Eon installs 5 millionth smart meter

Eon has announced it has achieved a new milestone in its smart meter rollout, having installed 5 million of the devices in the UK so far.

Michael Lewis, chief executive of Eon UK, said: “We’ve always championed smart meters and the benefits they bring – making it easier for consumers to monitor their costs in near real time and helping them to understand ways to cut their energy use.

“Smart meters are the foundation of a smarter energy system and we’re already seeing thousands of smart customers take part in the new Demand Flexibility Service that pays people to reduce their energy use at times of high demand on the national grid.”

It comes as the latest government figures show that as of the end of September, 30.3 million of the devices had been installed, meaning 54% of all electricity and gas meters are now either smart or advanced.

Yet the rollout has been a source of frustration for many, with some industry commentators criticising that despite a decade of installations the UK is only at the halfway point.

Suppliers have until the end of 2025 to roll out smart and advanced meters to their remaining non-smart customers.

They also have an obligation to report and publish both their annual targets and their performance against them.

Earlier this week Ofgem’s head of smart metering James Crump wrote to all retailers setting out the regulator’s approach to non-compliance with their smart rollout obligations.

“We take compliance with these obligations very seriously. Licence holders are wholly accountable for the obligations imposed by licence conditions. As such, where a supplier fails to achieve its installation target, we will consider enforcement action in accordance with our Enforcement Guidelines,” said Crump.