NEWS UPDATE SMART METERS In Brief


● Smart energy solutions firm SMS has begun laboratory testing


of Interoperable Demand Side Response (IDSR) solutions as part of the UK government’s Flexibility Innovation Programme. SMS and its partners – Engage Consulting Ltd and Netherlands Measurement Institute (NMi) – were awarded the lab testing contract last year by the DESNZ. Funded by the £1bn Net Zero Innovation Portfolio, the Flexibility Innovation Programme aims to establish new ways of achieving domestic flexibility through developing new IDSR applications.


● Latest government figures have shown a surge in applications for


heat pump installations through the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, with a 75% jump in February compared to the same month last year. This marks the fourth consecutive month where applications have exceeded 2,000 since grants for heat pumps were increased to £7,500 in October. The monthly average between


November 2023 and February 2024 was 45% higher than before the grant uplift. Up to the end of February, there were 35,741 applications and the scheme paid out close to £127 million in vouchers to customers.


● Lloyds Banking Group has signed a corporate Power Purchase


Agreement (PPA) with global renewable energy company, Low Carbon, that will see the Group purchase 50GWh of clean electricity annually, the equivalent of powering more than 14,000 homes. The energy will be generated from two of Low Carbon’s UK projects – Meadow Solar Farm in Hampshire and Pepperhill Solar Farm in Staffordshire. As part of the Climate Group’s RE100 initiative, the Group already purchases 100% renewable electricity.


● The Chartered Institution of Building Engineers (CIBSE) has been


appointed as the new NABERS UK scheme administrator. NABERS UK is a building energy efficiency and decarbonisation initiative that was launched in the UK in 2020 following an international partnership between major UK industry organisations, led by the Better Buildings Partnership in the UK, and NABERS in Australia. CIBSE will be taking over the scheme administration from BRE, with both organisations working closely to enable a smooth transition.


08 Nearly 4


million smart meters not fit for purpose


The UK’s troubled smart meter rollout has been dealt yet another blow, after government figures confirmed 2023 findings by the National Audit Office (NAO) that nearly four million smart meters in homes and businesses are not working properly, a rise of almost 50% in the space of just six months. The news prompted Energy Efficiency Minister Lord Callanan to urge energy regulator OFGEM to work with energy suppliers to redouble efforts to deploy smart meters that boast the functionality necessary to maximise the benefits the technology is supposed to deliver. Some meters just aren’t as smart


as advertised, and don’t send energy suppliers automatic meter readings


as they should. Customers who’ve experienced faulty smart meters have reported receiving inaccurate bills, falling into debt, and difficulties getting refunds from suppliers when overpaying. Millions more households have functional smart meters, but inoperable in-home displays. This issue was originally raised in EiBI back in November 2022, and shortly after the powerful 1922 Committee of conservative MPs issued a hard


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hitting report expressing concern at the lifetime limited guarantee of many of the visual display units supplied. The MPs queried the agreement made by all energy suppliers to limit the visual display technology to ‘just a one-year warranty’. When these malfunction, the householder is expected to repair or replace at their own expense. Smart meters were first introduced


to homes in 2011 and initially the government set a target of having them in every home in the UK by 2019. But the deadline has since been pushed back to 2025. Currently these are in just 54% of eligible buildings. Between 2022 and 2023, there was a 6% decrease on installations in 2022. Households with a faulty or dummy


device are unable to take advantage of electric vehicle (EV) and solar energy tariffs, which are only offered to those with working smart meters. The NAO warns this could also mean that households miss out on taking part in the demand flexibility service tests from the National Grid, which pays households back for cutting their usage at peak consumption times.


data in real time to help increase the public’s understanding of ground source heat pumps and how they can be an effective solution for heating both new and existing buildings in the UK. Daniel Crow, head of BGS Estates


British Geological Survey takes major step towards decarbonisation


A £1.7 million geothermal heat pump project has commenced at the British Geological Survey’s headquarters in Nottinghamshire. The project aims to decarbonise the organisation’s operations, reduce its heating bill, and contribute to its net zero ambitions by 2040. The geothermal heat pump


system, consisting of 28 boreholes drilled to a depth of 225m, will replace gas boilers and provide heating to two buildings on the Keyworth site, where more than 400 members of staff work. The project is funded by the Natural Environmental Research Council (NERC) and


the UK government’s Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme. It is being carried out in collaboration with consultancy firm Pick Everard and civils contractor Cenergist. The heating system will benefit


from advanced monitoring, which will assess the running costs and efficiency of the heat pumps and provide a case study for other organisations, such as schools and hospitals, that are thinking of switching from fossil fuel boilers to clean heat pumps. The project will constitute a ‘living


laboratory’, with sensors deployed in the heat extraction boreholes and buildings. The technology will provide


and Facilities, says: “This exciting project gives us the opportunity to blend our observation of the subsurface with leading low carbon heating. The disruption to BGS staff will be kept to a minimum, with short closures of a couple of buildings to allow for the installation of heat emitters. The drilling and heat pump installation is due to last around three months. The borehole installation should not impact on Keyworth site operations due to the careful planning and specification involved in the project.” Mike Potter, senior environment manager at NERC, adds: “This project to decarbonise heat at the BGS Keyworth campus will reduce our reliance on fossil fuels. This is the first geothermal heat pump system to be installed on the UKRI estate and will support our journey to net zero in 2040. What makes this project extra special is the ‘living lab’ feature which will support data collection and knowledge sharing that could inform the heat pump sector as a whole.”


EIBI | APRIL 2024


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