British Gas has announced plans to accelerate the roll-out of its smart meter programme and install two million smart meters in customers' homes by 2012.

This will allow British households to take early advantage of smart meter technology - including real time, on-screen information - helping them cut their energy use, carbon emissions and fuel bills.

British Gas is also sharing its technical standards with the rest of the industry to build momentum for an earlier roll-out, and beat the Government's target date of 2020.

British Gas has brought together six world-leading companies, all experts in their own fields, to assemble its smart meter system. The partner companies include: mobile phone giant, Vodafone; billing systems leader, SAP; cutting-edge software and communications firms, OSIsoft and Trilliant; and global smart meter manufacturer, Landis+Gyr.

-- Advertisement --

The Zigbee Smart Energy global wireless home area network standard will be used to link up the in-home devices.

Phil Bentley, Managing Director, British Gas, said: "At British Gas, we already have the largest smart meter trial in the country. We want all our customers to have smart meters as soon as possible, so they can take advantage of this technology and use it to help them cut their energy use, carbon emissions and fuel bills.

"This is why we recently launched our new smart metering business, and began recruitment of our 2,600 new smart energy experts who will support the roll-out. And this is why we are today announcing a partnership with a group of world-leading companies, with whom we will work to deliver our ambitious target of two million more smart meters in customers' homes by 2012. We are also sharing our smart meter standards with the rest of the industry."

(CD/GK)