NEWS

The UK smart meter rollout continues to expand. According to the latest Q1 statistics from DESNZ, more than 41 million smart and advanced meters are now installed across homes and small businesses in Great Britain. Smart and advanced meters now account for 72% of all meters, with around 38 million meters currently operating in smart mode. Large energy suppliers installed approximately 590,000 smart and advanced meters during the first quarter of 2026 alone.

These figures show steady progress. However, they also reveal how the rollout is changing. Installations are still increasing, but the pace has slowed. Large suppliers installed around 18% fewer meters than during the same period in 2025. At the same time, attention is increasingly shifting towards the millions of meters already in service and ensuring they continue to operate properly. In this article, we’ll explain why.

Smart meter adoption continues to grow

More than seven out of every ten meters are now smart or advanced. That level of deployment has created benefits for both consumers and the wider energy system. Customers can receive more accurate bills and avoid submitting manual meter readings. Suppliers gain access to more detailed consumption data, helping them manage energy demand more effectively.

The latest figures show that suppliers are still making progress. Nearly 600,000 installations in a single quarter remains a significant achievement. The rollout remains one of the largest infrastructure programmes in the UK energy sector. However, growth is no longer being driven by easy wins. Much of the early rollout focused on customers who actively wanted smart meters and properties where installations could be completed quickly. Those opportunities are becoming less common. As coverage increases, every additional installation tends to require more effort than the last.

The rollout enters its most challenging phase

The decline in installation volumes is not necessarily a sign that the rollout is failing. In many ways, it reflects the reality of a more mature programme. The government has already acknowledged that the remaining customers are becoming less engaged and harder to reach. Some may be reluctant to arrange appointments. Others live in properties where installations are more complex.

These challenges make installations harder for suppliers in several ways:

• More contact attempts before securing an appointment
• Additional operational planning
• Longer installation times for engineers
• Greater deployment of field resources

The government’s post-2025 smart metering framework reflects this reality. Rather than relying solely on rigid installation targets, suppliers are now expected to take ‘reasonable steps’ towards completing the rollout by 2030. This shift recognises that rollout conditions vary across the market. Workforce availability, customer engagement and technical constraints all affect how quickly progress can be made.

From installations to performance

The most interesting figure in the latest statistics may be the difference between meters installed and meters operating in smart mode. More than 41 million smart and advanced meters have been installed. Around 38 million are operating in smart mode or are advanced meters. This gap of 3 million highlights a growing priority for the industry. Installing a smart meter is only the first step. The real value comes from keeping it connected and functioning correctly over time. 

We can already see a broader shift across energy policy and regulation. Recent Ofgem changes introduced automatic compensation when suppliers fail to meet certain smart meter service standards. Customers can now receive compensation if installations are delayed, appointments are missed due to supplier error, or fault resolution processes are not handled quickly enough. The government’s latest framework also places greater emphasis on meter operability. Suppliers are expected to take reasonable steps to restore smart functionality when communication issues occur. There is increasing focus on communication reliability, maintenance and long-term network performance.

This approach makes sense. The UK already has a vast installed base of smart meters generating valuable data for billing, forecasting and network management. As that installed base grows, maintaining performance becomes more important. A smart meter that stops communicating weakens the benefits for both customers and the wider energy system. Resolving non-communicating meters therefore becomes just as important as installing new ones.

Looking to the future

DESNZ’s latest figures show that the rollout continues to make progress. More meters are being installed every quarter, and smart technology now dominates the UK’s metering landscape. At the same time, the statistics highlight that the programme is entering a new stage of maturity. 

The remaining installations are becoming harder to secure. Installation growth is slowing. Meanwhile, millions of existing meters require ongoing support to ensure they continue operating in smart mode. The future success of the rollout will depend on more than deployment figures alone. Keeping meters connected, operational and delivering value across the energy system is becoming an equally important measure of progress.