Cindy Yu Cindy Yu

Is there a smarter way to use energy?

In the last few years, climate change has risen to the top of the agenda for consumers, voters, politicians, and journalists alike. But as well as cutting down emissions and using less plastic, could we also be rethinking the way we use energy at home? Here’s where smart meters come in – a smart meter is a fully digital electric or gas meter, which shows the consumer exactly how much energy they’re using. Proponents say that they can save the environment and save you money; but full rollout was meant to have happened next year – 2020 – a target that, this year, has been delayed for four years. So what exactly is so smart about smart meters, what’s holding them up, and what would a ‘smart’ world look like?

In this podcast, Katy Balls speaks Dhara Vyas, Head of Future Energy Services at Citizens Advice Bureau, Adam John, a reporter at Utility Week, and Robert Cheesewright, Director of Corporate Affairs at Smart Energy GB, the government-backed campaign for national smart meter upgrades, which is sponsoring this podcast.

Cindy Yu
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Cindy Yu

Cindy Yu is a Times columnist, and formerly both an assistant editor of The Spectator and presenter of our Chinese Whispers podcast.

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