Design plan for the Roll-Out of Smart Electricity Meters in NI Consultation

NEA NI supports the guiding principles for the smart metering programme. We particularly welcome the commitment to ensuring that consumers are at the heart of smart metering, and the commitment to enable all consumers, especially the vulnerable, to participate and benefit from the programme. We are supportive of the capacity of smart meters to end estimated billing, to provide greater control over personal energy use, and to make payment for ‘pay as you go’ energy and the provision of emergency support more convenient.

However, we emphasise that these benefits will only be realised if consumers are properly engaged and supported throughout the process. As such, our response welcomes commitments to consumer engagement, participation and supporting consumers’ behavioural change. We also welcome the focus on fairness, transparency, and equitable costs and benefits, as these are essential for a Just Transition and the success of a smart metering programme.