Half of all homes in Britain are now connected to the national secure smart meter network, according to the Data Communications Company (DCC).
The DCC, which is operates and maintains the network, has announced that the 15 millionth home was connected to the network at 1:56am on 21 February by British Gas at a property in Kent.
This milestone means that the network now supports almost 25 million meters, more than double the 11.7 million homes served by full-fibre broadband.
These comprise 14.5 million second-generation meters, and 10.3 million first-generation meters connected, across which 1.3 billion messages are sent every month – a 71% increase on data carried last year, according to the DCC.
In addition, the DCC said that more than 10 million first-generation smart meters have now been connected to the DCC’s network, extending the life of the devices and enabling their users to switch suppliers without losing functionality.
Angus Flett, DCC chief executive, said: “We’re thrilled that the DCC network now reaches half of all homes in Britain. This platform is helping 15 million households understand their energy usage better, while also opening up access to new smart tariffs and energy saving incentives.
“We’re delivering on our purpose, which is to make Britain more connected so people can live smarter, greener lives.”
Government figures show that more than 30 million smart and advanced meters have been installed in Great Britain. As well as advanced meters, this figure includes first generation SMETS1 devices that are not connected to the DCC network.