James Cunningham

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Labour's Smart Meters will help people save money on fuel bills

12 May 2009

Jim Cunningham MP says thousands of people in Coventry South will benefit from the smart meter roll-out that has come a step closer this week. The government has set out the options for installing the revolutionary kit in homes across Great Britain and on what the smart meters should be capable of doing.

Smart meters will mean:
• No more estimated bills
• No more waiting for the meter man
• More info to help with cutting energy use, saving money and reducing your carbon footprint.

Smart meters enable meter readings to be taken remotely and together with a display device give householder's real time information on their energy use. In trials some households estimate they have saved as much as 10% off their bills by changing the way they use energy and cutting back when rates are at their highest.

Mr. Cunningham MP said:

"Smart meters will offer real help to people looking to save energy and that means saving money too.

"The more information you have about the energy you use, the more chance you have to use it more wisely, cut back where you don't need to and switch to cheaper tariffs. Smart meters are good news for everyone who wants to save money and cut back on CO2 emissions which cause climate change.

"This has to be good news for my constituents and comes hot on the heels of the government's recent announcement to increase warm front grants from £2,700 to £3,500 and the action taken on pre payment meters which since the OFGEM investigation has seen some £300 million wiped off premiums for PPM customers. All this action is to give help now and also help in the future and shows we are committed to helping people reduce their fuel bill which is both good news for their pocket and good for the environment."