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Smart meters and displays

Building on the argument from the Energy White Paper, there are a number of advantages for the consumer when using a "smart meter" that has the facility to communicate with a remote display. These displays range from basic real time displays through to advanced and interactive display screens.

The required information, for both electricity and gas, should be:

1. Tariff and warning of tariff changes due in the next 30 minutes
2. Current load
3. Consumption to date for each tariff band (including export tariff band)
4. Bill to date for each tariff band

In addition, the port should be required to provide sufficient power to supply a communications transmitter.

What would this mean for consumers?

Adoption of such a proposal would mean:

• Consumers could obtain real time displays and energy management systems from a range of providers and not be limited to the offer made by their supplier
• Displays using clip on devices installed ahead of smart meters could be easily upgraded to interface with smart meters when fitted thereby ensuring that money spent on such systems is not wasted
• The whole nation is provided the opportunity to make energy savings now without having to wait for smart meters to reach them - which in many cases will take over 5 years
• A vibrant market for innovative display technology can develop leading to greater energy savings over time

If provided as described, the port would only add a minimal cost to each smart meter. Work to define interoperability standards has been underway for some time by projects such as SRSM and TAHI, although it is complicated by the desire to define a common protocol that extends as far as individual appliances. This proposal would effectively split the work in two enabling the minimum requirement defined above to be accelerated to fit the timescales required by the Energy White Paper. Energy suppliers and meter manufacturers would be free to continue their deliberations about reaching out to appliances in their own time.

Open access

It is also GEO´s view that the government should specify that building occupiers have the right to freely access their consumption history irrespective of their supplier or who owns the meter. This will be important information for the customer and not allowing it to be transferred freely would amount to a barrier to competition.

In summary, there are several industry and consumer groups calling on the government to mandate a roll out of smart meters. GEO support this policy, but the provision of an open protocol data port or wireless transmission should be a mandatory feature of the smart meter specification.

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