2. Business Statement and Announcement

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 2:29 pm on 2 October 2018.

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Photo of Mark Isherwood Mark Isherwood Conservative 2:29, 2 October 2018

Can I call for a single statement on the roll-out of smart meters in Wales? Tomorrow, I'm actually hosting an event with Smart Energy GB, a drop-in event between 11.00 a.m. and 1.30 p.m. in Dining Room 1, and I encourage Members to go along to celebrate International Coffee Day, but also to find out how many cups of coffee your constituents could make through their energy saving, but also, more seriously, to update Members on the smart meter roll-out and share specific constituency and regional smart meter installation figures.

We know that during the summer there was some adverse media coverage of smart meters, and claims that they will only save consumers £11 a year on average. Of course, that's only a 2020 saving; the anticipatory savings are much greater. The UK Government's cost-benefit analysis says that, taking all costs into account, the net benefit of the roll-out is around £6 billion, and households will save both by using energy more efficiently, and as a result of a smart energy system that is cheaper to run. The provision of in-home displays will enable people to measure their expenditure in pounds and pence, and therefore save in their domestic use, and the alternative, of course, is a more expensive analogue grid. Finally, of course, they allow greater flexibility in the utilisation of renewable energy. Given those points, I therefore hope that the Welsh Government will continue to be supportive and provide a statement on their involvement with and a position on the roll-out of smart meters in Wales, as they go forward.