Written question asked by Lord Vinson (Conservative), in the House of Lords. It was answered by Lord Marland (Conservative) on Tuesday, 27 July 2010.

Energy: Smart Meters

Question: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many megawatt-hours of energy they anticipate will be saved over the next 10 years through the introduction of smart meters; and what proportion of national energy consumption they estimate that will represent over that period.

Answer: Our current assessment is that the roll out of smart meters to domestic and small non-domestic gas and electricity customers will realise energy savings of 83.5 million MWh (83,500 GWh) over the period 2010-2020. Our assessment is that this represents approximately 1.5 per cent savings as a proportion of total UK electricity and gas consumption for domestic and commercial customers over the period 2010-20 during which smart meters are being rolled out. When all such premises have smart meters (in some cases advanced meters) we project savings of approximately 3 per cent.

Secondary information