More than one million smart meters have been connected to the Data Communications Company’s (DCC) network for the first in a single month.
August also saw a record number of first-generation SMETS1 meters migrated, with 687,000 added to the network. In total almost 5.6 million SMETS1 meters have now had their smart functionality restored.
The month saw 315,000 second-generation (SMETS2)meters installed, taking the total to 8.9 million.
Cumulatively the combined number of smart meters connected to the DCC’s network increased by 1,002,291 (from 13,457,115 at the end of July to 14,459,406 at the end of August).
Meanwhile, the 576 million messages sent across the network last month represented almost three times the traffic seen in August 2020.
DCC chief operating officer Penny Brown said: “August was a record month for our network, as for the first time we passed one million smart meters connected in a single month. This was driven by steady installation rates of new second-generation meters, plus the accelerating migration of first-generation meters – the upgrade programme that’s restoring smart functionality to millions of homes across Britain.
“The digitisation of the smart roll-out is transforming Britain’s whole energy system, which is central to the fight against climate change.”
According to its annual report, released last month, the number of smart meters connected to the DCC network more than doubled in the last regulatory year, with 6.7 million devices installed between April 2020 and March 2021.
Last month also saw the latest statistics from the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy, which showed almost 4.6 million smart and advanced meters in Great Britain, representing just under 18 per cent of those installed, do not have smart functionality.