Watchdog asks energy industry to install 'smart' meters |
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Published
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Mon, 19 Sep 2005 13:05
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LONDON: As people brace themselves for a 14.2 percent increase in their gas and electricity bills from today, Energywatch said the industry must install new ‘smart’ meters that show how much one is spending on energy every half hour.
The new “hi-tech” meters must show not only how much energy is consumed but also allow consumers to monitor how much they were spending on gas and electricity. This would be the most effective way to encourage households to adopt energy-efficient behaviour.
The watchdog said the government must ask to overhaul the industry. New technology should be adopted and new meters be developed that could be read remotely rather than having to send someone over for a reading. This is certain to save cost for the supplier despite the initial investment of establishing such a system.
Having meters that showed how much money was being spent on gas and electricity every half hour would encourage the consumer to stop wasteful habits like leaving lights on and appliances running unnecessarily. Energywatch agreed with this view saying that such meters would certainly make people find ways to manage their gas and electricity consumption.
For suppliers British Gas and Scottish Power, such meters would help minimise consumer complaints because of more accurate billing.
Owners of British Gas owner Centrica defended the hike in energy prices saying they were necessary due to soaring oil prices.
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