Smart meters
What is a smart meter?
A smart meter is a digital gas or electricity meter that sends meter readings automatically to the energy company. It will also send information a digital device you can have in your home called an In Home Display Unit, so you will be able to see how much energy your home uses in real time. The In Home Display Unit can be provided to you free of charge by your energy company.
Once you’ve had a smart meter installed, you’ll be able to see how much energy you’re using. You will also be able to top up using an app on your smart phone or computer.
Are smart meters installed free of charge?
Yes. The installation of smart meters is completely free of charge and is carried out by your energy supplier or a company contracted by them.
Is the data safe?
Smart meters can’t collect personal information like your name, your address or your bank account details. Your meter can only collect meter readings, supply numbers and the meter serial number – and they’re all protected by law. You can choose how often your smart meter shares this information with your supplier – half-hourly, daily or monthly.
How can I pay for my energy usage?
If you have a credit meter, you can pay monthly from the bank and if you have a prepayment meter, you will be provided with payment cards, which you take to the shop, where there is a PayPoint or PayZone to add credit to the meter (top-up). Any money paid on to the payment card will automatically be transferred to the meter via wi-fi, but if that doesn’t work, you can type the code from the receipt into the meter.
If you do not have any payment cards, but need to top-up immediately, you can either download the prepayment app from your energy company to your phone to add credit or you can use the PAN code, which is a code that the shopkeeper can type into the payment machine instead of needing the payment card.