Smart meters

Smart meters are digital devices that automatically record how much gas and electricity you’re using and send this information to your supplier.

That means you don’t have to manually check your meter and share readings with your energy provider.

Your bills should be more accurate, too, as they’ll be based on real data rather than estimates.

Smart meters come with an in-home display showing how much energy you’re using in near real-time and how much it’s costing you.

This makes it easier to identify the biggest energy-guzzling activities in your household, make changes where necessary and potentially save money.

There are several advantages of switching to a smart meter:

• You’ll only be billed for the energy you use.
• No more manual readings.
• See your energy use in near real-time.

Identify energy-hungry appliances.

If you’re worried about your energy provider switching you to prepayment, you should probably hold off getting a smart meter for as long as possible. Once you get one, your energy provider can change its settings so that it works on a prepayment basis without your agreement and without anyone having to come into your home.

Another downside with smart meters is lots of people report experiencing installation delays and technical problems. Energy watchdog Ofgem is trying to address these issues and has proposed new rules that would mean:  

• customers requesting a new meter will be offered an appointment within six weeks
• anyone reporting a problem will be given a resolution plan within five working days

If you want a smart meter, get in touch with your energy supplier. They’ll arrange for a smart meter to be installed free of charge at a time and date that suits you. The installation itself usually takes around one to two hours and the engineer will show you how to use the in-home display.

Understandably, many people have concerns around data privacy and smart meters. But there are strict rules and protections in place to make sure your data is secure.

Energy suppliers will only collect the data they need for billing and you can choose how much data they can see and how often. Suppliers also aren’t allowed to share your data with other organisations without your consent.

If you have any questions about the data being collected or how it’s being used, just ask your supplier.