Smart meter installations ramp up: One installed every three seconds!

Following months of delays and variousproblems with the smartmeter project , it seems finally the initiative is getting the push itneeds. The Data Communications Company (DCC) has this week announced that amillion second generation smart meters have now been connected to its network.

This milestone was achieved on the 21stMay, when the millionth meter was successfully connected. The accolade of beingthe one millionth meter goes to an electricity smart meter in Slough, which wasinstalled by SSE.

The DCC says that there is now a real pushon installations, and that up to 20 smart meters are being installed everyminute of the day across the UK. That’s one every three seconds and marks amuch needed uptick in installation speed.

Angus Flett, DCC’s chief executive, said in a statement:

Onemillion meters now connected to our secure network represents a greatachievement for everyone involved in the smart meter rollout. Credit to theenergy companies, distribution network operators, and all the organisations inthe supply chain who’ve worked really hard with us to make this a reality.

“Ofcourse, there’s still much more to do before the end of 2020. Smart meters andthe DCC network are digitising Britain’s energy system and enabling thedecarbonisation needed to ensure our children have clean air to breathe. That’sthe prize we’re all working towards.”

The increased speed of installations is clear to see when you consider that DCC only reached the half a million mark in March this year. That means a further 500,000 have been connected since March. DCC say that, at full scale, their network will have a greater reach than mobile, digital TV and superfast broadband, reaching 30m homes and small businesses nationwide.

While this uptick in installation speed is welcome, the industry has a notable amount of ground to make up. New statistics released by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) this week show that the installation rate slowed by around a fifth year on year during the first quarter of 2019.

From January to March 2019, a total of 1,031,600 smart meters were installed by the big six, representing a drop of 6.7% compared to the last quarter of 2018 and 17% from the same period last year.

In total, there are estimated to be 15.97m smart meters in domestic homes, 15.32 of which are owned by the big six and just 635,000 by smaller energy companies. 2.3 million are thought to be operating in ‘dumb’ mode, being unable to communicate with the network or because the customer switched to a supplier that cannot operate that type of meter.

Citizens Advice have again slammed the 2020 target as being ‘unfeasible’, repeating that it would be better to extend the programme to 2023 to avoid ‘undermining people’s faith in this important technology’.

With most energy suppliers consistently reinforcing the benefits of smart meters to their customers, in a bid to get them to agree to installation, some are choosing more of a stick approach than a carrot. Data acquired by Energyhelpline, a price comparison site, has shown that several providers plan to hit customers where it hurts if they refuse a smart meter – in the pocket.

Their data alleges that three of the big six firms, British Gas, SSE and Npower, will not allow customers to access their cheapest tariff if they don’t have a smart meter installed. And it’s not just the big suppliers either. Across the entire market, the research found that 30% of the 20 cheapest tariffs required either a smart meter to be installed or consent to direct contact from the company.