Knowing how much energy you’re using, and how it compares to other households is a simple way to use less and cut energy bills. After all, if you don’t know you’re a high user compared to similar households, how would you know you’re overspending?
It’s important to benchmark, and we regularly do this for other areas of our lives - like if we’re training for a sport. When we start, we take stock of vital data points like time and speed, so we know what we’re working with, and the efforts needed to reach our goal. Then, we can see how this compares to our peers by using fitness apps. What’s the fastest time someone ran this stretch of road? What’s my cycling output and how does it compare to last year? What’s my friend's average pace?
The same can be done for energy, with surprising results!
Wasted energy makes up 30% of the average energy bill - do something about it! Get more from your smart meter with Loop.
The Impact of Energy Insights
This was the hypothesis of an American software company, Opower, who back in 2007 took this concept to utility companies to improve their customer engagement. They found that when making energy-saving competitive, households were more likely to save.
Their Home Energy Reports (HER) compared each customer's energy use to that of 100 neighbours with similar house and family sizes. By showing this data, they demonstrated the influence of 'descriptive norms,' where people tend to follow the behaviour of others.
However, a problem arose when Opower noticed a 'boomerang effect': customers using less energy started consuming more after learning they were below average! To address this, Opower added smiley faces to the HERs, giving them to those using less energy. This prevented low users from increasing their usage as it actively communicated that saving energy is the right thing to do.
On average, households who received Opowers Home Energy Reports reduced their energy use by 3%. While this sounds relatively small, with millions of households all doing the same the collective impact was huge!
Loop: Making Energy Easy
When you're starting your journey, you need to know what you're working with, and that's where Loop comes in. By providing detailed insights into your consumption patterns, Loop empowers you to identify areas where you can improve. This knowledge is crucial; without understanding your baseline usage, it's challenging to set realistic goals and measure progress. 
With Loop, you not only become aware of your energy consumption but also gain the tools to make informed decisions, reduce waste, and ultimately lower your energy bills. On average, Loop users cut their energy use by 15%!
Just as fitness apps revolutionised personal health and fitness tracking, Loop offers a transformative approach to managing energy use.
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Cut your energy bill with Loop
Loop is a FREE energy-saving app that links to your smart meter, analyses your energy use and shows you easy ways to save. On average, Loop users cut their electricity use by 16% and their gas use by 10%! How much could you save?
