Only a quarter of households have signed up
SO far only six million householders have agreed to have a smart meter installed despite a £224 million publicity campaign encouraging people to sign up.
It means that the ‘smart future’ that TV cartoon characters ‘Gaz’ and ‘Leccy’ want us to join has only tempted a quarter of all households.
Part of the reason is that homeowners are not required to make the change – it is their choice.
Those interested in having a smart meter installed just need to ask their energy supplier. Even if you have two different suppliers for gas and electricity – so two smart meters – you should be able to read energy usage on just one display.
All you need do is book a day for it to be installed. The process should take no more than a couple of hours to complete.
The Government says the installation of meters is part of a drive to meet European Union energy targets – a club we leave in 2019. Smart Energy GB, the Government-funded ‘voice of the smart meter roll-out’, did not wish to comment on the cost of installing smart meters. A spokesperson for the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy said: ‘Smart meters will provide near real-time information about energy use and help households keep bills down. They are a vital upgrade to Britain’s energy system and will take £300million off energy bills in 2020 alone.’