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- Smart meters have now been installed in more than half of all UK homes
Households may be turning their backs on smart meters as the latest Government figures show another decline in installations.
Smart meters can communicate with energy companies in real time, meaning customers do not need to submit manual meter readings and can access exclusive energy rates.
They also show real-time energy usage and costs, which some customers find helpful if they’re trying to reduce their bills.
The latest government figures show that just 692,000 smart meters were installed in the second quarter of 2024, down 11 percent on the previous three months and 15 percent on the same quarter in 2023.
Energy monitoring: One advantage of smart meters for many is that they come with a display in the home that shows how much gas and electricity is used in real time and how much it costs.
There are currently 30.6 million smart meters in UK homes, and a further 3.4 million smart meters in ‘traditional mode’.
This means they don’t operate in smart mode, either because they aren’t working or because a home has switched to an energy company that doesn’t support them.
Citizens Advice criticised the figure and called for new meters to be provided to those who wanted them.
Gillian Cooper, energy director at the charity Citizens Advice, said: ‘Today’s figures show once again that millions of households are missing out on the benefits of their smart meters because they simply aren’t working properly.
‘Despite a small improvement, there is still a long way to go and the implementation of new meters has slowed down.
‘Earlier this year we found that one in five households with smart meters have to submit regular manual readings and almost a third experienced issues with the home display.’
Not all energy customers are interested in having a smart meter; many cite reports that the devices do not work properly or send inaccurate readings.
Others object to their energy company receiving real-time data on the energy they use, which could reveal when they are away from home, for example.
By the end of June 2024, 57 percent of all household meters were smart meters operating in smart mode.
Energy companies are asking households to install smart meters to meet government targets of installing them in 80 per cent of homes by the end of 2025.
The number of new smart meters being installed has generally declined since peaking in 2017.
Last summer, energy providers said they had exhausted the “easier options” for households wanting a smart meter, according to a report by the National Audit Office.
Last year, energy regulator Ofgem fined six of the UK’s largest energy companies £10.8m for failing to meet smart meter installation targets.
Smart meters can only be installed if households agree, unless an old traditional meter has reached the end of its life and an energy company has no replacements.
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