A small device in every home was supposed to be the key to solving Britain’s energy headaches: encouraging consumers not to waste power, preventing shockingly high bills and making the system greener. Instead, smart meters have become an emblem for the energy industry’s poor reputation as the costs of rolling them out approaches £20bn and the government project lags years behind its original schedule.
Consumers who have the devices still face surprise bills, too, as some faulty meters go into “dumb” mode, where they stop automatically sending regular meter readings to energy suppliers, leaving households to send readings.
