Technology from Christchurch-based smart energy software company Cortexo is influencing how Meridian customers use their energy. The Smart Energy Portal was introduced in June, which expanded on the Energy Report launched last year.

Consumers already demonstrated their desire for more information when they far exceeded Meridians uptake expectations of the Daily Email Report, so the Smart Energy Portal is a natural progression for them, says Cortexos Managing Director Terry Paddy.

Empowering energy users with information so they can make better decisions is a major focus of Cortexos software solutions, and the feedback we have received has validated this outcome.

The service has been made possible by Cortexos software taking data from Arc Innovations smart meters at Meridian Energy customer sites, and presenting that information to electricity customers the next day.

The portal then allows users to compare their usage to other Meridian power plans so they can decide if they want to stay on the current plan or switch. They can also set themselves a monthly budgetary goal to aim towards and it shows a projected summary based on their current usage.

Terry says that, all this information allows users to make their own informed decisions and take responsibility for their energy use. Being more aware was a common phrase we were hearing from the feedback and I think that shows theyre taking it all on board.

Users enjoy having the service so much that they said it is something that would keep them at Meridian and that other providers would need to have something similar for them to be interested.

It just demonstrates how much consumers value this information and that they appreciate how it helps them take control of their energy use, concludes Terry.