Energy and Climate Change CommitteeWritten evidence submitted by FoodsMatter (SMR96)

Apologies for brevity—have only just received information.

What are the potential benefits of smart meters for consumers, and what barriers need to be overcome in order for consumers to realise them?

Possible savings if better control of power usage established. Consumers need to be convinced that the benefit will accrue to them not the power companies (not at all clear) and that there are no potential risks to health, to their privacy or to their security—which there are.

Is there a possibility that suppliers will gain considerably more than consumers from smart meters?

Yes.

Is enough being done to ensure that any financial benefits accruing to suppliers will be passed on to consumers?

No

What lessons can be learned from successful smart meter implementation and usage elsewhere in the world?

Smart meter roll out in the many parts of the US seems to have been less than successful in terms of accurate billing setting aside all concerns over national security, privacy and health.

Will smart meters empower customers to take greater control of their energy consumption?

Possibly.

What are the potential obstacles to rolling out smart meters in the UK and how should these be addressed?

Public acceptance.

Are consumers’ concerns about privacy and health being addressed adequately?

No—health aside there are considerable concerns over individual privacy and over national security.

As regards health, adding yet another layer of man-made electromagnetic radiation to an already heavily EMR polluted environment will have very poor outcome for those who are already EM sensitized and may have as yet unquantified (and unquantifiable) health effects on the whole population.

February 2013