To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will allow smart meters to be included on the list of products that can be used by the Energy Saving Trust for the energy efficient commitment (EEC3); and when he will make a decision on which products may be allowed. (118577)

[holding answer 5 February 2007]: We are considering smart meters as part of our consultation on energy billing and metering to take forward the measures in the 2006 Energy Review and the transposition of the European Community Directive on Energy End Use Efficiency and Energy Services. Responses from the consultation, ending on 6 February 2007, will help to formulate our position on billing and metering issues to be published in the Energy White Paper.

The statutory consultation on the third phase of the Energy Efficiency Commitment 2008-11 (EEC3), planned for spring 2007, will cover a range of measures that energy suppliers may promote to achieve carbon savings in the household sector. It will take account of possible developments on transposition of the Energy End Use and Energy Services Directive.