Representatives of the electrotechnical industry have lent their support to the Government for the planned roll-out of smart meters. The devices, which allow the monitoring of energy usage in a property, have recently come under fire from critics over estimates of their costs.

A report by MPs on the Public Accounts Committee warned the meters would cost consumers £11.7 billion. However, the CEO of the British Electrotechnical and Allied Manufacturers Association (BEAMA) thinks the long-term benefits outweigh the immediate costs.

Dr Howard Porter (pictured) said: “The huge potential benefits of a UK smart meter rollout were highlighted by a worldwide research project, published in November 2011, which found that the programme could cut UK household electricity bills by £938m a year. This makes it all the more important that the concerns raised by the PAC about this large scale nationwide project are resolved.”

A worldwide study carried out by VaasaETT and published in 2011 revealed the potential 8.5% savings of smart meters, which equates to £938 million, using the average energy costs of UK customers from January 2011.