Fix for ‘dumb’ smart meters delayed
THE Government’s fix for smart meters “going dumb” when people switch supplier will be delayed for up to a year for five million households, The Daily Telegraph has learnt.
There are now 14million smart meters installed in households as part of an £11billion roll-out designed to reduce energy use. They display energy usage in pounds and pence and send readings automatically to suppliers,
Switching to smart meters can save the average household up to £300 a year on their bills. But the vast majority installed are first-generation models which often lose their functions when a customer switches supplier, known as “going dumb”.
A fix for this problem, which will see all of these meters connected to a national network operated by the Data Communications Company (DCC), part of Capita, is due to start later this month, but The Telegraph can reveal millions of the devices will be upgraded later than originally planned due to technical delays.
Mark Todd, of the energy switching site Energyhelpline, said: “The smart meter roll-out has had many issues, and the software solution to make the first-generation meters interoperable between suppliers is now over two years late. News of further delays is just more bad news for what has already been a disastrous roll-out plan.”
Smart meters are touted as a vital tool in the battle against climate change and will allow for the development of a “smart grid” to help consumers better control their energy use. But the rollout has been plagued with issues and delays. Last year, an influential group of MPS estimated the average annual savings for households was just £11.
The latest delay relates to the “enrolment and adoption” programme for the first-generation meters.
The initial plans, for upgrading meters provided by four of the six firms operating in Britain, were published in October last year. But it emerged in the DCC’S final plan that while three of the companies will be ready to begin connecting meters to the network from May 26, Landis+gyr (one of the biggest) will now not be ready until December at the earliest.
The firm provides meters to British Gas which has installed more than 6.2 million smart meters, most of which would be at risk of losing their smart functions after a switch of supplier.
This process will be concluded by the end of next year, meaning millions could still have problems with a meter going dumb until the end of 2020.
Industry sources said the DCC had not given firms enough time to prepare for the upgrades, only revealing its final schedule in April. A DCC spokesman said: “We’ll be supporting energy suppliers to connect millions of firstgeneration meters to the central DCC network, bringing consumers the full benefits of smart metering.
“This is a major part of digitising Britain’s energy system, which will enable lower carbon emissions and cleaner air for future generations.”
The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy said work to ensure smart meters stay smart after a switch is already under way, but that it would not be providing a running commentary on progress.