Consumers likely to recommend smart meters

Customers using a smart meter are highly likely to recommend it to a friend or relative, the consumer campaign for the smart meter rollout has revealed.

Smart Energy GB has revealed that 84 per cent of customers with a smart meter would recommend having one to others, while 79 per cent believe their energy bills are accurate, compared to 59 per cent without.

All domestic and microbusiness customers within Great Britain will be offered a smart meter by their energy supplier by 2020 as part of a national rollout designed to end estimated billing, increase engagement with energy use and facilitate quicker switching.

The campaign’s second smart energy outlook, compiled from more than 10,000 interviews with British consumers between May and June this year, also reveals that 75 per cent of consumers with a smart meter understand their energy bills, compared to 56 per cent without.

The barometer also shows that having a smart meter impacts on consumer energy use, with 69 per cent saying they were more conscious of their energy use at home, and 79 per cent taking active steps to reduce their usage.

Smart Energy GB chief executive Sacha Deshmukh said: “It’s great to see such a huge percentage of smart meter customers so enthusiastic about the experience that they would recommend one to their friends. And many, many more report feeling more empowered and taking control over what they’re using around the home.

“We’re at the start of our national energy upgrade, but already those who have their smart meters are experiencing a transformation. Smart Energy GB will carry on spreading the word to make sure that everyone in Great Britain, from Perth to Portsmouth, has the chance to get their smart meter and reap the full benefits.”

Last week Smart Energy GB published its updated strategy for engaging microbusinesses in the campign, but the Federation of Small Businesses said microbusinesses’ fears had not been allayed by the proposals.