Welsh Liberal Democrats call on Westminster to wake up to Smart agenda

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Wed 2nd Jul 2008

Inspecting a Smart Meter

Welsh Liberal Democrats are stepping up their campaign on Smart Meters, calling for the Government to act now to cut emissions and the rising cost of utility bills in all homes.

Welsh Liberal Democrat Assembly Members have taken practical action by bringing a Smart Meter into their office to highlight their efficiency.

Commenting, Welsh Liberal Democrat AM, Peter Black said: "The Energy Bill is now going through the House of Lords, but there is still no actual mandate to enable a UK wide roll-out of Smart Meters. This is yet another instance of the Government dithering at the wrong time.

"Having a Smart Meter in my office today, I was surprised to learn how much energy everyday items use. The advantage of these Smart Meters is that people can establish how much energy they, how much its cost and how many carbon emissions were being produced. They are then able to adjust their usage accordingly. A hairdryer for example uses 1.82 kilowatts of energy and cost 18.3p per hour.

"Having this sort of information on the amount of energy they are using will encourage people to be more environmentally conscious when buying new products. Smart Meters also have a link with the energy provider so that we are able to receive more accurate bills. That can help tackle rising fuel poverty.

"These meters also show the amount of carbon emissions being produced, so it is possible to clearly see the cost to the environment as well as to the pocket. They offer an opportunity to tackle fuel poverty and climate change."

Duncan Sedgwick, Chief Executive of the Energy Retail Association which has been campaigning for a roll-out of Smart Meters across the UK, adds:

"I was very pleased with the continued support from the Welsh Liberal Democrats, when we met in the Senedd recently, for the industry campaign to introduce smart meters. They will make it much easier for energy suppliers to help customers identify their energy use patterns, which are different for all of us, and then to set tariffs for customers that suit their own use. We are hoping that the Government will agree to give the industry the green light to start the process for the roll-out of Smart Meters later this year."

End / Diwedd

Notes: The Smart Meter kit demonstrated in the photos was lent to the Welsh Liberal Democrats by the Energy Retail Association (ERA), which has been calling on the Government to provide a clear timetable for a decision on smart meters and to mandate their roll-out across Britain. For more information visit http://www.energy-retail.org.uk/smartmeters.html or contact Mari James on 07981625726.

The Energy Bill passes through Committee stage, day 5 in the House of Lords today (July 2nd 2008).

What is a Smart Meter?

Smart meters are electric or gas meters that measure the exact amount of energy being used by a building. Smart meters are able to transmit this information to energy suppliers, avoiding the need for house calls to read meters.

They display the energy being used in pounds and pence so customers can see at-a-glance how much energy they are using, a task much more easily accomplished than the electricity display devices (EDD) which display energy use in kilowatt hours.