In 2008, the UK did a lot to solidify its commitment to the reduction of greenhouse gases. For one, the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) was created to spearhead new green policies. The new department brought together the Climate Change Group and the Energy Group that had previously been contained within the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR), respectively.Ed Miliband, Secretary of State for the DECC, said that 2008 was a year when much progress was made discovering how to run a low-carbon economy in order to combat climate change. The EU was able to agree on emissions and energy consumption targets and the first legislation of its kind, the Climate Change Act, was passed in the UK. Renewable energy is also on the rise in the UK; the country’s offshore wind-power capacity surpassed that of Denmark in October to claim the world’s top spot.
However, the most significant action promoting smart meters came with the commitment to a smart meter mandate on October 28. With the announcement, Britain committed to installing smart meters for every household and small business within a ten-year period once the deployment process begins. “This is a major step forward; no other country in the world has moved to an electricity and gas smart meter roll-out on this scale,” announced energy minister Lord Hunt.
Of course, smart meters won’t appear for everybody overnight. “We anticipate a period of around two years to resolve the issues and to design the full detail of a domestic roll-out,” Lord Hunt continued. “Our aim is then to ensure that the subsequent roll-out happens over a period of 10 years. This would see delivery of smart meters by the end of 2020 to align with our renewable targets.”
British consumers will benefit from having smart gas and electric meters in myriad ways. No longer will the meter reader have to pay a visit to the old meter in order to provide an estimated bill – which is often inaccurate. Consumers will know precisely how much energy they are using and will be able to set rules on how they use energy in their home or business.
Over a period of time historical energy consumption trends will emerge that provide insight into how energy is used. This way, energy customers can figure out ways to incrementally save power that provides significant savings with the passage of time. As consumers learn how to reduce their energy usage they will save significantly on their energy bills. The environment wins also because less carbon emissions are produced as a result.
"We have seen significant progress during 2008 in our goals of developing secure, affordable and clean energy, and tackling the threat of global warming,” said Miliband.
“In 2009, the world will meet again to agree a new international deal on climate change, while in the UK we will be laying out the groundwork for long-term energy efficiency improvements and carbon reduction measures. However 2009 will be a crucial year when it comes to negotiating a meaningful, binding climate change deal in Copenhagen. There is still much to be done, but I'm confident we can achieve a global deal.”
Meanwhile details must be ironed out as to precisely how the massive undertaking will be carried out. Who will be picking up the tab for the monumental project has not been spelled out nor has exactly what type of smart meter is to be installed.
More announcements are expected from the government soon following the completion of impact assessment analysis. “I understand [the impact analysis] will be ready by the end of the year [2008], when I hope we will gave more up-to-date figures in relation to the costs and benefits,” said Lord Hunt in November of 2008.
Of course, smart meters won’t appear for everybody overnight. “We anticipate a period of around two years to resolve the issues and to design the full detail of a domestic roll-out,” Lord Hunt continued. “Our aim is then to ensure that the subsequent roll-out happens over a period of 10 years. This would see delivery of smart meters by the end of 2020 to align with our renewable targets.”
British consumers will benefit from having smart gas and electric meters in myriad ways. No longer will the meter reader have to pay a visit to the old meter in order to provide an estimated bill – which is often inaccurate. Consumers will know precisely how much energy they are using and will be able to set rules on how they use energy in their home or business.
Over a period of time historical energy consumption trends will emerge that provide insight into how energy is used. This way, energy customers can figure out ways to incrementally save power that provides significant savings with the passage of time. As consumers learn how to reduce their energy usage they will save significantly on their energy bills. The environment wins also because less carbon emissions are produced as a result.
"We have seen significant progress during 2008 in our goals of developing secure, affordable and clean energy, and tackling the threat of global warming,” said Miliband.
“In 2009, the world will meet again to agree a new international deal on climate change, while in the UK we will be laying out the groundwork for long-term energy efficiency improvements and carbon reduction measures. However 2009 will be a crucial year when it comes to negotiating a meaningful, binding climate change deal in Copenhagen. There is still much to be done, but I'm confident we can achieve a global deal.”
Meanwhile details must be ironed out as to precisely how the massive undertaking will be carried out. Who will be picking up the tab for the monumental project has not been spelled out nor has exactly what type of smart meter is to be installed.
More announcements are expected from the government soon following the completion of impact assessment analysis. “I understand [the impact analysis] will be ready by the end of the year [2008], when I hope we will gave more up-to-date figures in relation to the costs and benefits,” said Lord Hunt in November of 2008.
