O’Flynn opposes €225 charge for ESB meters

THE chairman of a powerful backbench committee said yesterday that he would resist any effort to make ESB customers fork out €225 each for “smart meters”.

Noel O’Flynn, who chairs the Oireachtas Committee on Communications and Energy, said the ESB and other energy and utility companies should consider the new meter as a long-term investment and should be prevented from passing on the costs to customers.

Mr O’Flynn was responding to weekend reports that the energy regulator Tom Reeve was currently considering a proposal to introduce the meters to Ireland.