Why should people with accessibility needs miss out on the advantages of smart energy solutions? An Accessible In-Home Energy Display has been given a Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) Tried and Tested certification. This follows two years of collaborative development by geo, a provider of smart energy products, and a thorough assessment by RNIB. Certification recognises the huge benefits that the display will provide to consumers with sight loss, loss of dexterity and colour blindness, whilst still providing a full range of functions.

So What?

The rollout of smart meters to all households in Great Britain allows energy consumers to easily see on a display screen how much energy they are using and how much it is costing, so they can take steps to address their energy usage and end estimated bills. geo worked with the RNIB, Energy UK and a number of energy suppliers, and used its own internal research, to design an in-home display with accessibility features to ensure that blind and partially sighted people would also be able to take full advantage of the rollout.

Amongst the features of the Trio II Accessible Display are verbalised information displayed both on the screens and navigation, six large tactile buttons and three separate LEDs which clearly indicate current electricity consumption. Added to this are high-contrast colour schemes and a large typeface. The device is built to comply with both the first and second generation (SMETS1 and SMETS2) standards which will allow it to work together with almost all types of smart meters being installed.