2021 was a record year for British smart meter roll-out says DCC

The number of smart meters installed across Britain and connected to the Data Communications Company (DCC)’s network increased by 8 million in 2021, an 87% growth compared to 2020, according to figures released by the DCC.

Angus Flett, the CEO of the DCC said: “2021 was the biggest year yet for the national smart meter roll-out. The trajectory continues and 2022 will be the year that smart meters outnumber traditional analog meters.”

Flett said 2021 was a record year for British smart meter connections to the DCC network owing to efforts by energy retailers and network operators to meet installation and connection targets, in a bid to reap the benefits of smart metering.

He added grid- operators have not “only kept installation rates strong, but they’ve embraced technologies at scale that are helping us reach more homes and small businesses – such as dual-band communications.”

The DCC’s system, the national network being used for smart meter connectivity and data telemetry in Britain, has more than 17 million units connected.

In 2021, the number of smart meters connected to the network grew from 9.2 million in January to 17 million at the end of 2021.

Have you read?
Romanian distributor secures €90m loan for green grid expansion
Denmark’s Hjørring Vandselskab to install 20,000 smart water meters
Malaysia’s Sarawak Energy to deploy 180,000 advanced meters with Itron
UK smart meter rollout – bungled, woeful, promising or successful?
UKs Alt Han Co orders 1 million bridges for a just smart meter deployment

August 2021 was the biggest month yet for the DCC network, with over 1 million meters connected in a single month. 

With Britain aiming to use smart metering as an energy transition tool that can help consumers save energy use and reduce emissions, the 17 million units connected to the network have the ability to avoid 500,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide per annum, according to the statement.

In 2021, the connected units sent and received over 6 billion messages, providing utilities with data for optimised grid management and consumers for enhanced energy management. Up to 352 million messages were being sent per month at the beginning of 2021 and to up to 724 million messages per month at the end of the year.

In terms of energy savings, the smart meters connected to the network can help save the energy equivalent of the annual consumption of all households in Liverpool.

The number of homes connected to the network reached 10 million in 2021 from 5.7 million at the start of the year.

The number of SMETS1 meters connected to the DCC network more than doubled during 2021 from 2.9 million meters to 7.1 million.