Smart meters for 'smart grids’ found to be highly inaccurate

So-called smart meters could give false readings that overstated energy consumption by a factor of six, a new study by the University of Twente revealed.

Researchers measured the actual power consumed by devices including light bulbs, heaters, light-emitting diodes (LEDs), and dimmers and compared it to smart meter readings.

They found smart meters often gave false readings, reporting appliances were using up to 582 per cent more energy than what they were actually consuming.

Policymakers are pushing smart meters to households and businesses over claims they reduced energy use.

Smart meters allowed utilities to more efficiently manage energy flows in the grid, possibly making wind and solar power work more effectively, according to the claims.

Twente researchers found that meters in the market were inaccurate.

''These were laboratory tests, but we deliberately avoided using exceptional conditions,'' Cees Keyer, a doctoral student in electrical engineering involved in the research, said in a press statement.

''For example, [we used] a dimmer and 50 bulbs, while an average household has 47 bulbs.''

The results come after a UK energy company was forced to apologise to customers earlier this week die to malfunctioning smart meters which handed out bills for as much as £44,000 a day.

Big Six firm SSE's system was hit with a glitch that daily usage of gas and electricity by nearly three million per cent.

Energy companies had been claiming that smart meters would stop people overpaying due to estimated bills.

According to charity Citizens Advice, complaints about smart meters had almost trebled since 2014.