"Smart" electricity meters may inadvertently cause increase in emissions in Victoria

Victoria's plan to roll out "smart" electricity meters to 2.4 million homes and small businesses across the state could inadvertently trigger an increase in greenhouse gas emissions, a report has found. A major study commissioned by state and federal energy ministers also raises doubts about the claimed economic benefits of the scheme, with the roll-out expected to cost as much as $5.5 billion nationally by the time it is completed in 2016, for very little gain.