In the coming months, smart meter technicians from Stedin will visit customers in the city center of The Hague with the cargo bike. In this way, the network operator wants to contribute to improving the air quality in the city, because the technicians are now leaving their diesel vans at home. It also saves time, because a parking space in the city center is not always easy to find. Until October, seven technicians will visit 5000 households and shops in the city on the Velove cargo bike.
'For groceries or packages, you increasingly see that the cargo bike is used by companies, says Stedin's chief transition officer David Peters. Because we at Stedin continuously look for new solutions for sustainable transport, a colleague came up with the idea to visit our customers in the same way for the installation of smart meters. A hit. It is cleaner, cheaper and our customers are pleasantly surprised when they see the cargo bike. '
Sustainable fleet
Stedin wants all employees' commuting and business trips to be clean by 2030 and not to emit harmful substances. It is no coincidence that the grid operator is looking at mobility; it has one of the largest fleets in the Randstad. Stedin is therefore looking for new solutions for its engineers. This is possible with electric cars or buses, but also by bicycle. In 2018, Stedin also used the cargo bike in the city center of Utrecht to install smart meters, where 8000 customers were visited with the cargo bike.
Install smart meters in corona time
The smart meter is a modern, digital meter that reads energy consumption remotely and forwards it to the energy supplier. The smart meter offers consumers the opportunity to accurately monitor energy consumption. This makes it easier to save energy. The installation of the smart meter is free. Stedin will also continue to install the smart meter during corona. All safety regulations are observed. The mechanic washes his hands before the visit and asks if anyone is home with complaints. The mechanic always keeps his distance.
Photo above: photographer Sicco Pictures
Also read: ING bank joins the KNV MaaS Lab
