Boosting pensions and the UK economy through WISER homes (and all for under £150)

  Posted by: electrical-poster      13th December 2017

With today’s advances in the internet of things (IoT), the digital realm’s abilities to save us more time, energy and money, means we’re becoming more efficient than ever. How we turn energy savings into a financial benefit for the long run though is another matter.

Only recently the Association of British Insurers through the British Household Panel Survey has said that households with mortgage costs hinder other forms of long-term savings and investment. The study observed a significant decline in households’ savings rates translated to a 15 per cent, or £390 a year, lower private pension income at retirement. This has repercussions for individual pension savings and for the UK economy as a whole.

But while the high cost of housing in the UK has meant less long-term savings, there is a way of turning pennies generated through energy efficiency into productive assets.

The WISER smart home technology heating system developed by Drayton, a Schneider Electric company, is an option certainly worth considering. With no wiring and no fuss, it’s the fastest and easiest system on the market to install; it’s affordable too, starting at £150.

The system builds on Drayton’s strong heritage in designing and building iconic and reliable heating controls and Schneider Electric’s commitment to providing better energy management and automation.

The WISER system includes four key components; a Heat Hub, room thermostat, radiator thermostat and an app to allow for flexible ‘heating zones’. The system allows for up to 16 rooms in a property to be managed independently to meet specific needs. Anyone can install it in a matter of minutes.

WISER also supports Amazon’s intelligent personal assistant, Alexa, allowing users to set the temperature with voice control by asking Alexa to change the individual room temperature.

Where it comes to the app, its settings include holiday mode, day-to-day and hourly planning for each room in the property. The advantages of the system quickly become apparent when the monthly bill arrives by heating fewer rooms or heating rooms to different temperatures, as well as being able to react quickly and amend heating settings when circumstances change, such as missing the train home or staying one extra night away.

Having launched in September as a retail item, Schneider Electric has seen a healthy uptake of WISER in the market. Available via Amazon, Screwfix, Wickes and B&Q, it allows homeowners the ability to generate genuine savings quickly. WISER users experience a 20% greater reduction in costs compared to those who use simple smart thermostat systems.

Savings generated by WISER can be put directly into pension pots. The compounded returns, which would have been unnecessarily spent on energy consumption over a long period, when turned into a productive asset, ultimately unlock additional retirement funds and increase UK economic investment.

In the future, this will be something worth reflecting back on and appreciating.