Martin Lewis has urged Ed Miliband to overhaul the “perverse” smart meter rollout as an estimated four million broken devices sit in British homes.
Plans to introduce smart meters were first unveiled by the Energy Secretary when he previously held the role in 2008 and targets to install them were ramped up by the successive Tory government.
But the multi-billion-pound rollout has been mired in chaos amid anecdotes of customers being hit with unusually high bills thanks to faulty meters.
Mr Lewis wrote to Mr Miliband Tuesday morning calling on the Government to shift its “perverse” targets away from installing new devices to fixing those already in homes.
He said: “Too many resources are focused on installations, not repairs, leaving more existing meters not working properly. Repairs can be slow, if they happen at all, leaving consumers frustrated and at risk of mis-billing and further problems.”
He added: “Smart meters, done right, offer an exciting future. It’s just a shame the overly long history of the smart meter rollout is one of sloth, poor decisions, poor technology and over-expense.”
Mr Lewis said he frequently hears from households who are willing to pay more on their energy bills to avoid having a device installed.
Smart meters record energy consumption and costs in real time and submit regular readings to energy firms. The programme – which is forecast to cost more than £13.5bn by the middle of the next decade – was intended to save customers money on their bills.
Suppliers are expected to install the devices in 80pc of the homes they supply by the end of 2025, according to targets set out in a 2023 National Audit Office report. However, the latest official data shows just 61pc of households are currently using one.
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero estimates there are currently 4.31 million faulty smart meters installed across Britain. So-called “dumb” devices leave customers at risk of being hit with unfairly high bills.