Smart meter rollout to be reviewed

  The rollout of smart meters across millions of British households is to reviewed by the government spending watchdog. The National Audit Office (NAO) says it will investigate whether the […]

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The rollout of smart meters across millions of British households is to reviewed by the government spending watchdog.

The National Audit Office (NAO) says it will investigate whether the planned £11 billion rollout will save customers money and look at whether the government is on track to achieve its target deadline of 2020.

Some users say they have already experienced problems with installations, inaccurate bills or loss of the meter’s smart features after switching.

The timeframe for the government’s plan to install 53 million smart meters by 2020 has been questioned by MPs – so far, 8.6 million have been fitted.

The IT system allowing the meters to communicate with suppliers has still not been launched, despite being scheduled to go live two years ago.

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and Smart Meter GB have also defended the plans.

A spokesperson for BEIS said: “Smart meters are a vital upgrade to bring our energy infrastructure into the 21st Century.”

The National Audit Office’s report is expected to be published in the middle of the year.

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