Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)

The roll-out of a national smart meter programme is progressing in line with the commitments in the Government's energy policy framework and the programme for Government. The programme is a central component of our strategy to significantly enhance management of demand for electricity and achieve greater energy efficiency through the use of cutting-edge technology.

The delivery of smart metering requires a collective response. This is a technically complex and ambitious initiative. The steering group overseeing programme implementation is chaired by the Commission for Energy Regulation and includes representation from Sustainable Energy Ireland, ESB networks, ESB customer supply, independent suppliers and my Department. Four working groups which also report directly to the steering group are mandated to progress the complex technical aspects of smart metering, including tariffs, billing and data services, networks and customer behaviour.

The pilot phase, which will be the start of roll-out, is scheduled to get under way by mid-year. The objective remains to complete the national smart meter programme in five years. Under the ESB's new strategic framework to 2020, the national smart meter programme will be financed under the ESB networks' multi-annual investment programme.

Smart metering has the recognised potential to deliver a range of benefits including increased energy efficiency, better demand management, reduced emissions, the enabling of micro generation and distributed generation and improved customer service. A cost effective smart metering system will therefore deliver tangible benefits to all consumers of electricity.

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