Smart meter installations have jumped 34% month-on-month according to ElectraLink, with 219,000 installations recorded in March 2021.
This rebound follows the winter lockdown, which restricted engineers from visiting homes and businesses for non-essential work. The increase is likely due to decreasing COVID-19 infection rates and the success of the NHS vaccination programme, ElectraLink said, with this allowing more engineers to visit homes.
Alongside the month-on-month increase, there was also a 30% jump compared to March 2020, when the effects of COVID-19 on the smart meter rollout first became apparent. Installations in the month dropped by 27% compared to February 2020, with installations paused as a result of government guidelines.
They restarted again in June following a 15% drop in Q1 2019 due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Throughout 2021, over half a million smart meter were installed. East England has continued to lead with 31,000 installations, followed by Southern England with 30,000 and the East Midlands with 24,000.
