UK Smart Meters

There is currently a campaign to get us to use Smart Meters.

A person recently knocked on my door and asked if I wanted to sign up. He assured me that it was free; I would pay nothing. I would no longer have to have 'estimated readings' for electricity and gas, and I would be able to monitor my energy usage more accurately.

Since my background is in energy, I couldn't really see any advantage in having a meter telling me what I know already, or in replacing meters which are only a couple of years old, so after a brief conversation he went away without my signature. But it set me thinking....

Many households, after steep rises in energy prices over the last few years, are having difficulty paying their energy bills. The last thing they want is more expense.

Secondly, a smart meter is not free. You may not have to pay for it directly, but the costs have to be passed to customers. That's how the system works.

If the Government helps subsidise the scheme, then ultimately that money still comes from us.

According to my information, there are about 28 million households in Britain, and the Smart Meter programme is priced at £11.7 billion.

Doing some arithmetic gives the price as £11700/28, or £418 per household.

The government's DECC website has this to say:

Smart meters will play an important role in our transition to a low-carbon economy. They will help us meet some of the long-term challenges we face in ensuring Great Britain has an affordable, secure and sustainable energy supply.

However I cannot see how 'smart metering' will make our energy supply more secure, more affordable or more sustainable.

Some years ago in the introductory page to this website I wrote the following statement, and I cannot see any reason to change it:

People are being misled by the media and political statements are being made which in many cases are grossly inaccurate and in some cases completely untrue.



ND, habitat21


DECC is the Department of Energy and Climate Change

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