Stalled smart meter rollout ‘certain to miss deadline’

THE smart meter rollout target is “impossible” to meet as the latest figures show installations have fallen far behind schedule.

To meet the Government’s original target of having 53million meters installed in homes and businesses by the end of next year, suppliers would have needed to have installed 15million in the past 12 months, according to Citizens Advice.

Instead, figures released yesterday show just 4.5million were set up in the past year, bringing the overall total to 14.3 million, meaning another 39 million would need to be installed in just over 18 months to hit the deadline.

The number of installations each quarter has fallen from 1.3 million at the end of 2017 to just over a million at the start of this year.

Households can decline a smart meter and many did so after it emerged that first generation meters often lose their “smart” functions after a switch of supplier. Around 2.3million are currently operating in “dumb” mode with a programme to fix the issue beginning this week.

The £11billion rollout aims for every household to have one of the devices, which display the cost of energy usage and transmit readings to energy firms automatically.

Politicians and consumer groups said the rollout had been poorly handled and the deadline would have to be pushed back to keep costs down for consumers. The cost of the scheme will be borne by customers on their bills. Dr Alan Whitehead, the shadow energy minister, said: “Following these latest figures on installations the Government’s target looks impossible to meet. Whilst smart meters will eventually be a benefit to everyone, the Government’s handling of the programme has become farcical. The minister must refocus on interoperability and push back this ludicrous deadline.”

Peter Earl, the head of energy at switching site Compare The Market, said: “In a frantic attempt to meet their targets, larger suppliers are insisting that customers install a smart meter when they sign up to some new tariffs. However, this practice is restricting access to some of the most competitive tariffs on the market for those people who already have one or simply don’t want one yet.”

A spokesman for the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy said: “The replacement of outdated gas and electricity meters with smart meters is a vital energy infrastructure upgrade that will help make our energy system cheaper and more efficient.” He added: “We’ve said everyone will be offered a smart meter by the end of 2020 to reap these benefits and we will meet that commitment.”

Robert Cheesewright of Smart Energy GB, the body tasked with promoting smart meters, said: “Every smart meter installed is a step closer to a smart energy system, which will enable Britain to make full use of renewable energy and tackle our ageing energy system’s contribution to climate change, creating a network that will be fit for the 21st century.”