Solar panel owners face ‘chaos’ over use of smart meters
SOLAR PANEL owners will be forced to install a smart meter in order to be paid for the extra energy they produce, under government plans announced this week.
The smart export guarantee (SEG) requires energy companies to pay for the amount of excess energy generated by households, tracked by smart meters, and will be implemented by January.
However, it is unlikely that solar panel owners who refuse a smart meter will be able to make use of the SEG, while those whose device is not working properly will receive payments but will have to manually submit readings.
The £11 billion smart meter roll-out, which sends meter readings to suppliers automatically, has been hampered by a series of delays and issues over inter-operability between energy firms.
More than two million are currently operating in “dumb mode” after their owners switched supplier, meaning they cannot send accurate information to providers. These may not be fixed until the end of next year.
Dr Alan Whitehead, Labour’s shadow energy minister, said: “Solar installations in the UK are collapsing and will soon be shackled to the Government’s failing smart meter programme.”
He added: “With the smart meter roll-out far behind schedule, few smart meters in the North and many reportedly unable to handle solar exports we fear for jobs in the UK’S beleaguered solar industry and for solar panel owners who could face chaos if these issues aren’t addressed.”
The Daily Telegraph reported last year that some panel owners had seen their bills triple after a smart meter was installed. This newspaper understands this issue is yet to be fixed, with a solution expected to be tested later this year.
Of the biggest energy suppliers, Eon is yet to start installing smart meters for solar customers and Npower has only begun doing so for “selected” households.
In the consultation response, the Government said: “We note the concerns raised… around the metering infrastructure which is required in order to deliver the SEG, relating to [smart] meters. However, we consider that these issues are transitional and shortterm in nature, and as a result will not prevent the development of the SEG.”
Households that had their panels installed before April will still benefit from the former export tariff, which involved a mandated payment, for a further 20 years.
Almost a million households have installed solar panels.
The SEG will allow suppliers to choose what they pay for excess energy, with the aim of creating a competitive market. Octopus and Bulb already offer such payments.