Over the last few years, smart meters have been rolled out en-masse across the UK. The switchover has been touted as not only an easier solution for consumers to report their usage, but as a vital step in creating a greener society.
Around 25 million homes in the UK now have them. While they generally work automatically, there are times when you might need to read them.
However, they’re not all the same, so understanding your smart meter isn’t always straightforward.
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Good question. Despite automation being one of the reasons why we have smart meters, there are times when a good old-fashioned meter reading is required.
For example, if you are switching providers, then you might need to send the new one your gas and electricity usage. Sometimes this will be transferred automatically, but it’s not a given.
If you have one of the first types of smart meters to be installed (SMETS1), then you may need to manually read them too. This is because they can’t connect to the ‘smart-network’.
Finally, you may just be interested in your energy consumption. With bills on the rise, it’s a smart thing to get into as understanding your usage is the first step to reducing it.
This is where a lot of people get confused. Your smart meter is a generally white box with a display that is simple and monochrome, showing a string of numbers and not much else.
If you think that your smart meter looks a bit flashier than this, it’s probably because you’re looking at your ‘in-home-display’ or IHD.
Your IHD looks more like a small tablet and gives you much more detailed information about your gas and electricity. Generally, this is broken down into how much you’ve spent / used over a variety of timeframes. There may also be options to change settings and look at any messages from your provider, although this depends on the model.
Whereas your IHD will be somewhere easy to see, your actual smart meter will likely be out of the way. This could be in a wall-box obscuring it from view or under the stairs. They can also be on the outside of your home.
If you really can’t find the actual meter, you may need to get in touch with your landlord or energy supplier.
When checking your usage, make sure you are checking the meter itself, not the IHD.
Most homes will have two separate smart meters, one for gas and one for electricity. To get an accurate figure on your usage, you will need to get a reading from both of them.
There are various types of electricity smart meter, each one requiring different steps.
How you use the following smart electric meters will depend on whether you pay a single rate, or two separate rates. Please check before getting a meter reading.
As with electricity meters, there are different types of gas meters, so please check yours against the descriptions provided.
For both gas and electric readings, ignore any 0’s at the start of the number sequence and anything after the decimal point at the end.