MILLIONS of homeowners are to be offered free clip-on meter devices that allow them to see exactly how much money they are spending on electricity.
The 'real-time display units' are already available to buy for around £50, but from May, the UK Government wants any customer to be able to request the device free-of-charge from their electricity supplier.
The Department for Business, Enterp
rise and Regulatory Reform says the devices will assist in the fight against climate change as well as helping householders cut their energy use and bills. Most existing meters only show how much energy is being used, but the clip-on meters aim to help customers cut 10% to 20% off their bill by allowing them to see immediately how much they are spending. Some versions calculate how much individual appliances such as televisions and washing machines cost to run.
The Government wants the major electricity companies to supply the meters, but the energy firms believe the devices are a short-term stopgap that could delay the introduction of more sophisticated 'smart' meters which apply to gas as well as electricity. These can be read remotely, ending the need for estimated bills and home visits by meter readers.
But despite the industry's reluctance, a Whitehall source said that ministers could use an existing EU directive to force firms to provide the meters.
"As people become more aware of how much electricity they are using, their usage is cut. That's where real-time displays come into their own," said a spokesman.
Perth-based Scottish and Southern Energy, which has 8.3 million customers including more than a million in Scotland, said that it has already started providing clip-on meters to some customers.
But Glasgow-based ScottishPower, which has 5.2 million UK customers, just under half of whom are Scottish, said it backed the call for an immediate move to smart meters.
Russell Hamblin-Boone, director of corporate affairs at the Energy Retail Association, said: "The energy companies feel that the display devices are not something that they would do voluntarily and they would rather be able to introduce smart meters. The clip-on devices are a diversion from the real issue.
"We understand that for political reasons dishing out a load of clip-on devices looks like something is happening, but it delays proper work on smart meters, which would be a genuine revolution."
Friends of the Earth Scotland said the clip-on devices were useful in the short term. Head of campaigns Stuart Hay said: "Clip-on electricity reading devices may be a useful stopgap for people interested in cutting their utility bills and emissions. However, the real priority is to quickly roll out modern smart meters to everyone so that both consumers and companies have detailed information on energy usage."
The full article contains 480 words and appears in Scotland On Sunday newspaper.
