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Our challenge: sharing the benefits of smart meters with young student renters
Many students become renters for the first time at university. That comes a learning curve, especially when it comes to managing household costs and energy use.
Many also inherit older, poorly insulated homes as it's seen as a ‘rite of passage’ which only adds to the challenge of energy efficiency.
The idea of a smart meter may also seem irrelevant, especially when their living situations are viewed as temporary.
When it comes to making improvements to their rented homes, those renters might want to focus on immediate benefits and might overlook how a smart meter can help them save money, improve their energy efficiency and better manage their finances.
Our challenge was to reach this audience and show them how smart meters can help better understand and manage their energy use, even if they don’t own their home.
Our approach: Empowering students to manage energy use
We partnered with Students Organising for Sustainability (SOS-UK) - a charity that focuses on supporting students and wider society to take action on sustainability.
Through this partnership, we have been able to engage with young student renters and inform them of the benefits of getting a smart meter despite not owning their home.
In 2024, SOS-UK ran a number of activities to engage with students, including running a smart meter action week.
Taking place in September as students returned to university, the week-long awareness campaign targeted those that have moved into privately rented accommodation. The campaign was promoted on social media channels, email, as well as through a competition and a quiz. A key theme running throughout the content was that student renters can choose to have a smart meter installed, they just need to let their landlord know before they get one.
Another important element of the partnership was giving a voice to students and encouraging them to share their experiences. Students with a smart meter were featured in e-communications and the SOS-UK website, while trusted student influencers created content to showcase smart meters and their benefits.
Beyond this, SOS-UK ran information sessions at student housing events and freshers’ fairs. The organisation also worked with student letting agencies and student unions to feature smart meter messaging and energy efficiency advice in their welcome packs.
SOS-UK is also the charity partner of TOTUM, a student membership platform providing discounts across a range of areas including eating out, fashion and technology for its 1.6 million members.
Through this network, we were able to engage with money-conscious students and were also able to reach those on low incomes too.
Jade Monroe, Senior Project Manager, SOS UK:
“This partnership has been invaluable in providing support and information to
help boost student confidence and knowledge in managing their home energy
use."
Our results: Boosting confidence around energy management
Through our partnership with SOS-UK, we succeeded in delivering 1,279,861 impressions, reaching 410,717 individuals. By working with an organisation like SOS-UK, we were able to connect with young student renters through real voices and trusted networks while sharing knowledge that can boost their confidence around everyday energy use and management.
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