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Smart meters are causing issues for customers in the north of England and Scotland, according to a new report by BBC Panorama. It found that there is a regional divide with some meters unable to send usage data back to suppliers, causing customers to receive estimated bills instead of real-time information. The problem is mainly due to the technology that the meters use. In northern England and Scotland, meters rely on radio frequencies, while customers in the Midlands, Wales and southern England have wireless access to cellular technology to send data to the energy providers.
This issue is affecting the smart meter scheme that started 12 years ago. The government began the roll-out with the aim of helping people save money on their bills while reducing carbon emissions. The meters are intended to provide households with information about how much energy they use and how much it costs which, in turn, should encourage residents to use more energy at times of the day when it is cheaper. Yet, with an estimated cost of £13.5bn for the installation, recent government figures show that 3.5 million units of the current 36 million in England, Wales, and Scotland are not working properly.
One of the main issues with the northern meters is the signal strength, especially in areas with hills and mountains that radio waves cannot penetrate. Smart meters engineers have said that it’s easier to complete a successful installation in the south where a signal can be improved by an aerial. However, Energy UK has confirmed that there are “live conversations” within the industry about increasing the network range in the north of England and Scotland.
While most experts agree that smart meters are essential to a “smart grid” and can help to deliver lower bills and lower carbon emissions, the current technical difficulties could put people off having them and undermine the scheme. The government has recognized that the number of smart meters that are not working correctly is “still too high” and said it expects suppliers to “resolve all issues at a much faster pace.”
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