Energy News

Smart meters ‘vital’ for energy targets

Friday, 30 April 2010

By Garnet Roach - garnet@consumerchoices.co.uk

Smart meters are the “most critical element of a green infrastructure”, according to Lord Hunt, Minister of State at the Department for Energy and Climate Change.

Days after the government’s green manifesto pledged to end the dominance of the “big six” energy suppliers, Hunt praised the work of First Utility, a relatively small provider.

“Encouraging greater competition in the UK’s energy market is a key part of Labour’s green manifesto and innovative new suppliers such as First Utility are a key way of achieving a more competitive energy landscape,” he said.

“Smart metering in the energy sector is vital if we are to achieve our environmental targets as a country. Smart meters are arguably the most critical element of a green infrastructure of the future and it’s extremely encouraging to see a smaller supplier challenging the current status quo in the marketplace and using more modern technology to solve some of the key issues for consumers.”

Smart meters send automatic readings of your gas and electricity use to your energy provider, eliminating the need for meter readers and estimated bills. Energy suppliers hope that this will help to bring down energy prices.

But smart meters also offer other benefits, such as highlighting when and where the most energy is used in your home - allowing you to become more efficient.

Chris Eagle, energy expert at Energychoices.co.uk, said: “Smart meters themselves won’t cut your energy bills. But they do allow you to track your energy usage very closely - you can even log into your smart meter online - allowing you to make changes to your energy use and cut your bills through better efficiency."