eWeek Europe UK: UK Utilities Deny Lobbying Against Smart Meters

Experts in the field of sustainability are almost unanimous when it comes to the secret of any truly successful push for efficiency - getting the right metrics.

But according to accusations doing the rounds this week, not everyone is entirely on board when it comes to consumer and businesses getting accurate information on energy usage provided by smart meters which the government has mandated should be installed in every home in the UK by 2020.

According to a report in the Times, the Local Government Association has accused a coalition of power companies of lobbying the government to block the inclusion of wireless display units in the smart meter scheme. The LGA statement more or less accuses the Energy Retail Association of trying to snuff out the technology as it doesn't want its customers to have a truly accurate picture of the energy they are using and difficult questions over pricing which might arise as a result.

“The plan to put a smart meter in every home is good but unless it is accompanied by an in-home energy display, for consumers, it is virtually worthless. What you can see, you can save. Why not give people all the information so they can make better choices about how much energy they use?”, Paul Bettison, chairman of the LGA told The Times.

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