Over 140,000 second generation smart meters have been rolled out so far, an industry source has revealed.
The source told Utility Week significant progress has been made on the SMETS2 rollout in the past few months, with more than 140,000 meters now connected to the network compared to just 1,000 in June.
They said there are currently up to 4,000 installations each day – the equivalent of about six per minute.
The source added that the installation rate is expected to accelerate after 5 December when suppliers are scheduled to stop installing new SMETS1 devices, except prepayment meters, for which the deadline has been extended to 15 March next year.
Responding to oral questions in the House of Commons earlier today (20 November), energy and clean growth minister Claire Perry put the figure for SMETS2 installations at 97,500 as of the end of October.
Both suppliers and the Data Communications Company, the company which manages the smart metering data and communications infrastructure, are targeting a quarter of a million SMETS2 meters by the end of the year.
According to the latest figures, 12.05 million smart and advanced meters have been installed, with the vast majority having been fitted by large energy suppliers.
Following issues with interoperability, the SMETS1 smart meter rollout has faced criticism across the industry, with some devices losing functionality when customers switches supplier.
This problem is expected to be phased out with the rollout of SMETS2 devices and the integration of the first generation devices with the DCC’s system.