The UK government wants every home to have a smart meter by 2020 but with only two years to go, it’s not going to be easy.

So far, there have only been around 11 million meters installed, a far cry away from the 53 million target set for 2020.

Before this target is met, there are a few hurdles in the way of the uptake of smart meters.

Research by energy company Igloo Energy has found that only one third of UK bill payers are using smart meters in their home, with the other two-thirds citing their reasons for not embracing the technology.

What is a smart meter? A smart meter is an internet-connected device that shows how much energy a home is using and the cost in real time.



The idea is that customers can understand their energy usage more and bring down their bills.

Around four per cent of respondents said they had never heard of a smart meter and 25 per cent said they don’t believe the devices will lower their energy bills.

However, around 47 per cent said they were too scared to install the energy devices because they were concerned about the cybersecurity risk to their home.

Internet-connected devices and good cybersecurity

There are now over 6 billion smart devices in the world. These devices that talk to each other are known as the Internet of Things or IoT.

According to analysis by the security company Kaspersky Labs, many of these devices have weak security settings, which are easy for hackers to bypass.

This means security concerns about smart meters are not unfounded.

From exploiting unprotected connections to weak default passwords, Kaspersky’s researchers found that it was pretty easy to hack into IoT devices.

Aside from simply making your home insecure, unprotected IoT devices can actually be used for widespread destruction. Back in 2016, cyber attackers hacked thousands of these smart devices in the Mirai botnet saga, which took down dozens of the world’s largest web servers. The attack affected websites such as Netflix and Twitter.

Yet, in terms of smart meters the devices often aren't connected to the internet, says Smart Energy GB, the government-backed organisation that is rolling out smart meters.

Whilst the initial prototypes used mobile phone networks, the current models use their use their own bespoke, secure network specifically designed for them.

As well, this bespoke system has been designed with experts from the government's national security team at GCHQ, so you know it is secure.

Cyber-security expert Martin Jordan, chairman of the Network Exploitation and Defence Forum (NED Forum), said: "Unlike your home computer, tablet or smartphone, smart meters are not connected to the Internet. Instead, they communicate over a closed secure private network. This removes the threat posed by hackers and scam artist who actively try and steal your data on a daily basis.

"Unlike your social media account, smart meters do not hold your life history, your personal information or what you had to eat over the weekend. Smart meters simply measure how much energy you are using.”

Are smart meters worth having?

Discussing the research, Igloo Energy’s CEO Matt Clemow, said: "This research shows there is still a lot of doubt around the benefits of smart meters and smart home technology, despite them offering long-term savings compared to consistently switching providers.

“However, if a household tracks how much energy they use, they will start to use less and will see long-term savings."

On the whole, smart meters are better for your home and bank balance. Start-ups, such as Labrador, can analyse a home’s energy usage using data from a smart meter, and then switch you to a cheaper energy provider.

Labrador’s founder Jane Lucy says the service aims to save customers at least £80 and is part of the company’s plans to fix the broken energy market.

“Energy is pretty much in the press every week with stories about people getting ripped off. It’s confusing and it lacks transparency,” she told the Standard. “And now there’s this idea of using technology to empower customers to change the market.”