The chief executive of British Gas has said every household should be forced to have a smart energy meter to help hit net zero targets, despite widespread resistance to the devices. Chris O’Shea has urged ministers to make it “mandatory” to have a smart meter in order to help hit the government’s target of getting the devices into 100pc of homes. Mr O’Shea, the chief executive of British Gas-owner Centrica, told MPs on the Commons energy select committee: “We think that in order to have the proper smart grid that’s required to keep costs low in the future, everybody should have a smart meter. “One of the things we should consider as to whether this is a voluntary programme, or whether it should be mandatory.” Smart meters measure gas and power use and transmit the data to home digital display units, so consumers can monitor consumption. They also send the data to energy suppliers so there is no need to send somebody to read the meter. Proponents argue that smart meters can help manage energy wastage, helping to keep fuel consumption to a minimum and so help the environment. The programme to install them was initiated in 2009 by Ed...