Automating energy efficiency: Key to behavioural change and net zero

Opinion: measurable.energy’s CEO, Dan Williams, on how automating energy efficiency is key to real behaviour change.

The recent push for Britons to reduce energy consumption during peak times as part of the journey towards net zero is a welcome step, but it’s only the beginning. While encouraging people to alter their behaviour and be more mindful of their energy use is a good start, it’s a manual solution with limitations. Real change comes when technology steps in—not to remind us what to do, but to simply take care of it for us.

measurable.energy has been firmly focused on developing solutions, initially for businesses, but we’re working on solutions for the consumer too.

A future without constant energy monitoring

Right now, consumers are incentivised to adapt their behaviour based on energy prices and availability, often needing to manually adjust their usage or keep a constant eye on alerts. My own family watches energy price fluctuations on our WhatsApp group, but that’s far from a sustainable, long-term solution. At measurable.energy, we’re looking beyond manual interventions. We envision a world where your technology adapts to your preferences and sustainability goals without requiring you to take action.

We’ve been busy developing machine learning solutions that automatically optimise the energy usage of devices based on real-time data — time of day, emissions levels, energy costs, and, crucially, personal preferences. We believe you shouldn’t have to choose between finishing your favourite TV show and saving energy. Instead, imagine being able to prioritise reducing energy to less essential devices, like those in your bedroom or office, without you having to lift a finger.

Flexibility is good—smart control is better

Whilst we are champions of flexibility in energy usage, we do also recognise that uncertainty about what can be adjusted. It can be a significant barrier. That’s why we’re building the automated ‘brain’ of the future—a system that not only provides visibility into how much energy and emissions your devices are consuming but also automates the control of those devices based on your chosen behaviour.

Whether you want to save money by delaying the washing machine or take advantage of high renewable energy availability, our smart sockets, fused spurs, and integrated software take care of it for you. It’s about creating a truly automated energy ecosystem where consumers don’t have to be energy experts or constantly monitor prices to make a difference.

By removing the friction from energy efficiency, we can achieve real, scalable behaviour change that contributes to our net zero goals—without sacrificing convenience or comfort.

Opinion piece by Dan Williams, CEO and Co-Founder, measurable energy