Big six supplier SSE has installed its millionth smart meter.
The installation, in Oxford, marks a milestone for the supplier and forms part of the £11 billion nationwide smart meter rollout scheme – a key part of government energy policy to offer every household a device by 2020.
SSE says it is investing more than £1 billion to install more than seven million meters across Britain. And the company has already created hundreds of jobs to help it hit its target.
Chris Adams, SSE’s director of metering and smart transformation, said: “Hitting one million installs is no easy feat.
“Any project of this size is going to be a challenge, but I’m incredibly proud of the excellent work done by the teams here at SSE who are helping customers to benefit from this technology.”
Robert Cheesewright, director of policy and communications at Smart Energy GB, said: “The installation of SSE’s one millionth smart meter is a hugely positive milestone and a step closer to Britain achieving a smarter, cleaner and greener future.
“Smart meters are making life easier for households, helping them save money and bringing to an end to estimated bills and confusion around energy use.
“It’s great that millions of people are now moving on from outdated analogue meters, in turn having a better experience and helping to tackle climate change.”
The smart meter rollout has faced a number of challenges as companies try to meet the target set by the government.
Research from Compare the Market published last month suggested over a quarter of customers are yet to be offered a device, while problems with device compatibility following switching have also been widely reported among consumers.
In January, the department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy pushed the 13 July end date for the installation of the first generation of energy smart meters (SMETS1) back to 5 October 2018.
Last month, however, the department said it was now consulting on plans to increase this by a further two months to 5 December 2018.