Gas and electricity smart meter roll-out caused by engineer shortage, claims new report

New research suggests the UK Government’s pledge to install smart meters in 26 million homes across the country is suffering delays. This is because of an engineer shortage. These professionals need to carry out the installations.

Leading provider of gas, electric, and smart meter skills training, ECTA Training, carried out a survey. They asked 2,000 homeowners to find out why the government’s smart meter roll-out is taking longer than expected.

The ECTA Training report questions if a shortage of skilled engineers is the only factor affecting the delays. They also wonder whether British householders understand the benefits of installing a smart meter in their home.

WHAT IS A SMART METER?

Smart meters use a secure national communication network operated by the Data and Communications Company (DCC) to wirelessly transfer energy usage data to gas and electricity suppliers. This eliminates the need for estimated usage readings and meter readers coming out to your property.

The provider is automatically sent the actual usage data so they bill you according to the reading. Homeowners can also monitor their gas and electricity usage on the smart meter display. This shows the real-time usage and costs.

The Department of Energy and Climate Change claims that householders can more easily switch between energy suppliers with the metres. Suppliers can also monitor home energy usage and then offer efficiency advice based on the data they gather.

The Government has pledged to install a smart meter in every home in the England, Wales, and Scotland by 2020. Utility companies have thus far only installed 5,000 smart meters. Qualified engineers are not always available to complete the jobs.

The ECTA report, titled ‘Smart Meters: the consumer view’, states that one in five householders in the UK have experienced delays when attempting to arrange their smart meter installation. The issue is a particular problem in London and the North East of England.

In the North East, almost 40% of the people surveyed said they are worried the delays are costing them money. In addition, half of the 2,000 surveyed said that utility companies should invest more money into training engineers.

If you would like to discuss smart meters with a local engineer, you can contact us to arrange it. Warm.co.uk only work with reliable professionals. Call us today or complete the quote form.