Investigating the potential of smart energy data in health and care monitoring: a timely project in uncertain times

Covid 19 has brought into sharp focus health risks associated with social isolation. Many people over the last few months have experienced a sense of health vulnerability and uncertainty, and serious illness has been left untreated or undiagnosed. Among the hardest hit are those living alone with frail health and long-term health conditions – regardless of age.

No amount of telehealthcare can substitute for physical closeness and contact, but what it can do is mitigate the health risks of living alone. It can do this by connecting people, identifying need as it arises through remote monitoring, enabling timely access to services and fast response to health crises. 

One of our current projects is examining ways in which smart energy data can be used in remote health and wellbeing monitoring. Commissioned by Smart Energy GB, our work began in September 2019 and has involved the exploration of research and development worldwide. 

The UK appears to be one of the few countries in the world actively exploring smart energy data in health and care monitoring. This represents an unprecedented opportunity, in that this type of AAL monitoring is based on a smart-meter communications infrastructure that has government-mandated roll-out, nationwide. It is an opportunity that has great scope for cross-sector collaboration, particularly across the energy, computer science and health sectors.

Our project will complete this autumn (2020) and we look forward to reporting on the latest research, ideas and opportunities in this space.

• Project start: September 2019 
• Duration: 13 months
• Commissioner: Smart Energy GB
• Project contact: Jon Paxman