Wallonia approves rollout of 'smart' electricity meters

The Walloon parliament has approved a draft law to begin introducing "smart" electricity meters in homes from 2023.

The internet-connected devices automatically transmit details of a household's energy use to the provider, with simplified billing and no need for a manual meter reading.

Smart meters would be deployed for any household requesting one and would be automatically put in place when a meter needs replacing or when a customer falls behind with their payments.

The measure aims to have 80% of Wallonia's heaviest electricity users - those consuming more than 6,000kWh per year - switch to smart meters by 2030.

The region's energy minister, Jean-Luc Crucke, said: "This is a sensitive issue that has been dragging on for the last 10 years. Society is changing and we must prepare for the future, not live in the past."