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Energy Efficiency (S&T Report)

My Lords, I, too, compliment the noble Baroness, Lady Perry, on the skill and energy with which she conducted this inquiry. It was a privilege to participate under her chairmanship and to be supported by our specialist adviser, Professor Clift, with his encyclopaedic knowledge, and with the usual immaculate support from Dr Christopher Johnson and his staff. I wish to comment on just one aspect of the need to engage the public more in the efficient use of energy. I joined the committee on its visit to Sweden and gained the impression, reinforced by what the noble Baroness, Lady Maddock, said, that the Swedes are more interested in energy use. They know a lot more about the use of energy. One reason why I feel that there is a lack of commitment in this country is that many people are not even aware of the ways in which they could contribute. Many do not even know how much energy they use. At present, the meters that measure the consumption of electricity and gas are often inaccessible. Even if they are accessible, they are difficult to read. Many energy bills are submitted on the basis of estimates rather than real consumption, confirming the fact that consumers have no knowledge of their consumption of energy in real time. In some modern apartment buildings here in London, such as the one I live in, the tenants do not even have keys to the cupboards containing their meters. There is no need for meters to be so inaccessible. Modern electronics enable smart meters to be made at reasonable cost, and these can be placed anywhere in the home, allowing people to see immediately and clearly the amount of power being consumed. For electricity, this might be in kilowatts or the accumulated energy that has been consumed. The latter could be shown in kilowatt hours or, of course, in pounds and pence. This would inform people immediately of the power consumption of different appliances in the home. It would be immediately obvious, for example, that an electric kettle consumes about 60 times the power of an electric light bulb. It would also be clear how much power is consumed by devices on standby and by those that run continuously, such as refrigerators. Before people go on holiday they could check that the power being used in their home is at a minimum, and that nothing is left running unnecessarily. I urge the Government to get on with large-scale trials to explore the use of smart meters, with the aim of incorporating them into building regulations for compulsory use. With modern power electronics, it is also possible to build at reasonable cost the equipment needed to interface carbon-free micro-generators of electricity to the supply grid. This could prove highly effective in reducing the generation of greenhouse gases. Consumers would be able to fit, for example, solar cells or small wind generators and use them to supply power for themselves or to feed power back on to the grid. The smart meter is able to operate in either direction, registering energy either consumed or supplied. There is also the possibility, as has already been mentioned, of including micro combined heat and power units that could perhaps be run on biofuels. All this would require regulation and the co-operation of the bulk supply companies, but there are many possibilities and the installation of such devices has the potential of making an important contribution both in the production of clean energy and, perhaps just as importantly, in engaging the public in the efficient and clean use of energy. I urge the Government to explore these opportunities.