Agenda item

A presentation to provide advice and information on energy usage and smart meters.

Mike Joyce, Energy Advisor at the Centre for Sustainable Energy gave a presentation to the meeting.

It was explained that there was an increasingly documented link between health and housing. Living in cold/damp homes had significant physical and mental health implications. This resulted in increased GP visits, unplanned hospital admissions and excess winter deaths.

Fuel poverty, when a household spent more than 10% of their income on bills was a problem. If anyone knew someone living in fuel poverty, they could refer them to Safe and Well Wiltshire. Things to look out for included; the home feeling cold or draughty; smells of damp and/or signs of mould/condensation; no sign of any heating or the only heating being an open fire, portable electric radiators or bottled gas; curtains being closed during the day to keep the heat in or signs that the householder only lived in (and heated) one room. The number of households living in fuel poverty in Wiltshire was 9% in 2018, which equated to around 18,426.

The energy efficiency of homes was looked at.  Houses were awarded  Energy Performance Certificates (EPC) and these could be found at http://epcregister.com/. An example is shown below:

An average house was band D and would spend approximately £1,150 per year on fuel. An average band A property would spend approximately £530 and an average band G property would spend £2,200. The energy efficiency of the home could have a large economic impact as well as an environmental impact. 91% of properties in the South West were classed as band D or below. There was a need to get the housing stock up to standard.

Sustainability was defined as “meeting the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”. There were huge challenges to face in the housing sector regarding sustainability.

Smart Metres were free to install, the in-home display showed how much energy the household was using and allowed residents to identify opportunities to save energy and modify behaviour to use less fuel. Smart meters would submit meter readings to your supplier automatically, so residents no longer needed to read the meter. Bills would be accurate with no more estimates. Pre-payment metres could be topped up online or by text when you have a smart metre. The use of Smart meters would facilitate the accurate prediction of national energy demand, this would lead to increased energy efficiency, less infrastructure and environmental benefits.

There were myths surrounding Smart metres such as:

·       You could not switch supplier. However, 2nd generation meters allowed uninterrupted switching between suppliers.

·       Smart meters could spy on you. However, Smart meters could not spy, they could only measure energy use and share the readings with your supplier.

·       Renters could not get a smart meter. However, if you pay the bills and the meter belongs to your supplier, then you have the right to request a smart meter. 

·       Smart meters are dangerous. The government watchdog on public health says that smart meters did not pose a risk to health in installation or infrequent radio wave bursts, they emitted a lower EMF reading than your mobile phone or microwave.

Warm and Safe Wiltshire provided free phone-based energy advice and support, home visits (if eligible), the fitting of simple energy saving measures and funding for home improvements (if eligible).

The Priority Services Register provided extra help for people during power cuts and water outages. People could register for the service if they were disabled, of pension age, they had children under 5 or other vulnerabilities.

Warm and Safe Wiltshire could also provide financial support for water bills and supported referrals to other relevant services.     

To refer people or to get help visit www.cse.org.uk/referral, call 0800 038 5722 or email warmandsafe@cse.org.uk. It was advised that the best method to contact them was to call the telephone number.

In response to questions it was stated that planning constraints on historic houses could mean it was difficult to make them energy efficient, for example to install double glazing or insulation. One solution was to install secondary double glazing. However, it would be best to call for advice.  

It was explained that you should be able to get a second-generation smart meter even in an area with no mobile phone signal as the second-generation metres did not rely on mobile connections but had their own Wi-Fi network. This Wi-Fi network covered more than 90% of UK at the moment, so most people should be able to get a Smart meter. People were advised to ensure that they were being provided a second-generation Smart metre, rather than a first-generation Smart meter.

The Chairman thanked Mr Joyce for his presentation.