asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they will consider new measures to accelerate the growth of smart metering units in United Kingdom dwellings. [HL4538]

In April, the Government published our response to our earlier consultation on metering and billing and our consultation impact assessment of smart metering. We also laid amendments to the Energy Bill that would provide us with the necessary powers to introduce smart metering. The Government are now completing further work on our impact assessment. We are also investigating the rules and governance arrangements for smart metering, including the issues of data ownership and access.

The Government are aiming to complete work on both the qualitative and quantitative evidence base over the coming months. Before taking decisions we also want to take into account any initial results from the Ofgem trials (the Energy Demand Research Project). Decisions will therefore be made after the second report from the trials, which is due in November 2008.