Where do you stand in the great SMART METER DEBATE?

Maureen says they save you £30 a month on energy bills

FOR Maureen Fenton, finding out how much energy she and her husband Viv have used in a day is as much a part of her routine as brushing her teeth.

Before turning off the kitchen lights each night, she glances at the meter hanging on the wall above her coffee maker and sees — in pounds and pence — exactly how much the couple has spent on gas and electricity that day.

Maureen and Viv, who are both in their 70s, say having access to this information at her home in Sutton Bridge, Lincolnshire, has been life-changing — and they love it.

To save money, Maureen no longer uses the oven and a hob at the same time when cooking, she only uses the washing machine if it’s full and she measures the exact amount of water she needs to boil for a cup of tea.

In the two years since she had the device installed, Maureen reckons she’s shaved a third off her energy bills.

‘The smart meter has transformed my mindset,’ she says. ‘I’m now much more thoughtful about how I use appliances around the house and feel in control of what I’m paying for.

‘We’d generally spend around £90 a month, but now, it’s much more like £60 — as pensioners, that’s a really big saving.’

Maureen’s experience of using a smart meter is exactly what the Government was hoping for when it ruled that the devices should be fitted in every home by the end of 2020.

Unlike old analogue meters that have to be read manually, high-tech smart versions automatically capture information about your gas and electricity consumption, show it on a screen in your home — and transmit this back to your energy supplier via a wireless network.

When the Fentons had their meter installed by e.On in February 2015, they were told it was an opportunity to save on their bills.

According to government estimates, the average annual household should save around £43 on their bills by 2030 by cutting their usage. however, British Gas admits that the average saving per household currently stands at just £30 a year. That’s just 3 pc of the average £1,135 bill.

This is important because the cost of the rollout is being added to all of our bills — not just those of people who get the devices installed. Worryingly, sources at Big Six firms say the total figure could come in at £20 billion — which would wipe out the promised £16.7 billion savings we’ll get from cutting our usage.

Many people who are weighing up whether to get a smart meter are wondering whether the meagre savings on offer — all of which come from changes to your habits — are worth it.

A heated debate has broken out between fans, such as Maureen, and sceptics who are steadfastly refusing to get rid of their old meters.

Some of those refusing smart meters worry about the safety and privacy of the devices. Others are put off by the huge pressure suppliers are putting on their customers.

Money Mail has exposed bullying tactics — which include making smart meters sound like a legal requirement, even though they are optional.

We launched a campaign to end these dirty tricks.

But the question that many homeowners want someone to answer is whether the new devices are worth it. For some of us, the thought of seeing our spending on gas and electricity totted up before our eyes is off-putting. Maureen admits that, at first, she overreacted to the smart meter, monitoring how much it cost to turn on a light and checking it several times a day. It’s even possible to set a daily usage limit, where the meter starts bleeping when you overshoot your target. But Maureen says there is no need to go this far: ‘I don’t want to become paranoid about what I’m using or be bossed around by a machine. ‘My husband and I use what we need to be comfortable. It’s just nice to know what it’s costing.’ Another benefit of smart meters is the prospect of cheaper tariffs. Running digital meters is cheaper for suppliers than maintaining analogue ones. Some firms are already offering discounts of up to £111 a year to customers who have smart meters installed. Others are launching ‘time-of-day’ tariffs, where prices vary between periods of high and low demand. Green energy UK, for example, charges five times more for electricity used during the evening peak than it does overnight.

In theory, you could take advantage by charging electronic devices and running appliances such as washing machines when rates are cheapest. But critics say this penalises pensioners and families who have fewer options about when they use energy.

The number of different types of tariff is expected to explode in the coming years.

One clear benefit of smart meters is ending the scourge of estimated bills and manual readings. One Money Mail reader, who asked not to be named, says reading an analogue meter was his most hated chore: ‘I have poor vision and am in my 70s. Our meter was always hard to reach.

‘I’m glad I no longer have to kneel on a cushion with a magnifying glass and waterproof hat on to protect my hearing aids from the rain.’

Another, Lesley Palmer, switched to a rival provider for a cheaper tariff, but missed her smart meter so much, she switched back.

Maureen says: ‘The long jungle of numbers on traditional meters didn’t mean anything to me, even though I knew roughly what we were spending each month.’