Product Design Scotland, Edinburgh: Shore Design

OnStream ▪ Electricity & Gas Smart Meters

Requirement

OnStream, a National Grid company that supplies meters and metering services to energy suppliers across Great Britain, had a requirement to develop both electricity and gas smart meters that can communicate with similarly equipped appliances through Bluetooth-style wireless technology.

They required a family of products that would be robust enough to meet the toughest of specifications across both the commercial & industrial environments and the home environment.

Shore Design were incorporated into the ground breaking team comprising of some of Britain's leading specialists and were responsible for the product design and assisted in the set up of the supply chain for the mechanical components.

Development

Having vast experience in 'User Centered Design', our designers set out to create an intuitive design language that would enable users from the slow tech adopters to technologically advanced to feel comfortable using this new type of product. This will enable mass appeal for the product family.

The user interface was the focal point for the development. Creating a highly visible backlit display that allows users to access the key energy information quickly & simply with the minimal amount of effort was a primary concern. The amount of navigation keys were minimised so interface scrolling is kept linear & simple. Adding a graphical menu structure to the display window allows easy navigation to the top level of information without feeling lost in the interface.

Result

Steve Holliday, the chief executive of National Grid, quoted in the Times 20th April, "We believe that this meter is what the industry has been waiting for. Smart meters are part of a system that can reduce energy consumption."

On Stream will run trials of 2,000 meters for six months from the summer. Currently the company installs and services more than four million meters for energy suppliers across Great Britain and hopes to grow this market share as smart meters are deployed across the country.