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Smart Energy GB confirms microbusiness engagement strategy

Smart Energy GB has outlined plans to extend its “Gaz and Leccy” advertising campaign for domestic customers to microbusinesses, following an industry consultation.

Smart Energy GB has published its updated paper ‘smart energy for business’ in which it reiterates how the domestic engagement campaign will be extended to target 2.3 million microbusinesses.

The strategy says a proportionate percentage of the fund will be spent on engaging microbusinesses with smart metering through the Gaz and Leccy creative and educational films developed for the domestic market.

Smart Energy GB plans to overcome some of the obstacles identified with engaging microbusinesses by extending its communication channels to include specialist media, partnerships with advisory organisations, and partnerships with organisations that can provide direct communications channels.

Obstacles previously identified include a perceived disruption to business as usual; a lack of awareness or belief in the benefits of smart meters; and confusion between advanced metering and smart metering.

It said responses to the recent consultation “agreed that this approach is proportionate to our task.”

Smart Energy GB said: “We will continue to gather insight to inform and refine our plans further over the lifetime of the smart meter rollout.”

The Federation of Small Businesses slammed the lack of funding for a separate microbusinesses campaign as a “recipe for failure” in its submission to the consultation.

It said a specific targeted campaign is necessary to achieve buy-in by a sector with a “high-degree of mistrust” of the energy market.