Five facts to impress your friends on smart meter day
It’s smart meter day, and as the Energy and Climate Change (ECC) Committee devotes itself to scrutinising the government’s £12 billion energy management scheme, the little LED-lit boxes will doubtless form the go-to topic of watercooler conversation all over the UK.
Worried you won’t have anything to say? Here are five smart meter snippets to share with all your friends.
1. Smart meters help reduce emissions
Smart meters give people detailed information about how much energy they use and when. The government aims for all homes and small businesses to have smart meters by 2020.
At the moment, gas plants have to be powered up when energy demand peaks – normally when everyone gets up in the morning and makes a cup of tea and again when everyone gets home, puts the washing on, and settles down to watch Hollyoaks.
Smart meters can receive data from energy companies about when supply and demand are mismatched and suggest when it’s best to perform energy intensive activities. If lots of people took the smart meter’s advice and put the washing on when it’s windy and turbines are producing lots of energy, carbon intensive power plants wouldn’t have to be run as much – reducing overall emissions.
But it’s hard to predict exactly how much smart meters will bring emissions down as it will depend on how many people obey the blinking energy wonk nailed to the wall.
2. Smart meters could reduce household energy bills
One way to encourage people to use energy differently is to offer them discounts when supply is high – when the wind is blowing and the sun is shining, for instance.
If people were to change their behaviour, it could reduce the amount the National Grid has to pay suppliers to switch on or off to balance the grid – a practice known as capacity payments. The meters would also put an end to estimated bills, meaning consumers who are willing to leave their socks steaming in the laundry basket until a windy afternoon could save on their bills.
3. Smart meters are clever but (probably) not sinister
Despite the Daily Mail‘s claim that the government’s plan means putting a “spy in every home”, the smart meter rollout probably won’t usher in a new cadre of robot overlords.
Smart meters might be able to tell when you’re on the loo by telling your energy supplier when you turn the bathroom light on and off. But plans are in place to prevent companies invading households’ privacy or controlling devices remotely.
The government last April said it would ensure consumers had some choice over how much information was sent back to suppliers, and the data won’t be used for marketing without a consumer’s express consent.
4. Smart meters aren’t a big security threat
The Mail was also concerned that the smart meter rollout could leave the UK vulnerable to data attacks by terrorists.
There are legitimate concerns that any large database could be broken into for pernicious means. The government and companies say they are aware of the dangers and will work to minimise them.
And at a time when we’re happy to send cash for a curry via a smartphone, letting our energy supplier know how often we look in the fridge probably isn’t too risky.
5. Smart meters won’t fry your brain or poison you
There has been some concern over radiation from smart meters’ communication technology. But the power density of existing smart meters is well below that of mobile phones or wi-fi networks – meaning their electromagnetic field isn’t harmful.
Smart meters also won’t undercook your steak. Unlike smart appliances such as ovens, which could switch off automatically when supply is low, smart meters simply tell you whether or not using them right now is a good idea.
So – on balance – it looks like smart meters could help the UK use energy efficiently without leading to a machine uprising or making people ill. Happy smart meter day.