geo and EO Charging partner in drive towards net zero
geo (Green Energy Options), the Cambridge based smart energy specialist, and EO Charging, the electric vehicle charge-point and charging software developer, have announced a partnership to deliver a smart charging solution that integrates with energy smart meters in the home.
The two sustainability focused industry leaders aim to give customers a greater level of control and visibility over both the carbon impact and cost of charging their electric vehicles (EVs).
Patrick Caiger-Smith, Executive Chairman of geo said: “Our aim is to help create a sustainable future where every household is able to manage its carbon footprint without even having to think about it. To do this, we’re progressively putting householders in control of their energy use through engagement, automation and the intelligent use of data. It’s clear that the integration of EVs into whole home energy management is intrinsic to this and we see this partnership with EO Charging as a really important step”
geo accesses and analyses highly accurate, real-time carbon footprint, consumption and cost data and uses that data to provide actionable insights and automated control of key sources of energy use and generation in and around the home, that are critical to managing the impact of climate change. As flexible energy sources become increasingly important and whole ‘Home Energy Management systems’ (HEMS) become the norm the geo & EO Charging partnership will play a pivotal role in integrating the rapidly expanding population of EVs with the rest of home.
Integrated with the home’s smart meter and using geo’s analysis and control capabilities, the geo & EO Charging solution automatically recognises the householder’s electricity tariff and ensures that their EV is charged at the most carbon- and cost-effective time. The two companies’ capability applies to all current and future tariffs and automatically balances cost and carbon reduction with ensuring there is enough charge in the car for when it’s needed[i]. For homes equipped with solar panels, the system even ensures that the use of free solar energy for charging is optimised, only charging the EV when the solar feed cannot create a bigger financial or carbon reduction impact elsewhere in the home.
Charlie Jardine, CEO of EO Charging said: “Enabling customers to manage and monitor their energy usage when charging a car is critical for the mass adoption of electric vehicles. Our vision is to design smart energy technologies, starting with electric vehicle chargers, that can integrate with solar, storage and smart home devices. This partnership with geo fits perfectly with that strategy and we’re excited to be able to deliver this enhanced visibility and control to our customers.”
The capability introduced by geo & EO Charging’s partnership means that Energy Retailers will be able to design and offer a wider range of time of use tariffs specifically designed for EV users without making the use of those tariffs complex for the user, making EV ownership more accessible, more climate-friendly and more cost efficient and offering more choice to customers.
As the energy industry moves towards dynamic half-hourly pricing schedules which track electricity market supply and demand, the geo & EO Charging solution ensures that homeowners can fully exploit time of use tariffs, which will in turn play a key role in balancing the use of renewable energy to reduce CO2 emissions, reduce the cost to taxpayers of extending and reinforcing the electricity grid and ultimately reduce the long term cost of energy. The new system aims to remain future proof by tracking emerging standards for Demand Side Response, where home energy loads can automatically be flexed up or down to further reduce energy costs, without impacting the household.
[i] Existing charging solutions rely on Apps into which the end user must manually enter the tariff or charging schedule
