Electricity suppliers are urging the Government to give the go-ahead for a rollout of smart metering across Britain.

The Energy Retail Association (ERA) said in a statement that a countrywide roll-out is the only way the industry can co-operate to "deliver smart meters in the most cost-effective and time-efficient way".

Smart metering can give householders accurate information on how they are using energy and provide pointers on where energy can be saved. They save the cost of house-to-house calls by meter readers and also allow people with devices such as solar cells or wind pumps to sell on surplus electricity.

But, as we reported in August, the need to collect data from smart meters could lead to new deals on home networking and broadband. One possibility is that home hubs or femotocells could be subsidised by the industry.

The ERA call was also timed to coincide with the Energy Saving Trust’s Energy Saving Week (from 22-28 October). The trust's chief executive, Philip Sellwood, said: “Smart meters are essential if we are to give consumers accurate information on their energy use, their energy cost and their carbon emissions.”