Powering the future of smart metering: How FYLD can enable acceleration of your program

The UK government has set ambitious targets for smart meter installations, aiming to transition millions of households to a smarter, more efficient energy system. By 2034, the government aims to have 100% smart meter coverage in homes and small businesses. As of March 2023, only 57% of all electricity and gas meters—32.4 million out of 57.1 million—were smart meters, showing significant progress but also revealing the challenges that lie ahead.

The smart metering programme offers substantial benefits for both suppliers and customers.  The UK government's 2019 estimate suggests that the smart meter rollout will provide £19.5 billion in benefits from 2013 to 2034, primarily through cost savings for suppliers and reduced energy use (leading to lower bills) for consumers. This results in an estimated net benefit of £6 billion.

However, energy suppliers and metering contractors are struggling to keep pace. With inconsistent installation standards, workforce inefficiencies, and a rise in customer complaints, the industry faces mounting pressure to accelerate deployment while maintaining high safety and compliance standards.

In 2022, energy suppliers in the UK collectively paid £10.8 million in penalties for failing to meet smart meter installation targets. These setbacks not only impact operational efficiency but also harm customer satisfaction and brand reputation. In this challenging landscape, FYLD’s AI-powered workforce execution platform emerges as a game-changer, helping utilities optimise field operations, enhance real-time issue resolution, and ensure regulatory compliance.


The challenges of smart meter rollouts

Smart meters are pivotal to the UK’s energy transition, offering benefits such as accurate billing, improved energy efficiency, and enhanced customer control over energy usage. Yet, the path to widespread adoption is fraught with challenges:

• Delayed installations and missed targets: The UK’s smart metering programme is significantly behind schedule, with many suppliers struggling to meet annual targets. Delays are often due to inefficient scheduling, logistical challenges, and high abort rates during installations.

• Cancellations & aborts: Cancellations and aborts are often due to unexpected challenges in customer homes, such as outdated wiring or inaccessible meter locations, leading to higher abort rates and increased costs -  it is estimated that between 12 - 40% of smart meter appointments were aborted in 2022 for large energy suppliers, demonstrating the wastage in current processes

• Compliance penalties: Inconsistent installation standards and missed regulatory KPIs result in costly penalties, as evidenced by the £10.8 million fines issued in 2022.

• Customer dissatisfaction: Frequent rescheduling and aborted visits lead to poor customer satisfaction scores, negatively affecting supplier reputations.

FYLD’s solution: AI-powered workforce execution

FYLD addresses these challenges through its AI-driven platform, designed to optimise field operations and enhance compliance tracking. By integrating real-time data, digital workflows, and remote video assessments from customers through ShowMe, FYLD ensures smarter scheduling, seamless communication, and safer installations. Here’s how:

• Improved efficiency and first-time fixes: FYLD’s platform provides field engineers with real-time data, checklists, and instant collaboration tools, significantly reducing the need for repeat visits and the prevalence of aborted jobs. Smart scheduling powered by AI-driven task prioritisation ensures the right resources are allocated efficiently, reducing delays and boosting productivity.

• Enhanced workforce safety and compliance: Through AI site assessments, FYLD supports hazard identification and compliance with safety standards, minimising the risk of incidents and regulatory penalties. Digital audit trails ensure transparency and accountability, streamlining compliance reporting.

• Real-time communication and issue resolution: The platform enables instant video and photo sharing, allowing remote planning teams to resolve on-site issues quickly. This real-time communication reduces aborted visits and enhances operational efficiency.

• Transparent KPI tracking and performance monitoring: FYLD’s digital dashboards provide real-time visibility into installation progress, compliance adherence, and workforce performance. This transparency allows energy suppliers to track KPIs effectively and ensure regulatory compliance.

Quantifying the value: Real cost savings and efficiency gains

The value of adopting FYLD’s platform delivers substantial cost savings and revenue growth. Here’s how:

• Reducing abort costs: In the UK, an estimated 712,800 smart meter installations were aborted annually. Abort costs are currently quantified at £42 million each year across the sector. By reducing abort rates by 50%, FYLD can save suppliers £21.38 million per year. FYLD’s customer-facing ShowMe solution plays a pivotal role in driving down aborts by ensuring accurate information is collected from customers upfront, helping engineers prepare better and reduce unexpected challenges.

• Increasing installation capacity: Across the sector, FYLD enables productivity improvements of 8%. With challenges in recruiting skilled engineers, FYLD allows suppliers to do more with less by optimising resource allocation and enhancing workforce productivity, leading to higher installation rates and quicker achievement of government targets.

• Operational cost savings: FYLD’s platform enables managers to have greater spans of control, managing more people across dispersed workforces more effectively. This enhanced visibility and communication reduce operational bottlenecks, improving overall efficiency without increasing headcount.

• Total annual savings: The combined impact of increased efficiency and reduced abort rates across the sector is quantified to deliver potential savings of over £97.26 million across the energy and gas sectors. 
  
  

These figures highlight the value in FYLD’s capability to transform smart meter rollouts, enabling suppliers to meet regulatory targets while minimising operational costs.

Supporting the UK’s smart metering vision

The UK government’s ambitious smart metering programme aims to transform energy management, enabling households to reduce energy consumption and lower carbon emissions. FYLD’s innovative approach aligns with the government’s vision by accelerating smart meter deployment while ensuring safety, compliance, and cost efficiency.

As the demand for smart meter installations continues to grow, utilities that invest in intelligent, data-driven solutions will be better positioned to lead the market, reduce costs, and achieve long-term success. FYLD is at the forefront of this transformation, enabling energy suppliers to power the future of smart metering.

For more information about how FYLD can help your organisation accelerate smart meter rollouts and improve operational efficiency, contact us today.