British Gas will begin a major rollout of touch screen smart meters to UK homes.

The smart meters give detailed information of a customer's energy costs in real time.

The display has been developed by smart metering technology firm Landis+Gyr, and also gives, for homes that have them, info on the levels of energy generated by solar panels.

The arrival of smart meters updates in the way people are charged – bringing an end to estimated bills. The rollout will take up to eight years.