'Speed up UK roll-out of smart meters to save families money'

Published on Sunday 2 August 2009 22:46

THE government must not delay over plans to introduce "smart meters" to every home in the country, energy companies have urged.

The Energy Retail Association (Era) called on the government to turn its proposals into "firm policy decisions and clear action", as research revealed almost two-thirds of people had not heard of plans for the meters.

Ministers announced in May that the meters would be in every home by 2020.

The gadgets enable more accurate billing and let consumers see how much gas and electricity they are using, to help them save energy and cut their emissions.

Era, the body which represents the major gas and electricity suppliers, said a survey by Populus showed that nearly half of those questioned thought a smart meter would help them save energy.

The poll of more than 2,000 adults also revealed that in the last year, 90 per cent of people had taken steps to reduce their energy use, including turning off unused appliances, buying more efficient household items or changing their lightbulbs to low-energy lamps.

But fewer than a third (31 per cent) had heard of the government's plans to introduce smart meters, while more than two-thirds were unsure what the technology did.

Smart meters provide consumers with accurate and accessible information about their energy use, and can be read remotely by energy companies to produce accurate billing rather than estimates. According to Era, the technology will allow consumers to understand the amount of energy used by various appliances – and how much it costs.

Era said the mass roll-out of smart meters was as major a project as the digital switch-over or introduction of North Sea gas to homes in the 1970s. It would take at least two years of planning before the first meters could be installed.

Speaking at the conclusion of the government's consultation on the proposals, Dr Garry Felgate, chief executive of Era, said time was of the essence.

"The longer we wait for a response from government, the longer will be the delay before smart meters can be installed and customers can start saving money on their bills," he said.

Era wants ministers to publish their response to the consultation no later than October, to establish a central programme for the delivery of the 46 million gas and electricity smart meters the country needs, and to turn its preferred options for the scheme into concrete policy.