in all sectors to save energy, reduce costs, control carbon and be greener. IMServ delivers complete end-to-end outsourced solutions as well as individual services and consultancy across three key areas — Data, Insight and Carbon & Energy Saving. Armed with more detailed, accurate and up-to-date information on their energy use, businesses can take more informed steps to manage their energy costs and carbon footprint.

For more information, please visit www.imserv.com.

About Opus Energy
Opus Energy is a leading independent supplier of electricity to UK businesses. With offices in Northampton and Oxford, Opus Energy employs over 250 people.

Opus Energy supplies over 80,000 UK business sites across all sectors. Corporate customers include: Stagecoach, Farmfoods, FirstGroup, and John Lewis.

Opus Energy’s management team has a 50 per cent stake in the business, while International Power Plc (LSE:IPR.L) holds 30 per cent and Telecom Plus Plc (LSE: TEP.L ) has 20 per cent.

For further information about Opus Energy, please see www.opusenergy.com

Opus Energy

Opus House
285 Banbury Road
Oxford
Oxfordshire
OX2 7JF

Contact:
Ed Cuffe-Adams
ed.cuffe-adams@opusenergy.com
0845 218 2160

Press contact:
Oliver Williams / Rob Arnott (FD)
T. 0207 269 7294 / 0203 077 0404
E. oliver.williams@fd.com / rob.arnott@fd.com

This release was published on openPR.