DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
AND CLIMATE CHANGE News Release (2009/053) issued by COI News
Distribution Service on 11 May 2009
* Hi tech meters
will change our energy habits
* No more estimated bills or
staying in for meter readings
* Easier switching between
energy suppliers
* Suppliers will be able to offer cheaper
off-peak energy
All homes in Britain will have smart meters installed by 2020
under plans published today. Great Britain will be the first
country in the world to have an overhaul of this size for both
electricity and gas meters.
Smart meters enable meter readings to be taken remotely and
together with a display device give householders real time
information on their energy use.
The new information smart meters provide will help consumers to
see what energy they are using and how to save money on their bills.
Smart meters will mean the end of estimated bills, no more having
to stay in for home readings, quicker and smoother switching
between suppliers and cheaper, easier prepayment.
The Government has today set out the different options for
rolling out the revolutionary kit across Great Britain and on what
the smart meters should be capable of doing.
Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Miliband said:
"This is another part of our Great British refurb. The
meters most of us have in our homes were designed for a different
age, before climate change. Now we need to get smarter with our energy.
"Smart meters will empower all consumers to monitor their
own energy use and make reductions in energy consumption and
carbon emissions as a result. Smart meters will also mean the end
of inaccurate bills and estimated meter readings.
"This is a big project affecting 26 million homes, and
several million businesses, so it's important we design a
system that brings best value to everyone involved."
Case study
Karen Gibson, a 33 year old Nursery Manager from Northumberland,
is an npower customer who had a 'smart pre-payment
meter' fitted in October 2007.
She said:
"This new smart meter has made life so much easier. I
believe everyone should have one and the sooner the better.
"I reckon I have saved around £250 since I had it fitted a
couple of years ago because I am not wasting as much energy as
before. I know at any given moment how much energy I am using in
pounds and pence and I pay for exactly what I use.
"An added bonus is that I don't need to pop out
constantly to top up my key. And if the shop is shut I don't
need to worry as I prefer to use the internet to top up my meter.
If I have a problem with my computer I can simply use my mobile
phone. All the fuss has now been taken away with having a
pre-payment meter."
Smart meters signify the start of a change in our energy habits.
They are a key step towards future smart grids which have the
potential to help our shift to a low-carbon economy - making it
easier for renewable generation to feed into the grid, including
micro and community level generation and will support the
decarbonisation of heat and transport through the greater use of
electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles.
Suppliers will be able to offer more tariffs and services, such
as 'time-of-use' tariffs, encouraging more efficient and
economical energy use.
The preferred roll-out option is the central communications model
- where energy suppliers are responsible for the installation and
maintenance of the smart meter but the communication to and from
the device is coordinated by a third party across the whole of
Great Britain.
The other principal models considered are:
* Competitive model - where energy suppliers manage all aspects
of smart metering, including installation and communication.
* Fully centralised - where regional franchises are set up to
manage the installation and operation of smart meters with the
communications to and from the meters managed centrally and on a
national level.
Notes to Editors
1. The consultation is open to the public from today and will run
to 24 July 2009. Further information on how to take part can be
found at http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/consultations/smart_metering/smart_metering.aspx
2. Based on our Consultation Impact Assessment, rolling out smart
meters to all households will deliver net benefits of between £2.5
billion and £3.6 billion over the next 20 years. These benefits
fall to suppliers, to customers and to the country as a whole.
3. Before smart meters are rolled out, there'll be a
detailed preparatory stage. Our ambition is for the roll-out to be
complete by the end of 2020.
Department of Energy and Climate Change
7th Floor, 3
Whitehall Place, London, SW1A 2HD
Public enquiries +44 (0)300
060 4000
Textphone +44 (0)20 7215 6740 (for those with hearing impairment)