Smart meter pilot delayed

A smart meter pilot to test the money and energy saving benefits the devices could provide has been delayed and reduced.


Originally scheduled to start in May and finish in December with 25,000 participating homes, the pilot is now planned to start later this month and will lead to the installation of the gadgets in 6,000 households.

The Commission for Energy Regulation (CER), which is leading the project, has claimed that the delay has been down to the need for further preparatory work.

A spokesman for the CER said “While you could say we haven’t met our target, we needed to sculpt it out further in order to get a good dispersal of households and businesses and a mix of electricity users.”

The scheme, expected to cost $1 billion and will be funded by ESB, hopes to cut energy use by three per cent.

Smart energy meters give people the opportunity to monitor their own energy consumption and what they pay for it at any point during the day. CER expects households to move away from consuming electricity at peak times, when demand and cost is higher.

Action inspires action. Stay ahead of the curve with sustainability and energy newsletters from edie

Subscribe