SMETS2 installations hit 5m mark

A total of five million second-generation SMETS2 smart meters have been installed in Britain, the Data Communications Company (DCC) has confirmed.

The milestone was passed at 9.44am this morning (7 September) with the installation of an electricity smart meter by Bulb in Lincoln.

Due to lockdown restrictions, the smart meter rollout took a hit earlier in the year but has since rebounded.

In the leading localities, take-up of SMETS2 meters has reached more than a third of households, with Tewkesbury in Gloucestershire taking the top spot nationally.

DCC chief executive Angus Flett said: “Despite difficult circumstances the pace of the smart meter roll-out has recovered well during lockdown, with one million meters being installed since February. This is testament to the hard work of our customers – the energy suppliers and distributors – who found new ways of working which allowed installs to continue in a safe way.

“Britain is more concerned about its carbon impact than ever before, and the appetite for this greening technology remains strong. Our data shows that in the front-runner localities, more than a third of homes now have a second-generation meter.

“Our network is a platform for good, and the data flowing across it is paving the way for better use of renewable energy. The DCC is making Britain more connected so we can all lead smarter, greener lives.”

The top 10 areas in Britain for SMETS2 take-up:

• Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire (36 per cent)
• South Derbyshire (36 per cent)
• Wokingham, Berkshire (35 per cent)
• Hart, Hampshire (35 per cent)
• Rugby, Warwickshire (35 per cent)
• North West Leicestershire (35 per cent)
• North Kesteven, Lincolnshire (35 per cent)
• Rushcliffe, Nottinghamshire (34 per cent)
• Mansfield, Nottinghamshire (34 per cent)
• Newark and Sherwood, Nottinghamshire (34 per cent)

Utility Week interviewed Angus Flett earlier in the summer. You can read more here.