Brit says it's 'frightening' to look at smart meter due to steep bill

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With the rise in energy costs looming, suppliers are issuing more smart meters than ever as Brits prepare for the upcoming price cap that will see average yearly cost reaching £3,549 from October 1. But cyber experts have warned that the device could become a target for hackers. With smart meters informing homeowners of their daily usage of gas and electricity, burglars could use this information to track when occupants are in or away.

A smart meter reading is taken remotely by an energy supplier each month.

This is done via radio waves with the information sent to a company head office hub.

But Ofgem are introducing new rules which could allow firms to take data daily or even every half an hour.

This could result in criminals getting hold of far more detailed reports on a household’s daily energy consumption than before.

And industry experts have warned it is only a matter of time before criminals are able to break into homes using this new data.

Nick Hunn, a strategist for technology firm WiFore, told Financial Mail on Sunday: “Smart meters are vulnerable to hacking – with the encrypted security measures for communication in some of them providing little more than a sticking plaster against a cyber hack.

“Changes enabling companies to take more regular meter readings provide a greater opportunity for criminals to work on decoding the smart meter system – and find out when people are not at home.”

Despite this, trade body Smart Energy GB insists the smart metering system in the UK has been “specifically designed to prevent hacking”.

There have currently been no hackings involving smart meter data reported.

Colin Tankard, a managing director of security firm Digital Pathways, says “no technology is totally secure”.

He added: “The encryption between the smart meter and the small energy reader that customers look at to see how much energy they are using is the weakest link as it is relatively basic – and therefore easier to hack. It could be a useful tool for burglars.”

Mr Tankard also warned that this information could become valuable on the Dark Web as criminals begin investing more time and effort into tracking the data.

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Chris Oakley, vice president of technical services at the cybersecurity firm Nettitude, says: “Occasionally, smart meters have a glitch, resulting in customers receiving erroneous bills. These issues usually get sorted out quickly, but it demonstrates that these meters are vulnerable.”

Sue Davies, head of consumer protection policy, said: “Understandably, people might have concerns about exactly how their energy usage data is being used – and how secure smart meters are.

“If consumers are worried about where the data from their smart meter is going, and how often it is taken, they have some control over what is shared. You can tell your gas and electricity supplier they cannot use the data for sales and marketing – or share the consumption data with others.

“You can also specify how frequently your meter sends data to the supplier – although monthly is still the minimum.’ Unless a smart meter has already been installed, customers also have the choice of whether they want one fitted or not.”

Suppliers have insisted smart meters are secure and safe from hackers.

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