Our research report: What do consumers think about smart meters?

Summary

When it comes to National roll-out of Smart Meters, is the skills gap of installers the only obstacle to meeting the Government’s target? Or is there also a problem with consumer awareness? And do consumers properly understand the benefits of having a smart meter installed in their home?

Article

You can view all of our research findings and download our full report here…ecta-smart-meter-report

The rollout of smart meters across the UK is set to be one of the biggest national infrastructure projects in a generation, with around 53 million new meters targeted to be installed to 30 million homes.

Currently, around four million meters have already been installed, and utility companies are scrambling to find workers to install the rest.

This mass installation will bring an end to estimated billing and enable consumers to more easily switch between suppliers, according to the Department of Energy and Climate Change.

It will also make it easier for utility companies to track energy waste and help households to become more energy efficient.

But an emerging skills gap in the engineering sector has the potential to stifle the Government’s pledge on smart meter installations, with projections suggesting an extra 6,500 new engineers are still required if the target is to be met on schedule.

However, we wanted to find out what consumers really thought about the rollout. As such, we conducted our own research to find out consumers’ thoughts on the installation of smart meters.

The report looked to examine:

  • Consumers’ views of smart meters and their potential benefits
  • How the “smart skills” gap is impacting the Government’s rollout pledge
  • Consumer attitudes to sharing energy usage information with third party websites

The results highlight a distinct lack of understanding surrounding smart meters, and that more needs to be done to educate UK consumers to the benefits. Some of the key findings include:

  • 44% of consumers do not understand the benefits of having a smart meter
  • Over 30% want to stop estimated bills and manual meter readings
  • 44% say their energy bills have reduced after having a smart meter installed

We hope you enjoy reading this report and find it an interesting source of information on the public perception of smart meters.

You can view all of our research findings and download our full report here…ecta-smart-meter-report

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