Energy News

Every home to get a smart meter sooner than planned

Tuesday 27 July 2010

By Dominic Welling - dominic.welling@consumerchoices.co.uk

Smart meters will be rolled out to the UK’s 27 million homes faster than the original 2020 target.

The big push to roll-out energy smart meters more quickly has been set in motion.

Smart meters give energy consumers real-time information about the amount of energy they are using, and enable them to better manage their energy use and reduce their carbon emissions.

The Department of Energy & Climate Change (DECC) working with the energy regulator Ofgem, has today launched a consultation paper aimed at speeding up smart meter roll-out compared with the previous 2020 target.

DECC said in a statement that the faster roll-out would be achieved in stages: “[We are] looking to the industry to examine all the opportunities for realising more ambitious but achievable targets for the rate at which suppliers must install smart meters.”

Meanwhile, today’s proposals could also mean pre-payment meter customers would no longer need to top-up their energy at the local shop.

That’s because smart meters will be able to act as pre-payment meters, with customers topping-up their balance by phone or online.

Zoe McLeod, energy expert at Consumer Focus, said: “Providing prepay facilities in all smart meters would be a major breakthrough which should cut bills and make payment easier for millions of the poorest customers who have been penalised for years.”

“However, the unanswered question on many consumers' lips will remain how much this will cost them and whether they should be writing a blank cheque for smart meters given the cost benefits it will provide to industry.”