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Pinergy student accommodation energy solution case study

Pinergy’s monitoring technology benefits students and landlords alike, as both enjoy a new era of clarity and communication.
Pinergy
12 August 2019

A SAVINGS STORY – GATEWAY IN DCU

Imagine a building block of 100 apartments. Now picture over half of the residents leaving it unattended for three weeks, locking the door and living somewhere else…while leaving appliances turned on.

This is what happened to Gateway, a student block in DCU. When the last door shut and the final student left for Christmas, over 50% of the apartments had an appliance running, and in many cases, it was heating.

John Russell, the onsite manager, was lucky to be a Pinergy customer, which showed him immediately and precisely the amount of electricity being used. Had he not been using Pinergy, his residents might have returned from their Christmas break to a needless and tremendous energy bill.

And, since students get charged extra for overusing utilities, this also could have led to some heated conversations between the landlord and his tenants.

THE DAILY METER READINGS

Our unique system, the Landlord Portal, provides daily meter readings. No other energy providers give the end user so much information to monitor their usage. Students, meanwhile, are privy to the same information via an app.

GOOD FOR LANDLORDS…

There’s a school of thought that what’s good for a tenant is not always good for landlords (and vice versa). But, when it comes to energy for student accommodation, Pinergy has benefits for both.

Pinergy essentially caters for two billing options for landlords

1. Those who include the electricity in the billing price,

2. and those who empower the students to look after energy use themselves.

Landlords benefit from the transparent information, especially if they charge tenants a set utility bill. Knowing how much energy is being used makes it easier to estimate how much to charge for utilities – establishing accurate and fair parameters for set prices.

…AND STUDENT TENANTS

Landlords tend to be the decision-makers when it comes to utility providers, but a growing number of students are engaging with Pinergy too.

Because Pinergy provides a unique app that records every unit of energy used, right down to the time of use, it gives students the opportunity to keep track of their energy use.

In most cases, landlords charge students a flat fee, with an extra surcharge if the energy use greatly exceeds estimations. So, the ability to keep a close eye on energy consumption is a welcome, new tool for students.

This is often the first time students are fending for themselves away from home, so managing bills can be a learning curve. Pinergy encourages students to embrace this information and reduce their consumption – a skill that will benefit them for the rest of their adult lives.

Additionally, young millennials are leading the charge and the conversation on climate change and responsible energy use, and Pinergy provides 100% green energy.

A VERSATILE TECH

While the above example of DCU is a relatively large accommodation block, Pinergy is versatile enough for any scenario.

Some of our landlords run a single dwelling, while others are responsible for larger buildings, and a third tranche would be major, on-campus blocks. Our customers range from one unit to 300. And some landlords and building managers use Pinergy to monitor energy use across multiple sites.

Pinergy does not have set rates, instead opting for bespoke, fairer pricing based on each customer’s individual needs.

KNOWLEDGE IS POWER

Pinergy provides energy solutions for students and their landlords across the country.

If you’d like to know more about the transparency, savings and benefits of Pinergy Student Accommodation Energy solutions, we’d be happy to talk to you.