UK smart meter upgrade fiasco

Introduction of predictably obsolete technology gets rubbished by the UK’s ‘Queen of the Select Committees‘. What a waste of money.
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Billpayers will be forced to foot the cost of upgrading seven million smart meters which will become obsolete in less than 10 years, the spending watchdog has warned. — The Telegraph reporting.

In a damning report highlighting a number of failures in the smart meter roll out, the Public Accounts Committee said seven million smart meters would need to be replaced before the 2G and 3G networks they use are switched off in 2033.

It warned that the financial burden of replacing the redundant smart meter hubs will be ultimately borne by energy bill payers and could be “very significant”, exceeding previous estimates.

The report went on to say that demand for the smart devices, designed to help consumers monitor their energy use and cut bills, had dried up.

It said many customers were turning against the devices over fears they allow suppliers to remotely switch them to more expensive prepayment plans.

Smart meters were also said to be most likely to benefit rich, old men who own their own houses, the report said, while low-income renters are at risk of being “left behind” because blocks of flats pose a headache for installers to fit the devices.

It comes as the net zero scheme, which aims for 80pc of homes to have a smart meter by 2025, lags far behind official targets, with millions of the smart devices not working properly.

Ministers are also facing growing questions about its purported money-saving benefits to households, with Dame Meg Hillier, chair of the committee, saying the evidence of whether smart meters in fact benefited consumers was “unclear”.

She said: “Smart meters have serious reputational obstacles to overcome with the public. Our inquiry has found that consumers’ enthusiasm for adopting one has been understandably harmed by recent shocking reports of forced installations.”
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Some three million smart meters in the UK are already “dumb” and do not report accurate usage to consumers, the report said.

It revealed that smart meter displays, which allow customers to view their daily usage, are only guaranteed to work for a year and suppliers are under no obligation to replace them if they break after that time.

Full report here.