Away from beating foxes and losing in court, Jolyon is now spending his time ruminating over smart meters. Last night, reacting to the Times investigation into British Gas’s force-fitting of prepayment meters for vulnerable customers, Jolyon tweeted with some inside knowledge:
Those with smart meters will still be forced onto pre-pay; those with old meters will not.
— Jo Maugham (@JolyonMaugham) February 2, 2023
What broader lessons will be learned about taking-up new technology (remember, smart meters were yesterday's vaccines) from this silly and dangerous distinction? https://t.co/nZzv54Vamg
His concerns must make for uncomfortable conversations at the dinner table, to say the least, given Jolyon’s wife Claire spent almost four years as Director of Communications at… Smart Energy GB. The quango which spent millions convincing the British public to take up smart meters in the first place…
But the Missus is Head of Policy and Comms for Smart Meter GB, working for a more competitive energy market for consumers, so between us...
— Jo Maugham (@JolyonMaugham) August 2, 2017
Back in 2016, Claire Maugham claimed smart meters would “open up world of possibilities” for customers. Presumably this wasn’t what she meant…