An industry first, the scheme, which is expected to be rolled out in September 2007, aims to dramatically improve the accuracy of customers’ bills by providing automatic usage readings that can be read remotely by Opus.

Charlie Crossley Cooke, Managing Director of Opus Energy said: “This is a significant investment for us, but we feel strongly that when this type of technology is available – with so many benefits for our customers, it should be provided free of charge. Smart Meters will not only improve the accuracy of our customers’ bills, the technology will also save them time and money, with the added benefit of helping to reduce climate change.

“ Figures released by The Carbon Trust state that Smart Meter technology has the potential to save UK SMEs £300million every year. In addition, a possible 5.1 million tonnes of CO₂ could be saved each year – the equivalent to the entire carbon footprint of Bristol.

Crossley Cooke adds: “Our customers told us that Smart Meters are a priority for their business, so we’ve listened and decided to provide them free of charge.”

The Smart Meters, which will be supplied to Opus Energy by IMServ, will enable Opus Energy to take real-time meter readings remotely, saving the customer the hassle of needing to submit their own meter readings and ensuring that bills are more accurate than ever before.