smart meters
Smart meters bring a number of benefits for customers:
- Used with an in-home display unit, customers can see exactly how much gas or electricity they’re using and its cost, putting them in control of their consumption so they can make choices to save energy and money.
- Smart meter technology automatically sends meter readings back to their energy supplier without the need for customer intervention, meaning less hassle for the customer and no more estimated bills.
- As smart appliances and smart tariffs are developed and made widely available, the smart meter means that it will be possible to have some domestic appliances switch on when prices are lower and off when prices are higher, saving you money. Smart meters can also receive information such as updated tariff information.
The same functionality in the smart meter can be used to help balance supply and demand locally on the electricity network. So, the smart meter has a central role to play in the development of a
‘smart grid’ which can cost-effectively optimise the generation and distribution of electricity, including the integration of intermittent renewable generation, such as
wind power. The Customer-Led Network Revolution project is exploring how customers with smart meters use electricity and how this fits within this the overall operation of a smart grid.
Smart meters will be rolled out across the UK, with most people receiving their new meters between 2014 and 2019. Some people will receive smart meters earlier, for example if a routine meter replacement is due or if their energy supplier is installing the meters earlier. In addition, most of the customers taking part in trials under the Customer-Led Network Revolution will have smart meters. There will be no one-off or upfront charge when your smart meter is installed.
For more information on what smart meters mean for you, visit
Ofgem’s smart metering page and read its smart metering factsheets;
Smart metering – what it means for Britain’s homes and
Smart meters for small business and other smaller non-domestic consumers.
For more information on the UK programme for the rollout of smart meters visit
the Department of Energy and Climate Change’s smart electricity and gas meters webpage.