Smart price increases
SIR – The main reason that the Government is spending millions of pounds on the advertising push for smart meters is to allow electricity companies to charge more at peak periods. Everyone’s bill will rise.
This has now been admitted by Ofgem in relation to charging electric cars (report, July 24). In peak periods the smart meter will allow the electricity companies to charge more. Putting a smart meter into your home is a licence for those companies to print money.
The Government also hopes this will get it off the hook for failing to build the five extra powers stations that its push to electric cars will need. John Knox
North Ferriby, East Yorkshire
SIR – While flexible charging will certainly drive immediate benefits to existing owners of electric cars, it does not address the greater question of “charging anxiety” for consumers.
The Government has just announced its plan to spend £40 million on research into wireless and on-street charging for electric vehicles. This on-the-go charging will address the one major drawback of electric vehicles – long charge times.
The charging process would significantly benefit from including a system of alerts. For example, by including location intelligence and data on the number of miles available, manufacturers could help lower the anxiety about running out of charge. Prasad Satyavolu
Chief Digital Officer, Cognizant London E14
SIR – The parliamentary British Infrastructure Group believes that the cost of the smart meter roll-out could now exceed £16.7 billion, equivalent to £620 per household. This cost is added to everybody’s energy bills, whether we want a smart meter or not.
The same report estimates our bills will only drop by £11 a year after 2020 as a result. To add insult to injury, we are also expected to pay for the incessant propaganda put out by Smart Energy GB, the body set up to persuade us to have something we don’t want. Paul Homewood
Sheffield, South Yorkshire
SIR – Anne Whalley (Letters, July 24) asks how her smart meter can save her money.
I have a smart meter. Whenever I boil a kettle to make a cup of coffee, the indicator tells me what a huge amount of electricity I am using to do so. When I open a bottle of wine, it doesn’t move at all. Paul Penrose
Ruan Minor, Cornwall