Smart meters: Brits risk getting raw deal

Smart meters allow suppliers to track electricity and gas use remotely

The government is preparing to publish its plans for the nationwide roll-out of smart meters – new sophisticated energy meters that will be able to communicate with your energy supplier.

However, Which? has warned that consumers will only get the full benefit from smart meters if the government takes certain actions. Which? chief executive Peter Vicary-Smith said: ‘Smart meters have the potential to bring huge benefits to consumers, but only if the roll-out is managed properly.

‘The government must ensure that the roll-out is a positive experience for consumers, that it doesn’t result in higher bills, that they have full control over their data, and that every household has access to the information it needs to monitor and cut its energy usage.’

Find out more about smart meters and how they could affect your energy bills in our guide, smart meters explained.

How to make smart meters work for consumers

Which? has outlined the following steps that the government should take to make sure consumers benefit from the smart meter roll-out:

1. Don’t make consumers pay for the roll-out – energy suppliers will save over £300m a year from no longer having to take meter readings or deal with bill disputes, and British Gas’ early smart meter roll-out has shown that it is commercially viable to install smart meters without increasing bills.

2. Enforce a mandatory code of conduct – energy suppliers should not be allowed to use the smart meter roll-out as an opportunity to cross-sell other products at the point of installation. A code of conduct – similar to the one used for the digital switchover – must be developed to ensure the roll-out is a positive experience for consumers.

3. Protect consumers’ data from abuse – smart meters could provide energy suppliers with much more detailed information about people’s energy consumption but just 42% of the 2,000 people Which? surveyed trust their energy company to look after this information and 86% want full control over how it is used.

4. Make energy suppliers provide good quality energy monitors – the government has said that smart meters will come with handheld energy display units, which will allow people to monitor their energy use and save money by reducing their consumption. There must be minimum standards for these energy monitors to ensure all consumers benefit.

5. Educate consumers – the amount of money consumers will save following the smart meter roll-out depends entirely on them using the energy display unit to monitor and reduce their energy usage. The government must make sure consumers understand this and are equipped with the knowledge to cut their own energy bills.

Start saving now

The government predicts that the smart meter roll-out will take many years to complete. If you can’t wait to get a smart meter installed, but want to monitor and reduce your energy usage, you could consider getting an electricity monitor – a simple handheld unit that allows you to view your electricity usage in real-time. Find out which we rate as Best Buys in our energy monitors review.

You could also cut your energy bills by switching to a cheaper energy tariff. Find out what energy deals are available to you by entering a few simple details like your postcode into our energy tariff calculator.

Cut your energy bills with Which? Switch

Households that switched to a dual fuel tariff with Which? Switch between 1 June 2010 and 31 May 2011 typically saved £237 a year.

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