In a damning report on the £11bn infrastructure project, the group said that energy suppliers were expecting just 70-75% of households and small businesses to have a smart meter by then. Smart meters automate readings in an attempt to make energy use easier for householders to understand and are considered a critical upgrade of the energy system. The report was strongly critical of the government allowing 12.5m first-generation smart meters, known as SMETS1, to be installed – more than twice as many had been expected by this point. “This means that many consumers will face a choice between remaining with a more expensive tariff or losing the benefits of their smart meter,” the NAO said. Just 3,000 of those second-generation meters have been installed in the north of England because of technical problems in the region.

Source: The Guardian November 23, 2018 00:00 UTC