“She called just to chat. Not to check. Just to chat.”
When the people who love you already know you’re okay, something shifts. The calls go back to being just calls. The visits go back to being just visits. And you go back to being someone they love — not someone they worry about.
That’s what OurGrapeVine makes possible. Not by watching over you. But by giving the people in your life the one thing they need — the quiet daily knowledge that today looks consistent with recent days.
One more thread in the picture.
OurGrapeVine reads the electricity consumption from the smart meter already in your home — updated every 30 minutes. No cameras. No wearables. Nothing to wear, press or remember. It learns what a normal day looks like for this home, and tells your circle, simply and plainly, whether today looks normal — and gently says so when it doesn’t.
Create your account
Quick sign-up with your email. No technical knowledge needed, no complicated setup.
Choose your circle
Invite the people you’d like to stay gently connected with. Family, friends, neighbours, carers — anyone you’d want in the picture. You’re in control of who’s included and what they see.
Set your preferences
Decide how much your circle sees and when they hear from OurGrapeVine. You can change this at any time.
Most days they see this. Normal activity. Nothing to do. That silence — shared between everyone who cares — is the reassurance.
The circle also has a shared space to leave notes for each other — a quick message, a reassurance, a plan to visit. Nobody asking the same question twice.
On the days the picture looks different, everyone knows at once.
OurGrapeVine is one thread in the picture. It reads how much electricity the home is using every 30 minutes. When that amount is lower than usual for longer than usual, it says so. It can’t tell you why. It can’t see inside. It just knows whether today’s electricity use looks normal for this home — and says so plainly.
There is one thing worth understanding. Modern homes use electricity whether or not anyone is actively doing anything — a boiler on a timer, a fridge that cycles through the night, a washing machine set to run while you sleep. These keep the total consumption looking normal even on a quiet day.
Over time this becomes less of a limitation. A home where someone is genuinely less active gradually uses less electricity than it normally would — and OurGrapeVine picks that up. But it takes time. In the meantime, it’s one thread among several — not the whole story.
The whole story comes from the circle — the people who already notice things, now with one more signal to add to everything else they know.
Nothing replaces a visit. OurGrapeVine just helps you know when to make one.
Family near and far. Old friends. A carer or support worker you trust. A neighbour two doors down. Anyone you’d want gently in the picture — and who you’d want there. They don’t need to know each other. They just need to care about you.
Family
Sons, daughters, siblings — near or far.
Friends
Old friends and new, in each other’s circles.
Carers
A carer or support worker you trust.
Local community
A neighbour who notices when the light’s off.
Everything you need to keep your circle gently in the picture. Pricing announced at launch — waitlist members hear first, with early-access pricing.
Entry level
Free trial at launch
A simple shared space for you and your circle. Check in any time, and receive an alert when today looks different from usual.
More plans will follow at launch.
Leave your email and we’ll let you know the moment OurGrapeVine is up and running. One email. No spam.
One email only, when we launch. No marketing. No spam.
Everything you might want to know before you get started.
The service
No. OurGrapeVine is not a falls alarm and does not detect falls or medical emergencies. It monitors how much electricity the home is using — and alerts your circle when consumption is lower than usual for longer than usual, so they can reach out.
If you need a falls alarm or emergency response service, please look for a dedicated personal alarm provider. OurGrapeVine works well alongside one.
No — and it’s important to be honest about this. OurGrapeVine monitors electricity consumption. When the home is using less electricity than usual for longer than usual, it flags it. It can’t tell you why. A quiet day might mean a long bath, a trip out, an afternoon with a book — or something worth checking on.
There is no substitute for visiting and checking in person if you are concerned. OurGrapeVine gives you one more reason to reach out — not a reason to assume everything is fine.
OurGrapeVine reads electricity consumption from a smart meter, updated every 30 minutes. It builds a picture of how much electricity a normal day uses for this home — and flags when today’s consumption is lower than that for longer than usual.
It does not monitor specific appliances, movements, or rooms. It sees only the total amount of electricity being used by the household.
One important limitation: modern homes use electricity continuously whether or not anyone is actively doing anything. OurGrapeVine is one thread in the picture — not the whole picture. The people in your circle provide the rest.
Your circle
Anyone you choose. Family near and far. Friends. Neighbours. A carer. A support worker. Anyone who’d want to be gently in the picture — and who you’d want there.
They don’t need to know each other. They just need to care about you. The circle shares the same daily signal, so nobody carries it alone.
Yes — and this is one of the things people love most about OurGrapeVine. If you and a friend both use OurGrapeVine, you can each add the other to your circles. You look out for them; they look out for you. Nobody asks, nobody intrudes. It just happens, quietly.
Groups of friends, neighbours, or former colleagues all living alone can create a genuine mutual support network — without anyone ever having to ask “are you okay?”
No. Nobody in your circle can see specific appliances, movements, or activities. They only ever receive a notification when electricity use is lower than usual for longer than usual — and even then, the notification says consumption is down, not what you’re doing or not doing.
On a typical day, they hear nothing at all. That silence is the reassurance. Your privacy is completely intact.
Getting started
Yes. OurGrapeVine depends on half-hourly electricity consumption data, which is only available through a smart meter.
If you do not have a smart meter installed, you will need to contact your energy supplier to arrange one. Smart meter installation is typically free of charge and your supplier is obliged to offer one.
OurGrapeVine starts building a picture from day one — but gets more reliable over the first few weeks as it learns your home’s rhythm. Think of it as getting to know you. The longer it runs, the more personal and accurate the reassurance becomes.
Not at all. You need a smart meter and you need to give permission for your energy data to be shared with us. Beyond that, the service runs quietly in the background — there is nothing to wear, charge, or remember. Your home provides the signal. You don’t have to do anything.
Notifications
Notifications are sent when electricity consumption is lower than usual for this home for longer than usual. The threshold is based on this home’s own history, not a generic standard.
You can configure preferences and suppress notifications on specific days — for example if you regularly go out, or are planning to be away.
You can pause notifications for a set period directly from the dashboard. This prevents alerts firing when your absence is planned and expected.
Longer trips are actually useful — they help OurGrapeVine learn what your home looks like when you’re genuinely away, which makes it better at recognising when something is different on a day you’re supposed to be home.
Privacy & data
Yes. Your energy data is only visible to you and the contacts you have explicitly added. Data is never shared with third parties or used for advertising.
The service sees aggregate consumption data — how much electricity is being used — not which specific appliances are on or what you are doing.
Cost
Pricing will be announced when OurGrapeVine launches. We are finalising plans that reflect the value of the service without creating a barrier to the people who need it most. Join the waitlist and you’ll be among the first to know — waitlist members will receive early access pricing.
Yes, we plan to offer a free trial period so you can experience OurGrapeVine before committing. Details will be confirmed at launch. Join the waitlist to be the first to hear.