Around 4 million smart energy meters in homes and businesses are found to be defective, according to government figures, adding another blow to the “troubled” technology rollout.
At the end of last year, 3.98 million meters in the UK were not working properly, according to data from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.
The ministry initially reported that only 2.7 million meters failed in June 2023, but due to reporting errors from some suppliers, the June figure was revised upward to 4.31 million.
Latest data raises concerns that customers may be being overcharged on gas and electricity bills, prompting the Government to write to industry regulator Ofgem, saying it is not supporting customers and failing its legal obligations. They called for action against energy providers who do not comply.
Smart meters are seen as a key part of the transition to net zero, as they allow homeowners to more easily track their energy usage and take steps to reduce consumption. In “smart mode”, real-time data on customer usage is sent remotely to suppliers.
But without a proper connection, customers are forced to rely on estimated bills, and some end up paying too much for their energy.
A spokesperson for industry body Energy UK said: “Technical issues may prevent some meters from operating in smart mode and this may be due to reasons outside of your control, but suppliers If this happens, they are obligated to replace the meter.”
It added that the best way to avoid inaccurate invoice estimates is to send manual meter readings until the supplier can resolve the issue.
Last week, Energy Efficiency and Green Finance Minister Lord Callanan said: wrote a letter to Ofgem He said the number of broken meters was lower than the government expected and called on regulators to take action.
He added that the level of poor performance of some operators shows that the legal requirements set out to ensure that meters operate in smart mode are not widely complied with. .
Last year, the Public Accounts Committee asked ministers to clarify how they intend to persuade people to adopt smart meters after more than a decade of “difficult” rollout of smart meter technology. Ta. Approximately 60% of residential and commercial meters are now smart.
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A Department for Energy Security and Net Zero spokesperson said: “The majority of smart meters are working properly.
“However, we are concerned that due to reporting errors by a small number of suppliers, we have discovered that more meters are not operating in smart mode than previously thought.”
Smart Energy GB, a government-backed not-for-profit set up to support the transition to smart meters, says there are currently around 35 million smart meters in the UK and that “the vast majority are working as intended. “There is,” he said.
It further added that since 2022, the proportion of smart meters operating in smart mode has improved overall, increasing from 87.3% at the end of 2022 to 88.6% at the end of 2023.
