Decc smart meter survey shows energy suppliers more trusted than thought

More people trust energy suppliers than the government, bodies like the Energy Saving Trust and consumer organisations such as Which? when it comes to smart meters.

That is one of the findings from research into public attitudes towards smart meters commissioned by the department of energy and climate change.

The survey, conducted by Ipsos Mori, found that almost half of people had heard of smart meters. However, of those people, three quarters knew little or nothing about them.

Ipsos Mori said that equated to just 12 per cent of bill payers who knew a “fair amount” about smart meters. The firm said increased knowledge about smart meters would increase the level of support for their installation and interest in having one installed. Currently half of people were unsure if smart meters should be installed in every home, said the firm.

Around 5 per cent claimed that they already had a smart meter. Ipsos Mori said this overestimate was because some did not understand what a smart meter was despite having it explained to them, and that some confused them with in home displays.

When prompted, the most trusted sources included energy companies (33 per cent), Which? (26 per cent), the government (17 per cent) and Energy Saving Trust (16%). Newspaper articles came in at just 8 per cent. Unprompted, people tended to favour internet sources of information.

The survey found that tabloid newspaper readers were more likely to trust energy companies than broadsheet readers (41 per cent versus 30 per cent), however, they were less likely to trust the government, (13 per cent versus 22 per cent). While trust in Which? and the EST was higher among more educated people (those with degrees and higher A-Level grades), trust in energy suppliers showed no significant differences by social grade, said Ipsos Mori.

See the report here.