An £11billion project to install a smart meter in every home by 2020 is beset with problems and hopelessly behind schedule, consumer chiefs say.
The Government has told energy companies that they must install 50million new gas and electricity meters.
However, the roll-out of what is the largest government information technology project in history is seriously behind schedule. Fewer than nine million households have had the meters fitted to date, according to Which?
It says the only way to hit the 2020 deadline would be to install 24 meters a minute, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Fewer than nine million households have had the new smart meters fitted (stock photograph)
The meters are designed to provide real-time readings of energy use to customers and their energy firms, doing away with estimated bills.
However, Which? said there have been delays to a vital IT system, which is needed to make sure the readings can be transmitted securely from the meters over the airwaves via a new wi-fi network.
Security experts and academics, including Oxford Professor Dieter Helm, recently commissioned by ministers to produce a report on the energy sector, have raised concerns the meters could be hacked remotely.
Despite input from experts at the Government’s intelligence agency GCHQ, there is a risk that criminals or terrorists could shut down power supplies.
Research by Which? found that four in ten smart meter owners have had a problem. The most common is the reading not being accepted by a new supplier when people switch.
As a result, around 866,000 of the meters are currently operating in ‘dumb’ mode, but the energy industry claims software updates will resolve this.
There are also concerns that batteries installed in the meters can fail, which can leave a household without power.
The Government’s decision to introduce the meters is part of a wider drive to cut the nation’s carbon and greenhouse gas emissions. The idea is that once people can see their energy use in real time, they will cut down, reducing demand and bills.
The Government is hoping that the new energy meters will replace older gas meters (stock image)
However, the cost of the scheme is enormous – adding £11billion to all customer bills over a five-year period.
A Which? spokesman said: ‘The UK’s large energy companies would need to work round the clock to meet the 2020 roll-out target for the devices.
‘The energy companies publicly maintain that they will meet the target, but we believe this is unlikely given the current pace of installation.’
Despite the many problems, a Which? survey found nine in ten were happy they no longer needed to submit meter readings and 86 per cent said their bills were now accurate.
But four in ten owners said the devices have not changed their understanding of energy use and costs.
The Government estimates the meters will produce economic benefits of £16.7billion by encouraging energy saving.
Domestic devices will produce a saving of £47 on the average bill per year by 2030, it claims.
Its business and energy department BEIS said: ‘400,000 smart meters are being installed every month, helping consumers save money and better understand their energy use.
‘Energy suppliers’ plans show they intend to double installations in 2018.’