The Government's programme for installing smart meters in every home by 2020 has been put back by a year and now will not start until 2015.
This is not yet another U turn on energy priority, but a sudden attack of pragmatism as several practical problems have been raised and more time is needed to iron out the technical issues. However, this remains a government policy and there is a juicy £12bn contract on offer – no wonder BAE Systems; BT; Vodaphone and several other giant infrastructure providers are interested.
I recently moved into a new build apartment block designed to Level 3 of the Code for Sustainable Homes. Needless to say, the flats came with lots of bells and whistles to achieve the requisite approvals. Tragically, very few are fit for purpose and their shortcomings become increasingly apparent the longer I live there. They were enough to convince the local authority inspector, though.
The metering is one of the biggest disappointments. I do have an electricity meter, but I can’t read it because it is inside a locked cupboard and I don’t have the key. There is also a water meter – similarly hidden from view and inaccessible. As with many multi-occupancy developments, access to crucial information is put in communal areas and then hidden from the person who pays the bill.
I can see the timeclock that controls my heating and hot water. However, it was installed ‘discreetly’ behind the storage vessel , facing into the cupboard and the physical contortions I have to perform to read it put me at risk of serious injury – it is even harder to actually programme it.
The thing is…I am one of the few people in this country actually interested in reading my meters. How many people in this country actually care enough to look at the data when it is right under their nose? OPower reckon we spend less than 9 minutes a year checking our energy consumption. And if you make it difficult for them; forget it.
Winners
There is logic behind the smart meter roll out, but who are going to be the big winners? The Government suggests it will be us – the consumers – as we will have lots of fascinating information about our energy consumption available so we can make better choices about turning appliances down and off. Mmmm, not sure about that at all.
The truth is that the big winners will be energy suppliers as they will have lots of fascinating information about our energy consumption allowing them to accurately measure our consumption and charge us for it without having to send a man round to read the meter. They are really interested in this information for obvious reasons – the Man in the Street is not, although he might start to be as energy costs rise.
Tariff
In theory, it should make it easier for consumers to switch to a more suitable tariff and we should be able to say goodbye to the dreaded estimated bill, but it will do precious little about energy efficiency unless the information is made accessible probably on your smartphone and tablet in a format you can understand.
So the Government will spend £12bn on installing 53 million ‘smart’ meters in about 30 million domestic and small commercial properties…but what will it gain?
Well, the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) says there will be a £18.6bn energy saving across the country as a result of everyone having a smart meter – so the net gain will be £6.6bn. It thinks every homeowner with a smart meter will save £24 a year by cutting energy use.
If everyone is expected to perform some sort of physical contortion to be able to read this information; or break down a locked door – that simply isn’t going to happen. And, by the way, the Government isn’t actually paying the £12bn…you are. The estimated £350 cost of having a new meter installed will be added to your energy bill.
Interested now?
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