Energy: Meters
(asked on 23rd February 2026) - View Source
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the availability of wide area network (WAN) coverage required for smart meter functionality in Waveney Valley constituency; what information her Department holds on the number of households in that constituency that were deemed ineligible for smart meter installation due to insufficient (a) WAN and (b) 4G connectivity; and what plans her Department has to help improve connectivity in rural areas.
Answered by
Martin McCluskey
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Department does not collect data on smart meter installations at a constituency level. The latest statistics are available here:
The Government is working closely with the Data Communications Company (DCC) - the licensed body responsible for providing communication and data services for smart metering in Great Britain - and energy suppliers to ensure smart meter connectivity can be extended to currently unserved properties in all regions as soon as reasonably possible. One solution currently being trialled will involve a Virtual Wide Area Network (VWAN) - a new option that, with their consent, uses customers’ broadband connections to carry smart metering communications.