Smart meter roll-out in question as only a fraction of households sign up – Telegraph

The Government’s smart meter roll-out is in peril as energy customers are so far failing to sign up. A Telegraph investigation reveals for the first time that less than half of households have accepted one, with take-up rates as low as one in five.

The meters – which have been widely promoted via government-backed campaigns and by individual energy suppliers – are supposed to eliminate the need for manual meter reading, fix the industry-wide problem of billing errors and help households reduce consumption.

The £11bn initiative requires suppliers to offer every household a smart meter by the end of 2020, with those which don’t comply facing fines. But analysis disclosed by this newspaper suggests that while millions of households have indeed received the offer, a high proportion of them are not accepting it.

Two of the biggest energy suppliers have revealed that well under half of customers have taken up the offer of a new meter.

The Government has denied that the smart meter revolution is falling behind schedule, yet so far only one in five energy customers has had one installed.

Continue reading: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/bills-and-utilities/gas-electric/smart-meter-roll-out-question-fraction-households-sign/