Energy suppliers will be allowed to trial mobile alternatives to in-home smart meter displays, as the government looks to accelerate its national smart meter rollout initiative.
The government announced the move yesterday in its response to the consultation on smart meter in-home display rules, which asked energy suppliers for their views on the requirement for firms to offer all domestic customers an in-home display when installing a new smart meter.
In response to requests from energy suppliers, the government is now allowing firms to trial alternatives display methods that allow energy customers to see their energy use data using their phones. Smartphone apps and other software-based solutions are considerably cheaper for energy suppliers to roll out than in-home display units and advocates claim users are more likely to engage with an app than a display unit in their home.
If the trials prove that alternative display services are just as effective as in-home displays, the government will consider adjusting its smart meter policy to give suppliers the choice of offering either an in-home display or an alternative mobile-based product to customers.
Under the government's smart meter roll out, energy suppliers have until 2020 to every UK home and business is offered a smart meter. However, some industry commentators have warned the roll out has made relatively slow progress to date and could struggle to meet the deadline.
Energy Minister Lord Bourne said the rollout of smart meters will play a key part in helping "hardworking families" take control of their energy use, adding that smartphone apps could give customers more choice over how they interact with their energy use data.
"We've listened to stakeholders who have told us that they want to give their customers the choice in how they engage with their energy use. That's why we are allowing energy suppliers to introduce trials of alternatives to the In Home Display - such as smart phone apps - so we can ensure our decisions meet the needs of consumers across the country," he said in a statement.
Energy suppliers must apply to the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change Amber Rudd to conduct a trial by September 30 2016, the government said. The government will then collect evidence from the trials until September 2017, when a final policy decision will be reached.
The news came on the same day as energy giant SSE announced it has now installed 150,000 smart meters as part of its efforts to install more than seven million smart meters across the country.
"Smart meters will revolutionise the way that we interact with our customers and present a once in a lifetime opportunity to build customer trust and engagement," said Sara Jane Asquith, SSE's director of metering and smart transformation, in a statement. "It's critical we get this right for our customers, so we will continue to deliver the roll out with a 'do it once, do it right' attitude - starting slowly, learning quickly and ramping up soon after.
"It's great to see the number of customers gaining smart meters is increasing every day and, once the national infrastructure is in place later this year, we look forward to being able to offer smart meters to even more of our customers."
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