Local authority chooses KURVE web-app for heat network metering
25th July 2022Written by: Eelinn Vanquaethem, Marketing & Content Manager
Formerly known as Ceasar Court, Benwell House is a converted office block providing affordable residential living in Sunbury-on-Thames. The 3,609m2 development is managed by Knowle Green Estates, a subsidiary of Spelthorne Borough Council, and comprises a mix of 55 one and two-bedroom assured tenancy apartments with active accessible amenity provisions.
It was completed in May 2021 and all properties are currently rented out by Spelthorne Borough Council.
“Like most local authorities, Spelthorne Borough Council is facing rising energy costs, and this encouraged us to look at new, digital options for heat metering when selecting a system for Benwell House,” said Akin Akinyemi, Residential Estates & Facilities Manager at Spelthorne Borough Council. “Besides looking for a system that would be as cost-efficient as possible to customers, we saw this as an opportunity to introduce convenient and easy to use technology. We were impressed by the whole life cost savings of the KURVE platform.”
KURVE can reduce capital (CapEx), operational (OpEx) and replacement (RepEx) expenditure by up to 60%, 17% and 97% respectively. Ninety-five per cent of recently surveyed KURVE customers responded positively when asked about the web-app, with one customer saying, “it’s really useful in helping [them] manage [their] money and bills each month."
“As a metering and billing provider, we know it is important to always keep the end-user in mind. Digital solutions and online payments are often seen as a risky option for vulnerable residents by local authorities and housing associations. However, results from a KURVE customer survey in January 2022, where 60% of respondents live in local authority and housing association developments, showed that 95% of users make payments online through the web-app, with the remaining 5% using our interactive voice response (IVR) phone service or paying over the counter in PayPoint outlets,” said Ellie Blacklock, KURVE project manager at Insite Energy, the company who established KURVE Technologies with SAV Systems in 2019.
60% of respondents live in local authority and housing association developments, and overall 95% of respondents felt positive about KURVE (source: KURVE Customer Survey January 2022)
“This indicates that KURVE is a suitable metering system for all demographics and tenancy types, even for those who may not be as tech savvy. Roughly 40% of sites signed up to KURVE now have an element of social housing or affordable rent properties,” said Ellie Blacklock.
This is the first time Spelthorne Borough Council has worked with Insite Energy. Their contract covers the provision of equipment and on-site commissioning support, as well as ongoing metering and billing services.