NAO: Smart meter rollout is going slow and over budget

The UK government's ambitious plan to rollout smart meters to all households and small businesses by the end of 2025 has faced significant delays and cost overruns, according to a report by the National Audit Office (NAO).

The report highlights that energy companies have only completed 57 percent of the £13.5 billion project, almost four years past the original deadline.

The NAO report also reveals that the estimated savings from smart meters amount to approximately...

15 June 2023 | Applications

IoT Tech Expo: Accelerating sustainability with satellites

During this year’s IoT Tech Expo North America, we heard from Jat Brainch, Chief Commercial and Digital Officer at Inmarsat, about how satellites can accelerate sustainability.

Satellite technology has emerged as a powerful tool in driving sustainability efforts across various sectors. From revolutionising agriculture practices to reducing carbon emissions, satellites offer immense potential in advancing environmental goals.

In Australia, for instance, Inmarsat’s...

23 May 2023 | Applications

Why smart technology is needed to transform the UK’s water sector

A woman holding a glass of water.

The water system across England and Wales is entirely dependent on the streamlined use of technology, with tens of thousands of sensors already used to track and flag blockages and flooding risk, and complex data collection mechanisms used to monitor changing water quality.

Additionally, data is already used to identify vulnerable customers and deliver tailored services to those that need additional support. But with large ageing pipelines operating in the context of increasing...

8 March 2023 | Environment

ABI Research predicts 2023 as breakout year for IoT energy harvesting startups

If you are looking for an area of focus in the IoT this year – or even investment – then energy harvesting may be the way to go. 

That is the verdict from ABI Research in its 2023 trends outlook. The analyst has published a whitepaper around technology trends which will or will not shape 2023 – 73 to be precise – and looks towards the energy and battery markets as needle-movers for IoT. 

Energy harvesting IoT startups, in particular, are a point of focus...

19 January 2023 | Environment

UK’s EV smart charging plan could save consumers £1,000 annually

A woman charging an electric car.

Electric vehicle consumers in the UK are set to benefit from lower energy bills and cheaper motoring thanks to a landmark plan to unlock the potential of smart electric vehicle charging.

The Electric Vehicle Smart Charging Action Plan published today (January 17, 2023) by the Government and Ofgem, sets out steps being taken to seize on the significant potential of smart charging and make it the preferred method of long duration charging by 2025.

Smart charging harnesses...

17 January 2023 | Connected Vehicles

Value-added applications of environmental monitoring to animal husbandry in Taiwan

Cows in a field.

In response to people’s concern over environmental quality, the Taiwanese Government has initiated the 'Civil IoT Taiwan' project, and entrusted the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) to develop its capacity in producing a Made in Taiwan (MIT) air monitoring sensor, which has been manufactured by Taiwanese company, such as Vision, Green Ideas and ProBai.

This has led to the extensive deployment of air quality sensors, which allows digitization and transparency of...

8 December 2022 | Digital Transformation

Civil IoT Taiwan: The guardian of air quality

Taipei City, Taiwan, at sunset.

We have all experienced one disaster after another in recent years, due to the coronavirus pandemic and the impact brought about by different kinds of extreme climates.

To help overcome the challenges brought about by environmental changes, and to enhance the ability and effectiveness of digital technology in environmental governance, the Taiwan Government launched 'Civil IoT Taiwan' in 2017, with the goal of promoting cooperation between local governments and private...

6 December 2022 | Applications

IoT street lighting project helps Aberdeen reduce carbon production

Aberdeen.

An intelligent street lighting project has been rolled out by Aberdeen City Council, unlocking sustainability and decarbonisation improvements across the city.

The Lighting Up Aberdeen project is part of a partnership with the UK’s leading IoT service and solutions provider, North, and is helping the local authority create a greener future through the use of energy-efficient lighting across the city.

The project has seen a state-of-the-art IoT solution installed to...

11 November 2022 | Environment

Inmarsat reveals the drivers and challenges of IoT deployments

Research from satellite telecoms giant Inmarsat highlights the factors driving IoT adoption in addition to what is hampering successful deployments.

Over half (54%) of respondents said that cost-efficiency is their leading reason for adopting IoT technologies. This was followed by environmental sustainability and greater supply chain insight—both at 48 percent.

Organisations with a formal IoT strategy are reaping the most benefits in terms of those leading drivers of...

22 April 2022 | Connectivity

Vodafone Connected Consumer 2030: How smart tech will transform our world

Vodafone held an event to celebrate the launch of a new report exploring how “smart technology will fundamentally transform our experience of the world in the next decade.”

The report, Connected Consumer 2030, was conducted by The FutureLaboratory on behalf of Vodafone.

An opening video at the start of the event highlighted the challenges we face—geopolitical tensions, climate change, strained healthcare systems, depleting resources, and more. It’s a pretty bleak...

26 January 2022 | Applications