You asked a number of questions relating to the costs of the roll-out of smart metering. This included: whether energy consumers will have to pay for this, whether they will have to pay more for their energy as a result of smart meters, and whether they will save energy or money.
The latest updated Impact Assessment, published in January 2013, estimates the costs of the roll-out at around £12.1 billion, with the total benefits of around £18.8 billion. This gives a positive benefit of £6.7 billion over the period to 2030.
In terms of whether energy consumers will have to pay, energy suppliers will be responsible for purchasing and installing meters. Given the competitive pressures in the retail energy market and the action the Government and Ofgem are taking to promote competition, we expect both costs and efficiency savings to be passed through to customers. We expect suppliers to minimise the costs and maximise the efficiency savings from the roll-out.