Three million households have faulty smart meters according to a report released today.
Around one in 10 smart energy meters installed in UK homes are not working properly with more than one in three homeowners reporting problems, the National Audit Office found.
According to The Telegraph:
It comes as the roll-out, which was supposed to have seen a smart meter installed in every home by 2020, is now forecast to cost more than £13.5bn.
Smart meters are replacing traditional gas and electric meters and send automatic readings to energy suppliers. Display screens also provide homeowners with real-time information about how much they are spending on power.
The Government is lagging far behind its latest 2025 target of putting smart meters in 80pc of homes, with 57pc of households having had one installed by March this year, according to data from the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero detailed in the report.
Suppliers told the NAO that they are finding it increasingly difficult to persuade customers to accept smart meters and that they had already plucked all the “low hanging fruit” of households who are willing to install the meters.
The report also warned that suppliers were also facing a shortage of installers.
Since March 2020, more than 1,000 smart meter installers have quit their jobs or retired, and energy suppliers have been put off from training new installers because fierce competition meant they were quickly snapped up by rivals, the report said.
The report also highlighted fears that the Department’s focus on targets for the number of smart meters installed nationwide meant that suppliers were prioritising quantity over quality, leaving broken or improperly installed meters unaddressed.
It is thought that, out of the roughly three million smart meters that are not working, many are “dumb” first-generation models that ceased functioning after consumers switched to different suppliers.
The latest number of faulty meters is up from a previous estimate of two million in 2019.
Dame Meg Hillier, the chairman of the cross-party public accounts committee, said smart meter take-up was a “far cry” from the original goal to put the devices in every British home by 2020.
She said: “Today’s NAO report shows the Government has made progress addressing technological issues in smart meters since 2018. However, 10 years on from the requirement for suppliers to install smart meters in all homes and small businesses, just 57pc of meters are smart, a far cry from the original target.”
The report said that 37pc of customers surveyed by Smart Energy GB, the company tasked with the roll-out, reported having issues with their smart meter, including no automatic readings, inaccurate bills, and the display not showing any information.
Despite the Government touting the meters as cost-savers, arguing they save households £56 a year by allowing them to cut back on energy usage, many people remain reluctant to switch over from conventional meters.
Only 37pc of 4,655 people surveyed by Smart Energy GB Outlook Tracker in November 2022 said that they would accept a smart meter in the next six months, while 41pc raised concerns about the devices…
The Telegraph has reported on how smart meters can be used to charge households higher rates for their energy use at peak times, and cheaper rates when demand for power is lower.
Smart meters were also used to remotely switch more than 150,000 homes onto more expensive prepayment plans in 2021.
Martyn James, a consumer champion, said that “from the moment the first roll out of smart meters was confirmed it was patently obvious that millions of smart meters are under performing”.
He said: “The industry needs to recognise this and not treat customers like they are in the wrong.”
