Smart meters could cause conflict for housemates, study shows

Arguments about whose turn it is to do the washing up, negotiating rights to the TV remote control and disputes over noise — as many students returning to university for the new academic year are about to learn the hard way, sharing a house can be a tricky business. And now research from academics at The University of Nottingham has revealed that new technology to allow people to monitor their energy usage in the home could be about to ratchet up the tension. The study by a team of technology experts and psychologists found that meters which allowed residents to look at both communal and individuals' energy use could lead to feelings of shame and anger among those house sharing, potentially creating conflict. Dr Caroline Leygue, from the University's Horizon Digital Economy Research , said: "Importantly, beyond simple effects on energy use, we were interested in how these displays influenced emotions and the interactions that people had around them. For example, if people saw that someone used more than their fair share of energy, depending on the display they felt more anger, or guilt and fear — not the intended consequence of installing an energy display!" - Next year will see the start of a Government initiative to roll out the installation of new Smart meters in all UK homes by 2020 in an effort to tackle the problem of soaring consumer energy bills. The smart meters will allow people to see how much energy they are using and how much it is costing. The idea is to encourage consumers to use less gas and electricity.