Wired - By 2019, the government plans to have replaced 53 million gas and electricity meters across the UK with smart meters. These meters will provide domestic consumers with "near real time" information on their energy consumption and communicate wirelessly with energy providers, eliminating the need for estimated billing. While consumers could stand to save money with the elimination of estimated bills, Ofgem anticipates that the smart meter installation programme beginning in 2014 could cost upwards of £11 billion -- and the installation price tag is only the beginning of the smart headache.
British Gas is to offer free electricity for eight hours at weekends to two million customers who have smart meters installed.
