Website of the UK government

Smart energy meter roll-out

The government has announced that every home in Britain will be provided with a smart energy meter by the end of 2020.

By providing British homes with smart meters it is hoped that consumers will be able to:

• save money
• use electricity more efficiently
• cut their carbon emissions

The government’s plan to achieve this aim includes:

• making energy suppliers responsible for installing smart meters in their customers’ homes
• supplying a display device with meters to make it easy for consumers to see and understand their energy use and carbon emissions
• centrally co-ordinating the communications between smart meters and the utility companies to make switching between suppliers easy for consumers

Energy and Climate Change Minister Lord Hunt said: "A global climate deal in Copenhagen needs all countries to make the most ambitious commitments possible, but it will also require all of us to change how we lead our lives and how we generate our energy.

"Smart meters will put the power in people’s hands, enabling us all to control how much energy we use, cut emissions and cut bills."

More on Directgov

• Saving energy at home (environment and greener living section)

• Generating and using greener energy (environment and greener living section)

• Energy grants (environment and greener living section)