A total of 500,000 second-generation (SMETS2) smart meter devices have been installed as of Friday (8 March), the Data Communications Company (DCC) has revealed.
The 500,000th device was installed by big six supplier Eon at a home in Pitstone near Leighton Buzzard in Bedfordshire at 10.10am, the DCC said.
This is up from 450,000 operational meters installed towards the end of last month and from 250,000 at the beginning of the year.
Last week it was reported that first generation devices (SMETS1) are expected to have “full functionality” from May, according to the government official overseeing the smart meter rollout.
The rollout has been plagued with a number of issues, with a director of the national campaign for the smart meter rollout claiming the rollout deadline of 2020 is “impossible to meet”.
By 2020, the government hopes to have every home offered a smart meter – a target which the National Audit Office (NAO) warned in December will not be met.
The NAO also predicted the cost of the rollout will likely “escalate beyond initial expectations”.
Writing in a column for Utility Week published last month, Angus Flett, chief executive of Smart DCC, said: “The energy industry in Great Britain is undergoing a transformation, and smart metering is at its heart. Smart meters are a vital component in the realisation of a data-driven energy grid, which will provide Britain with an intelligent and sustainably managed power supply.
“Not only will consumers be empowered to monitor and manage their energy use, but at a macro level distribution network operators will be able to better match supply with demand, leading to greater stability and more efficient use of gas and electricity.”