Smart meters to be rolled out to 2m homes

Two million UK homes will be wired for smart energy meters within two years, telling customers in real-time how much they are spending on gas and electricity.

The smart energy meters will include an in-home display with live readings of the bill in pounds and pence. Information will also be sent as it's gathered to the energy supplier, making estimated energy readings a thing of the past. The announcement of the roll-out of the meters to two million homes was made on Monday by British Gas. The energy supplier has been trialling the technology since early 2009 in 50,000 homes and businesses, but says it lacked the technology suitable for nationwide uptake.