Energy retailer Bulb has outlined plans to offer low-income or vulnerable customers a free smart thermostat.
The company will trial the free fittings of Google Nest Thermostat E devices in 2,000 West Midlands homes and, if successful, will expand it to 30,000 properties across the UK.
The project is part of the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) scheme.
Bulb estimates the measure would save c250,000 tonnes of CO2, based on the average emissions savings of an ECO measure per year, multiplied by the average life of a smart thermostat.
Joe Richardson, general manager of Bulb UK, said: “Everyone should be able to benefit from the green revolution, so we’re installing smart thermostats to help low-income or vulnerable households save money on their energy bills and lower their carbon emissions. Smart energy technology will be crucial to help homes around the UK transition to net zero, but we need to make sure no one is left behind.”
Bulb is working with AgilityEco on the rollout, as well as with the Local Energy Advice Partnership (LEAP), which will be managing the installations.
In its latest financial update, Bulb revealed that its customer numbers had increased by 46 per cent between March 2019 and 2020. It now serves around 1.7 million in total, or 6 per cent of the market.