A SMARTER WAY to consume energy? We analyse the potential of smart meters

Research from Energy watch tells us that gas and electricity bills are soaring. In 2003, the average gas bill was £330 and consumers were typically paying £242 for their electricity. At the end of 2007, the two figures had risen to £573 and £375 respectively.

Many experts believe that smart meters will allow customers to seize control of these escalating costs and help the government meet stringent environmental targets.

The basic argument is this: because smart meters identify energy consumption in more detail than traditional meters, consumers will be able to adjust usage patterns to reduce total consumption and slash their bills.

Consumers are also likely to enjoy added functionality, with meters that interface to other devices in the home and a wide variety of payment options.

Consumer control

Smart meters would address this dilemma by collecting consumption data on a more regular basis. Specialist energy management programs would interpret this data and send out helpful advice to users. It is feasible, for instance, that a householder could save £80 by shifting consumption of one particular application from 9pm to 10pm each evening. An automatic email could let the consumer know and potentially inform them of government incentives for following the advice.

In this article:

• Read about the government’s hopes for smart meters.
• Learn why consumers would welcome a new system.
• Understand the challenges that lie ahead.

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