Smart way to reduce energy bills - Fiona Hall MEP

4.00.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Mon 28th Jul 2008

With the Business and Enterprise Select Committee today warning that gas and electricity price rises would have serious consequences for millions of British households, North East MEP Fiona Hall, welcomed the committee's support of smart meters and repeated her demand for the government to fully implement this smarter from of metering as soon as possible.

Fiona, an energy specialist in the European Parliament, says that smart meters would help consumers cut their energy bills as prices continue to creep up, and as an added bonus could also drive forward energy efficiency.

With the report calling for the Government to reach a decision on domestic roll-out of smart meters by the end of 2008, Fiona has written to the Minister of State for Energy, Malcolm Wicks MP, and is keen to see the Government's plans for hitting targets set by the European Parliament on UK smart meter roll-out.

Fiona said:

"I fully support the findings of today's report on smart metering.

"The Government would be wise to remember that up to 4 million homes could be affected by fuel poverty - that is spending more than 10% of income on fuel - in the coming year.

"Smart meters offer up a workable and long-term solution to current unreliable meter reading systems and save time, money and energy not just for energy companies but for consumers feeling the pinch as energy bills go up.

"I wait to hear back from Mr Wicks MP with interest; after all if smart meters work for other countries there is no reason why it shouldn't for the UK."

Smart meters, which offer real time information on electricity and gas consumption by allowing different price setting agencies to introduce different prices for consumption, based on time of day and season, have already been widely adopted in Italy, Canada, United States, Turkey, Australia, New Zealand, The Netherlands, Sweden, Norway and Finland.

The full report from the Business and Enterprise Select Committee is available at: http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.com/pa/cm200708/cmselect/cmberr/293/29307.htm#a22