Welsh Liberal Democrats are campaigning for all homes in Wales to be fitted with Smart Meters. Spokesperson for the Environment Mick Bates AM 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 likely instance of the Government dithering at the wrong time. It is vital that the Westminster Government takes this golden opportunity to take a key step forward towards securing the future of Smart Meters, by supporting this crucial amendment in the Energy Bill.

“Smart Meters, which provide two-way communication between the customer and energy supplier, will revolutionise the way that energy is bought and sold. They will allow consumers to manage their fuel expenditure and monitor their carbon emissions, helping Government to achieve its objectives in fuel poverty and climate change.

“Over a quarter of carbon emissions in Wales are from housing. With this startling fact in mind, it is vital to begin our course of energy conservation and carbon emission reduction in the home, where our behaviours are first and fundamentally learned.

“Labour-Plaid Members continue to say they are in favour of Smart meters – we want to see them act smart and act now to make a roll out of Smart Meters a reality. Smart Meters are a move in the right direction and should be supported as an important part of the green agenda for Wales.”



Notes:

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.