GoCompare comments on the BIG investigation into the roll-out of energy smart meters
Georgie Frost, consumer advocate at GoCompare Energy, comments on the news that people who have had a smart meter installed may only end up saving an average of £11 a year on their energy bills:
“The smart meter roll-out has potential to generate real benefits for consumers in terms of bringing an end to estimated bills, giving people a better understanding of their energy usage and being able to track their spend on a weekly basis.
“But there are real issues too. Because smart meters are installed by your current energy provider, there is a danger that customers feel tied to that provider once they have the meter installed. This will only be reinforced by the report’s finding that half of all smart meters ‘go dumb’ when the customer switches to a different provider.
“Faced with a potential saving of £11 a year by sticking with your smart meter provider, or saving £210* by switching to a better deal, the ‘smart’ move currently must be to switch provider. Long term the objective has to be that all smart meters are fully portable to ensure the switching revolution continues, and smart meter customers get the full benefit of cheaper energy bills.”
For more information on switching energy provider visit: https://www.gocompare.com/gas-and-electricity/
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For further information please contact:
Anders Nilsson or Martyn John at GoCompare on 01633 654 054 / 01633 654 725
Gordon, Jason or Liz at MAW Communications on 01603 505 845
Keep up-to-date with GoCompare on Twitter: @GoCompare
Notes to editors:
*Based on customers who provided their energy usage and received a price for switching energy supplier for both gas and electricity (dual fuel) using GoCompare during 1 October to 31 December 2017. At least 51% of customers who received a price for switching energy supplier for both gas and electricity with GoCompare saved £210 or more.
About GoCompare
GoCompare is a comparison website that enables people to compare the costs and features of a wide variety of insurance policies, financial products and energy tariffs.
GoCompare does not charge people to use its services, and it does not accept advertising or sponsored listings, so all product comparisons are unbiased. GoCompare makes its money through fees paid by the providers of products that appear on its various comparison services when a customer buys through the site.
GoCompare does not sell its customers’ data.
When it launched in 2006, it was the first comparison site to focus on displaying policy details rather than just listing prices, with the aim of helping people to make better-informed decisions when buying their insurance. GoCompare has remained dedicated to helping people choose the most appropriate products rather than just the cheapest, and has teamed up with Defaqto, the independent financial researcher, to integrate additional policy information into a number of its insurance comparison services. This allows people to compare up to an extra 30 features of cover.
GoCompare is the only comparison website to be invited to join the British Insurance Brokers’ Association (BIBA) and is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).
For more information visit www.gocompare.com and www.gocomparegroup.com