Brits can expect “smart” energy meters to be installed in every house in the land.
The meters will cost households £200 each and energy companies have admitted the cost will be passed on to customers.
The objective is to encourage people to reduce their use of energy.
Installation, which is to begin next year, is going ahead despite the fact that the meters do not work in one-third of British properties, such as rural houses, high-rise apartments and basements.
Moreover, official documents have shown that the meters cause less energy to be saved than had been predicted.
At least five countries which had been considering installing the meters have now decided against using them because the plan costs more money than it saves. Although making the consumer pay is a useful plan.
Smart meters record gas and electricity consumption every 30 minutes.
The metres are linked to monitors called In-Home Displays, which show how much power is being used at any time and what it is costing.
But the information transfer does not work in buildings with thick walls on multi-storey flats.
The Department of Energy and Climate Change has estimated the technology will see bills fall by £26 a year by 2020 and cut electricity usage by 2.8% and gas by 2%.
However an early study of 743 Dutch households found users consumed only 0.9% less gas and 0.6% less electricity.
A risk assessment carried out by the energy watchdog, Ofgem, has also identified ‘"a range of threats such as cyber, viruses and malicious software."
Margaret Hodge, the chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, said:
“This is a typical Government project – they set up a big scheme but don’t think about the costs to the consumer because it’s being driven by the energy companies. This expensive equipment is already out-of-date, because we could get the information on our smartphones.
“The Government should really think about the technology they are using and make sure that the consumer benefits.”
