Smart meters will be launched by the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) as a way of helping homeowners understand how much energy they’re using at any one time. This could bring a wealth of benefits for homeowners around the country as gas and electricity bills will be cut and carbon emissions reduced.
However, the scheme has already been criticised with a leading consumer group campaigning for a major rethink. Even so, half a million meters have already been installed in the last year.
Richard Lloyd, executive director of consumer group Which? said: “This scheme is a recipe for expensive chaos.
“We will have representatives of energy firms – which are less trusted than even the banks – visiting every home in the land to rip out the existing meter to install a smart one. Apart from the practical and security difficulties who will pay for this? The answer: the consumer.”
But the DECC say costs will not reach the consumer because of the competitive energy market. And this point has been reiterated by Elliot Grady from British Gas.
He said: “Customers will save in two ways. First, by seeing their energy usage they should be able to alter it to lower their bills. Second, accurate billing will save us a lot of time and money dealing with customers who have a wrongly estimated bill. In a competitive energy market this should be passed on in the form of lower bills.”
But Mr Lloyd from Which? says the DECC are the only people in Britain who believe the energy market to be competitive. This is after energy regulatory Ofgem is investigating claims of price fixing between the major energy suppliers. In fact Lloyd has doubts over whether the meters will even save energy in many homes.
Although the smart meter scheme is being pushed heavily by the DECC, insulation is still the number one way to reduce your bills and cut carbon emissions. Heat is lost through the windows, doors, walls and roof so it’s imperative to insulate all of these efficiently. As heat is retained in your home, you’ll use less energy trying to warm up your property.
If your home would benefit from insulation and want to reduce your energy bills, simply fill out our quick form. We’ll provide you with free quote from local, vetted installers.
