With confidence in the smart meter rollout already pretty low amongst consumers and the wider energy industry following a series of debacles, the suggestion that smart meters would enable energy companies the ability to switch off a consumers heating at will has heightened concerns over security and privacy.
Even with SSEN stating that such actions can only be taken with the consumers' full consent it has done little to stop the media running headlines critical of the plans.
Consumer groups have voiced their concerns and critics of the government’s green energy push are using the proposals as proof that the surge towards green energy is not viable.
With millions of Evs needed to be adopted and electricity intensive heat pumps needed to achieve the governments NetZero target, there are growing concerns that the UK’s energy grid will struggle to keep up with the increase in demand.
“I would have considerable concern about the impact of these measures. I would be particularly concerned about the more vulnerable households, and of course, vulnerability is not in a constant state for individuals. We encourage creativity because we know potential issues are coming with meeting peak demand, but the industry has to find solutions to these problems and not expect consumers and households to help,” said Peter Earl from Compare the Market.
Critics of the plans have also said that they highlight concerns over the reliability of making an all green economy.
They argue that wind and solar power is great when the wind is blowing and the sun is shining but on a still, cloudy day they are next to useless and such scenarios often see National Grid turning to fossil fuel power stations to fill the gaps in supply.
Firing up coal or gas power stations is expensive and so worries are growing that energy prices will surge higher as a consequence.
Energy suppliers already have a tough time convincing consumers to adopt smart meters as it is.
Negative headlines such as the ones splashing the newspapers and news sites on this subject will likely make it even harder to convince them of the benefits of smart meters.
A statement from Ofgem said: "The process to consider this proposal is ongoing, and a decision is not expected before spring 2021."
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