Charlie Crossley Cooke, Managing Director, Opus Energy

Northampton, U.K. --- (METERING.COM) --- March 25, 2008 – Opus Energy, an independent supplier of electricity to U.K. businesses, has collaborated with Bglobal plc, a smart metering and energy data services company, in a £3m ($5.9 million) deal which will see Opus Energy continue to fulfill its commitment to become the first energy company in the UK to offer smart meters free to all its customers.

The contract with Bglobal includes the delivery of electricity smart meters, remote data collection and meter operations for all Opus Energy’s customers. Opus Energy is planning a fast roll-out of the service to its customers, with the first batch of 5,000 being installed now.

Opus Energy is the first energy company to make smart meters available to all its customers free of charge. Smart meters allow businesses to proactively manage their electricity consumption, by providing accurate up-to-date meter readings. Customers can then choose to streamline their energy usage, saving costs and reducing their carbon footprint.

Figures released by The Carbon Trust state that smart meter technology has the potential to save small- and medium-sized enterprises in the U.K. £300 million ($595 million) every year. In addition, a possible 5.1 million tonnes of CO2 could be saved each year – the equivalent to the entire carbon footprint of Bristol.

Charlie Crossley Cooke, managing director of Opus Energy, said: “Following on from a successful pilot initiative, customers are most impressed with the accuracy of their bills. The smart meters provide up-to-date meter reads, which means that customers can have access to detailed information about their energy consumption. This is an essential step for customers wanting to reduce their costs through energy saving initiatives. With so many benefits for our customers, we are committed to making this type of technology available; our partnership with Bglobal will strengthen our ability to roll them out faster.”

Tony Stiff, commercial director at Bglobal, said: “We are delighted to be working with Opus Energy on this important project. Our market leading position with the right technology at the right price now makes it very cost effective for energy companies like Opus Energy to provide new and enhanced services to differentiate them in the supply of electricity. Our cost model made it possible for Opus Energy to provide smart meters free of charge to its customers, which was a crucial requirement for the company.”