Home: Summer 2011 › £11.3 billion bill

£11.3 billion bill

01/06/2011 | Channel: IT / Technology, Electricity, Billing & investigation

The Government’s recently announced smart meter proposals will come as a shock to energy customers who have now finally been told that they will be picking up the £11.3 billion cost of the roll-out through their bills.

Despite the fact that consumers will be helping to foot the bill, research from uSwitch.com shows that just four in ten know what a smart meter is and only 15 per cent welcome their introduction.

Tom Lyon, energy expert at uSwitch.com, the independent price comparison and switching service, says: “Smart meters could well turn out to be a smart move for energy customers, but without better communication and information we are in danger of seeing consumers switched off before the meters are switched on. The announcement finally confirms that energy customers will be footing the £11.3 billion bill for smart meter implementation. Although this may mean more accurate and potentially lower bills in the future, the short-term impact is that bills will rise.

“Smart meters will provide a golden opportunity for consumers to control and ultimately reduce their energy use. Almost three quarters would use the information provided by a smart meter to cut down their energy usage, which is very positive. DECC has estimated the average saving as £23 a year, but with consumer education, innovative new tariffs and greater uptake of energy efficiency measures there’s no reason why consumers couldn’t actually save more.”