Nearly a third of the UK public think they should be free to choose if they want a smart meter or not, despite government plans to install one in every home by 2020.

That’s the suggestion from customer specialist Echo Managed Services, which shows despite the supposed benefits of bill reduction and increased transparency, less than a quarter of people surveyed think having a meter would help them save money.

A third of the 1,000 respondents said they would like to have a smart meter installed in their home to monitor gas, electricity or water usage but 21% were unsure – as many as 14% were worried they would actually spend more as a result.

The group suggests these concerns may see customer satisfaction levels fall if the public feel as if they are being made to do something they don’t want to do or is worse for them.