Smart meter installs continue to ramp up post lockdown

46 per cent of all meters in Britain were smart or advanced meters at the end of Q2 2021, according to the latest Government statistics.

The Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) revealed there were 25.2 million smart and advanced meters in homes and small businesses across Great Britain as of 30 June, up by 1 million from the end of Q1.

This strong recovery in industry installs following the winter 2020/21 lockdown is also reflected by SMS’s H1 2021 trading update, with the company’s domestic smart meter portfolio having increased by 146,000 to 1.5 million between 1 January and 30 June this year. This total included more than 30,000 meters installed in the month of June alone, representing a 20% increase on its pre-COVID-19 run rate.

Migration of SMETS1 meters escalates

In August, the Data Communications Company (DCC), the organisation responsible for migrating first-generation (SMETS1) devices onto the national network, reported that 14 million smart meters had been connected to its system.

DCC said its network passed the milestone of 5 million SMETS1 meters connected to its network in early August. In total there are now 8.8 million SMETS2 and almost 5.4 million SMETS1 meters on the network.

Responding to the latest figures Robert Cheesewright, director of communications at Smart Energy GB, said: “Every single person who takes the decision to upgrade to a smart meter is playing their part helping the country transition to a truly smart energy system that benefits the consumer while making more efficient and greater use of cleaner, renewable energy like wind and solar.

“Without this action it will be impossible to decarbonise our energy system and make progress towards our net zero targets.

“14 million smart meters are connected to the secure national communications network and as a nation we are moving in the right direction, empowering consumers to play their own part in managing their energy, eliminating waste and reducing their carbon footprint.”

Delivering the UK smart meter rollout

We are the country’s leading smart meter installation and asset provider, that’s why energy suppliers count on us to deliver smart meters to their customers around Britain.

• • If you are an energy supplier, visit our smart metering & data page.
  • If you are a domestic consumer, go to smart homes
  • If you are interested in our direct metering and data services for I&C organisations, go to our metering for business page.