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Smart meters are replacing traditional gas and electricity meters in homes and small businesses across Great Britain as part of an important upgrade to the national energy infrastructure, underpinning the cost-effective delivery of Government’s Net Zero commitment. They are a critical tool in the transition to a low carbon energy system, for example helping consumers to use energy when renewable generation is available. Prior to the Competition, BEIS found that smart meters would result in average reductions of 3% for electricity customers, 2.2% for gas credit customers, and 0.5% for gas pre-payment customers. <br/><br/>Early evaluation and research have shown that these savings are realised through access to near real time feedback (via In-Home Displays (IHDs)), energy efficiency advice at the point of installation, and accurate bills. The Smart Energy Savings Innovation (SENS) Competition was developed on the assumption that more sophisticated uses of energy consumption data can deliver additional savings to those already achieved by having a smart meter installed in the home. <br/><br/>The SENS Competition led by the former Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) committed up to £6.25 million, to support the development, trialling and evaluation of innovative feedback products and services that use smart meter data to help domestic consumers reduce their energy consumption. SENS was launched February 2019, with trials concluding end of March 2022 (extended by one-year due to COVID-19 impacts). <br/><br/>The objectives of the Competition were to:<br/>• Identify innovative products and services using smart meter data that can deliver energy savings in homes, in excess of those currently identified in the smart meter impact assessment, for either the Great Britain population or specific groups within it.<br/>• Ensure that solutions are attractive and valued by consumers and are easily available (using existing technologies and delivery channels or cost-effective new hardware). <br/>• Support the development of a domestic market for energy management products and services, securing investment from technology providers, energy suppliers, and third parties.