5 April 2006
Thousands of consumers and businesses across Wales could cut their energy bills if 'smart' meters were installed in their properties, according to the country's energy watchdog.
Smart meters, which display consumption costs and can be read remotely, could help reduce Wales' high level of fuel poverty, energywatch Wales said.
Energy use could be cut by between 3% and 15% through changes in behaviour encouraged by the meters.
"Rising fuel prices of between 15% and 25% in the domestic sector over the past 18 months mean that around 238,000 households in Wales are now considered to be fuel poor," said energywatch Wales director Wendy Davies.
She argued that reducing energy use could be done by all, but the public often did not have enough information to help them.
"Consumers are willing to play their part, but information gleaned from quarterly, often estimated bills, makes it nigh on impossible for them to do so," she said.
"Asking consumers to use less energy without telling them how much they currently use is a bit like taking the speedometer out of a car and then asking a driver to stay within the speed limit.
"Smarter energy meters can become the 'home speedometer' of the future and give switched-on consumers the information they need to cut back on their energy use."
The watchdog now aims to encourage the implementation of the meters.
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