Ofgem E-Serve is working with the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) on the first phase of the central programme for the rollout of electricity and gas smart meters to all homes in Great Britain. Smart metering will play an important role in our transition to a low-carbon economy. It will help us meet some of the long-term challenges we face in ensuring that Great Britain has an affordable, secure and sustainable energy supply.
Smart meters will pave the way for a transformation in the way energy is supplied and used. The rollout will be a major GB-wide programme involving a visit to every home and the replacement of around 50 million gas and electricity meters.
The introduction of smart metering will deliver important benefits for consumers. This includes real-time information to help them understand and optimise their energy use, thereby helping them save money and play their part in reducing carbon emissions. Smart metering will improve the service consumers receive from their suppliers (for example, an end to estimated bills), promote competition (for example, faster customer switching) and open up new products and services, such as the provision of tailored energy efficiency advice and more innovative tariffs. Smart metering will also be an important step towards the development of smarter grids, delivering improved network efficiency and responsiveness.