By 2019, the Government plans to have installed smart energy meters in every home in Britain. Designed to also help consumers better manage their energy usage, the meters will lead to important changes in how we use energy and how the industry operates. The new technology will support the Smart Grid functionality in a future where demand for electricity is expected to triple by 2050, and where the cost of energy infrastructure upgrades is estimated at £200 to £250 billion.
The Smart Metering rollout aims to save consumers money and reduce carbon emissions in the process by letting consumers know and actively manage their consumption. One benefit of the new system is that the energy usage billing process will be based on actual energy used, rather than the current system where bills are often estimated. However, the estimated cost of converting the UK to smart metering technology is £11 billion, and there are questions as to how this will be achieved and who is going to pay.
To help answer these questions, experts and analysts from across the sector, including Dr Dritan Kaleshi, Senior Lecturer in Communications Networks from the University’s Centre for Communications Research (CCR), met for a special roundtable last month at The Guardian’s headquarters in London.
Dr Kaleshi, who is the technical lead of CLEVER, a three-year collaborative research project funded by Technology Strategy Board, which aims to devise a solution to close the loop of electricity generation, distribution, retailing, metering and consumption through the direct involvement of residential energy consumers using intelligent meters, was invited to give his perspective on some of the key issues surrounding the new smart metering technology.
The results of the roundtable discussion are published in The Guardian supplement, entitled ‘Smart Revolution’, on 13 April 2011.
Professor Joe McGeehan, CCR Director, said: “I’m delighted to see the University’s CSN Group’s longstanding and pioneering research in Home Energy Management and Information Systems being used to help plan and develop the UK’s strategy in energy usage.”
The panel comprised Fiona Harvey, Environment correspondent at The Guardian (Chair), Tim Lovejoy, Head of Energy at T-Systems, Ross Mackie, Smart Metering Programme lead at Scottish Power, Steve Briggs, Head of Industry Codes and Metering Regulation at British Gas, Dr Dritan Kaleshi, Senior Lecturer in Communications Networks at the University of Bristol, Stuart Ravens, Principal Analyst, Energy and Utilities Technology at Ovum, Dr Svan Lembke, Head of Smart Metering at T-Systems, Christine McGourty, Director at Energy UK, Chris Harris, Head of Retail Regulation at RWE npower, Tony Gale, General Manager London 2012, GE Corporation, Dr Howard Porter, Chief Executive Officer at BEAMA and Stephen Cunningham, Chief Executive Officer at Landis+Gyr.