Welcome to part two of our Energy Expertise series, where Chameleon Technology’s team members explore our award-winning heritage in smart energy
Chameleon’s success has always been rooted in our ability to conceive, design and manufacture simple, intuitive solutions for smart energy issues on a massive scale. Our Chief Operations Officer Mike Pyke oversees the engineering and operations functions of the business, and sees this innovative spirit first-hand every day.
“For over a decade, our engineering know-how has been a vital part of the UK’s smart meter rollout. We’re incredibly proud of our heritage, in delivering over 12 million in-home displays (IHDs) – a feat that required precision, innovation, and an unwavering commitment to building high-quality devices that make energy data simple, consumable and valuable,” Mike explains.
Our smart meter IHD products began with a single question: how can we help households visualise and better understand their energy usage? That problem-solving approach has been a key part of our company’s DNA since day one.
As the UK’s smart energy landscape has evolved, so has Chameleon. The complexities of updating nationwide infrastructure are compounded with the need to continually update and educate consumers. From investing in large-scale, low-carbon technologies for lower carbon emissions, to helping households understand how demand flexibility works, there’s no silver bullet solution to solve everything.
Instead, Chameleon’s team has focused on creating solutions to specific, key roadblocks to the overall energy transition. “We’re moving beyond just supplying IHD devices. We are using our in-house engineering and data expertise to create critical tools that help to solve the most pressing issues for our partners and end-users,” Mike adds.
Take, for instance, the new Chameleon Technology Gateway Business device. “We saw a huge problem on the horizon: over a million older Automatic Meter Reading (AMR) meters are still in service, but they lack the functionality needed for a truly modern grid,” says Mike. “The obvious – and expensive – solution is to rip them out and replace them. Instead, our team engineered a smart device that breathes new life into these assets.”
The Gateway Business device allows the meter readings to continue to be sent to energy providers, despite their older signal types being phased out. It is powered directly from the meter, and acts like a modem to send the signal via a custom-designed antenna, coupled with a strong 4G SIM. With one simple installation, we’re giving these AMR meters a new lease of life.
“This allows contractors to save significant time and money, while keeping essential infrastructure working as the older 2G and 3G signals are phased out,” Mike adds.
“Our team isn’t just designing products; we’re building solutions. We’re leveraging our years of expertise in design and engineering to deliver devices of incredible quality, that’s true. But it’s the additional data tools and layers of insight we’re adding, alongside these next generation devices, that will help to power a more connected and efficient energy future for all.”
Mike Pyke, Chief Operating Officer
For more information about our new Gateway devices, click here.
To discuss how we could work together, click here.
