New blow to British smart meter rollout as number of faulty machines leaps to 4m

Smart energy meters are used to monitor gas and electricity use but many are faulty, prompting fears of possible overcharging on bills. Photograph: Tolga Akmen/AFP/Getty Images

Nearly 4m energy smart meters in homes and businesses are faulty, government figures have shown, in a further blow to the “troubled” rollout of the technology.

Data from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero reported that, at the end of last year, 3.98m meters in Great Britain were not working properly.