Consumers Could Benefit From Smart Meters

Though a majority of struggling consumers are more likely to be worried over how they are going to pay their next bill than they are over party politics, plans have been announced that could endear MPs to many homeowners.

Speaking at the Conservative Party annual conference in Manchester, the shadow energy and climate change secretary signalled that the installation of smart meters could be brought forward so as to save consumers money while simultaneously helping to reduce Britain's carbon footprint.

"We will upgrade our 50-year-old national grid into a smart grid for the 21st century. We will replace electricity and gas meters with smart meters," he stated.

In addition, it was also revealed that, should a Conservative government come about in the next year, it would give the green light to the construction of several new nuclear and coal-powered fire stations in a bid to reduce the UK's dependency on foreign sources of energy - a move that could also see consumers enjoy falling bills, particularly if they are savvy enough to shop around and switch utilities suppliers.

Furthermore, homeowners would have their properties insulated for free, with the work being carried out by charities and energy companies, which would be compensated by the government.

Despite these pledges, plans for universal smart meters could still come off the rails, with a new report warning that the compulsory monitors could represent a serious threat to UK cyber-security.

According to data from a leading data information firm, individual meters can be infected with small-scale worms, similar to those used to infect PCs, with the potential there for this to spread to the National Grid as a whole, thereby placing Britain's energy security in jeopardy.

"There are already around 40 million smart meters in use worldwide and, even at this early stage, we have seen a number of security breaches," the company's head of energy and utilities explains.

"Whilst there are many potential benefits of smart meters that justify their introduction, we must be aware it also brings new risks and should therefore 'design in' security from the outset to guard against this."

With the technology currently being trialled in 17,500 homes across the UK, it has yet to be seen whether meters are the answer to consumers' prayers or simply another false dawn.

If you would like to know more about smart meters why not ask AnswerBank Technology.