Britain has seen its 15 millionth smart meter connected to the national network, transformation supervisors at the Data Communications Company have confirmed.
Installation of a second-generation smart power meter (SMETS2) by OVO Energy at a home in Eastleigh, Hampshire at 11:11am on September 24th pinpointed the landmark.
Cautious estimates show that homes on the national smart meter network are helping save over two terawatt hours of energy every year, the DCC claims. In population terms, that’s the annual electricity consumption of the city of York.
Expressed in terms of generating kit, the DCC calculates 2TWh is around three-quarters of the output of a single CCGT gas power station, or of 150 large wind turbines. The company is a unit of outsourcing giant Capita.
The Coalition government took office in 2010 committed to ensure every home and business in the country was offered a smart meter, delivered as cost effectively as possible. Its Smart Metering Programme aimed to roll-out 50 million smart gas and electricity meters to all domestic properties, and smart or advanced meters to smaller non-domestic sites in the UK by the end of 2020, affecting nearly 30 million premises.
National deployment of first-generation bi-directional meters begun in 2013 now results, on the DCC’s estimates, in a reduction of 434,000 tonnes per year of carbon dioxide.
A total of 5.8 million first generation meters (SMETS1) have been migrated to the DCC network, enabling consumers to switch energy suppliers without losing smart functionality.
Angus Flett, the Data Communications Company’s CEO said current volatility in energy markets demonstrates the need to opt out of fossil fuels. In that task, smart meters will be essential, he said.
“Meters on our national network are now driving city-sized savings”, Flett claimed.
“The DCC helps support consumer protection. Millions of households across Britain are now able to access the best energy tariffs through their smart meter, while having the data at their fingertips to reduce their energy usage.
“Reaching 15 million meters would not have been possible without the hard work of DCC’s suppliers and customers, the energy companies and network operators.”
The meter provider’s secure network continues to see strong growth, with several records broken in recent months.
In September the network surpassed 9 million second-generation (SMETS2) meters. Shell Energy’s installation in Rotherham on September 9th passed that benchmark.
August saw a record 686,000 first-generation meters (SMETS1) migrated onto the network. These total just under six million meters.
