Energy advice for your home: Understanding your smart meter
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Recent data shows that around 60 per cent of UK households now have a smart meter.
However, how many of us know how they work and what they do?
Here, our energy advisors give you all the information you might need to get the most out of your smart meter…
What is (and is not) a smart meter?
Smart meters are a new generation of meters that automatically collect usage data for your energy company. This differs from older traditional meters, which require you to read and report the data yourself.
All meters have a reading measured in kilowatt hours (kWh), which measures how much energy – be it electricity or gas – your property is using.
With traditional meters, this number has to be read, recorded and sent to your energy company, which then sends a bill based on these readings.
Smart meters, in contrast, can send the reading to the energy company directly, using a signal similar to your mobile phone. These readings can be pulled from the meter when a bill is needed.
Smart meters still display the same data that traditional meters have, and you can still record and send your reading directly to your energy company too if you wish.
When you get a smart meter, it takes the place of the old meter that was there before. Smart meters are medium-sized boxes with a small LED display and several buttons. They are most often found in supply cupboards, in boxes on the outside of the property, or under the kitchen sink.
Many people can sometimes get confused about where to find their smart meter, as they often confuse it with another piece of technology called an Internal Home Display (IHD).
These are small devices with a screen usually around the same size as your smartphone. IHDs show you the data that your smart meter is collecting, such as how much energy you are using. However, these devices are not smart meters, and you do not need to have one to get the benefits of a smart meter.
What are the benefits of smart meters?
Having a smart meter in your home can provide several benefits over a traditional meter:
Ease of use and accessibility:
Taking readings directly from the smart meters removes the need for you to do this yourself. This means you don’t have to contact your supplier and provide a reading. As many meters are in hard-to-reach parts of the house, this can make receiving your bills a simpler process. It’s also helpful if you have accessibility needs which could make reading the meter a challenge. Having a smart meter also ensures that you get regular, accurate bills monthly, giving you the peace of mind that you are on top of your energy bills.
Live usage data:
The data that smart meters gather can be viewed by you, as well as the company getting the readings. This can be done through an internal home display or through the app for your energy company. Being able to view this data can give you the ability to see what you’re using and when, allowing you to stay on top of how much you are paying. As with all energy meters, it’s still important to check your bills when they arrive to ensure that meter readings are correct and not estimated.
Access to smart tariffs:
Smart tariffs are special energy deals that take advantage of the ability of modern smart meters to track usage in half-hour increments. By doing this, energy companies can offer you tariffs with special benefits. This could be tariffs with cheaper rates at certain times of the day, or tariffs that charge you based on the current cost of energy on the energy market. Smart meters also work well with certain new green technologies, such as solar panels, electric cars, or battery storage.
Building a smart energy grid
The more smart meters in people’s homes, the more dynamic and modern our energy network becomes. Full adoption of smart meters will allow the country to better understand and utilise the energy resources that we have. Having a smart meter helps the country to take advantage of new technology and invest in renewable energy – helping us to reduce bills and save the planet.
Commonly asked questions:
Why am I being forced to have a smart meter?
No one is forced to install a smart meter, but you can be forgiven for feeling like this is the case. The government has given energy companies targets for installing a certain number of smart meters per year, with fines for failing to do so. This has created an incentive for energy companies to install as many smart meters as possible, and this may be why you are receiving multiple emails or letters from your supplier about getting one.
Furthermore, old-style traditional meters are not being made in large quantities anymore, meaning that when your meter reaches the end of its life, it will be replaced with a smart, capable meter. If you’re nervous about the smart functions of a smart meter and would like to continue sending readings as before, you can ask your energy company to install the meter in a mode which means it will work exactly as an old traditional meter.
Will having a smart meter save me money?
Having a smart meter gives you tools to save money. However, simply getting one won’t make any change to your energy usage. What smart meters enable you to do is track how and when you use energy. This can help you see where you’re using energy unnecessarily, and take action to stop it – a little like a shopping list. Writing one before you go shopping doesn’t necessarily save you money, but having one helps you avoid unnecessary items and focus on what you really need.
Why is my smart meter not working?
Smart meters require a connection to be able to function properly. This connection, called WAN/HAN, is like a phone signal and like a phone signal connection can drop for several reasons. Having your meter in a basement or an area of the house with thick concrete walls can stop the readings from getting to the supplier. Living in a block of flats where the meter is far away from your actual house can also prevent you from being able to view the data that smart meters gather. Rural areas with poor service can also have a harder time connecting to the smart meter network. Work is being done constantly to improve connectivity and increase the number of homes able to get smart meters. Speak to your energy company if you’ve had connection issues and see if they can find a fix.
Will I need a new smart meter if I change my energy supplier?
It depends! Modern smart meters, known as second generation or Smets2, can be changed from one supplier to another with no issues. However, some of the older models, called Smets1, are only linked to the network of the company that installed them. This can lead to the smart meter losing connection with your new supplier and losing the ability to send readings. Check with your energy supplier before switching if you are unsure.
Internal home displays will also usually stop working when you move from one company to another. These can be replaced if you wish, but most suppliers will recommend using their energy app. These apps will display the same information as an internal home display and are even more reliable.
If you or anyone you know requires energy advice and support, or if you have questions about your meter, please get in touch with our team on 0161 205 2754 or by emailing energyadvice@caritassalford.org.uk and one of our advisors will assist.
You can read more about our energy advice service by clicking here now too.