British Gas CIO defends much-criticised smart metering rollout

David Cooper says the cost of the project is 'not that much' when the benefits to consumers are considered

British Gas CIO David Cooper has come to the defence of the much-criticised smart metering rollout, claiming that the cost of the scheme is "not that much" when the benefits for consumers are considered.

Earlier this year, the Institute of Directors (IoD) described the scheme as "the most expensive and complex smart meter programme in the world" and criticised the "staggering" risks inherent in the rollout.

It called for an immediate halt in the smart gas meter rollout, claiming that the benefits were minimal.

The scheme uses proprietary technology obliging households to pay via their bills for the whole £11.3bn+ programme, while energy suppliers are obliged to offer smart meter displays to all consumers at no additional cost.

But in an interview with Computing, Cooper insists that smart meters will hugely benefit consumers.

"The cost is not that much relatively, if you think about it, for a lot of what it does," he said.

"We are rolling out about 1.5 million meters on a solution that is modern, so we've gone early and rolled this out because it gives customers a better experience," he added.

But when asked about the technology behind the government's programme, Cooper said: "How well the technical solutions have been defined by government in association with industry bodies, time will yet tell."

And on the huge costs associated with the programme, Cooper said: "Whether there was a cheaper way, I don't know. There are always different ways - we are yet to see this thing fully playout and yet to see what issues it does have."

With many government IT projects, there are constant delays, but Cooper is upbeat about the timeline for the smart metering rollout.

"Hopefully it will work fine, and hopefully it won't be late - which is always a concern with major government initiatives as they don't have a great track record with dates, and indeed there has been a slight delay in the government making decisions which has pushed back the end date of the rollout to 2020."

The national rollout is being led by DECC, and according to consumer campaigner Smart Energy GB, aims to have around 50 million smart meters fitted in over 26 million households across Wales, Scotland and England by the end of 2020.

But while there has been criticism from the IoD, as well as MPs, with many detractors suggesting that the programme is an expensive waste of time which will be obsolete before its completed, Cooper said that smart meters would solve many issues that customers currently have with old meters.

He said one of the biggest complaints British Gas receives is for its "estimated bill" service, which is based on past usage and the size of any particular house.

"We're usually reasonably accurate but it does depend on who lives in the house and what their pattern is," Cooper explained.

He said smart metering solves this problem and also means that people don't have to take any time off of work in order for a someone to read their meter. In addition, he said British Gas can tell its smart meter customers how much energy they are using to heat water, for lighting and electricity, in order to "point people towards where they can save energy".