Onzo pledges to take smart meters into the mainstream

Smart meter specialist Onzo has bolstered its product design team after yesterday merging with Glasgow-based medical device design specialist Lightweight Medical.

Having originally been founded as a collaboration between Lightweight Medical, branding consultancy More Associates and Onzo chief executive Joel Hagan, the smart meter company has now effectively taken control of Lightweight Medical after the design firm's staff resigned their positions to take jobs at Onzo.

Hagan said the move would provide Onzo with access to an award winning team of young designers as it seeks to enhance the functionality and usability of its in-house energy meters.

"The rationale behind the deal is that there will be a large number of design challenges in the smart meter field and this gives us the resources to take on those challenges," he told BusinessGreen.com.

The initial focus of the expanded design team will be on broadening the appeal of the company's existing energy meters, Hagan added.

"The climate change and energy saving challenge requires co-operation from everybody, which means you have to be able to connect with people," he explained. "What our designers will be working on is ways to really engage with people and make the meters accessible to the mainstream. It is easy to grab the greens [with these types of devices], but the key is to reach the mainstream."

In the longer term, as smart meters become more ubiquitous, Hagan said the company will work to "segment the market" and produce meters that are specifically tailored for different customers.

"You could make a display suitable for children that could go in their bedroom," Hagan explained, adding that the firm would also invest in developing smarter meters that allow users to better control their energy use by automatically turning devices on and off.