Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Seventy-Second Report - Update on the rollout of smart meters
Public Accounts Committee
HC 1332
Published 20 October 2023
Conclusions (3)
20
Conclusion
Accepted in Part
Consumers are only guaranteed to receive the benefits available from being able to monitor their energy usage via an in-home display for a year. After one year, if the device breaks the energy supplier currently has no obligation to replace it.65 Ofgem said it encourages suppliers very strongly to replace …
Government Response Summary
The government agrees with the committee's observation, stating it is developing and seeking agreement on voluntary good practice principles for In-Home Display provision beyond the initial 12-month period and has not ruled out further regulation, partially addressing the lack of obligation to replace them.
22
Conclusion
Accepted in Part
The government first announced its intention to mandate suppliers to install smart meters in 2008, and energy suppliers have been rolling out smart meters since 2012.70 The Programme has therefore been active for more than a decade, and although the Department has produced seven cost-benefit analyses, it has not done …
Government Response Summary
The government agrees to share annual cost and benefit information with Parliament by Summer 2024 to provide visibility on the smart metering rollout. However, it does not explicitly commit to producing a full new cost-benefit analysis since the last one in 2019, instead referencing the 2019 analysis as comprehensive.
23
Conclusion
Accepted in Part
At our evidence session, the Department could not provide an up-to-date figure for the Programme’s costs and benefits. It considers that both costs and benefits will have increased since 2019, given: a) lower installer efficiency and delays during COVID-19 increasing costs generally, together with higher than anticipated labour costs; and …
Government Response Summary
The government acknowledges the committee's finding that up-to-date cost and benefit figures are not available, and, treating this as a recommendation, commits to sharing this information with Parliament on an annual basis by Summer 2024. However, detailed plans for bringing the programme to a close will only be shared when they have matured.