More and more households are opting to have smart meters installed, replacing traditional gas and electricity meters.
In short, a smart meter is a type of gas and electricity meter that sends your energy supplier an automatic reading, meaning that you no longer have to manually do it.
There are various benefits associated with having a smart meter. The benefits of having a smart meter installed include, but are not limited to:
- They provide accurate usage readings
- You can easily track your usage
- You no longer have to provide meter readings
- They’re reliable and energy efficient
1. They Provide Accurate Usage Readings
One of the biggest benefits of installing a smart meter in your home is that they provide an accurate usage reading.
Despite the fact many people are wary of installing smart meters, research has shown that they’re as accurate as traditional meters.
According to Ofgem, smart meters ‘bring an end to estimated billing’, meaning that you’re only billed for the energy that you actually use.
As such, you can even save some money by updating your traditional meter to a smart meter as they will provide you with accurate bills.
2. You Can Easily Track Your Usage
Arguably one of the biggest benefits of installing a smart meter in your home is that you can easily track your usage.
This comes down to the fact that smart meters come with an in-home display, meaning that you always have easy access to your meter reading.
Typically speaking, your smart meter will show you a detailed breakdown of how much energy you’ve used as a household in the last hour, week, and month as well as real time updates for electricity and half hourly updates for gas.
In addition to this, the meter display will show you whether the level of current electricity is high, medium, or low, allowing you to get a better idea of how much electricity you’re using.
Bearing this in mind, when you install a smart meter you can easily track your usage throughout the colder months when you’re turning your boiler on more frequently.
In having this information, you’ll be able to budget accordingly for your bill and will be at less risk of spending more on energy than you want to.
3. You No Longer Have To Provide Meter Readings
A large benefit of installing a smart meter in your home is that you no longer have to manually provide meter readings.
It’s not news to anyone that accessing your meter and providing a meter reading to your energy provider every single month is a hassle. This is especially true when your gas and electricity meter is in a hard-to-reach place, such as under the stairs or even separate from your home.
When you install a smart meter, they record more information than traditional gas and electricity meters and send your usage to your energy supplier through a remote connection.
Your meter readings are automatically sent to your supplier, so you don’t have to worry about it and you will receive an accurate bill.
This is ideal for people who live busy lives and those who are frequently away. It’s also the perfect solution if you just don’t want to struggle to reach your meter, eliminating one more chore from your ever-growing to-do list.
4. They’re Reliable & Energy Efficient
Last, but not least, the benefit of installing a smart meter in your home is that they’re reliable and energy efficient.
In fact, by the end of 2025, electricity suppliers have targets to ‘roll out smart and advanced meters to their remaining non-smart customers’ in a bid to be more energy efficient.
This comes down to the fact that smart power could ‘save consumers up to £8 billion a year by 2030’, which in turn, will help the UK to meet its ‘2050 carbon targets’.
When you consider these figures, it’s easy to see why the UK government alongside the energy suppliers are updating traditional gas and electricity meters with smart meters.
If you’re interested in installing a smart meter, be sure to contact your energy supplier to organise getting one installed.
Suppliers across the UK are required to deliver ECO from 2020, but we at Towy Valley Heating are proud to have been involved with the ECO scheme since it began. Contact us to find out more about the free heating measures we offer, and if you are eligible.
Written by Jemima Thomas for Towy Valley Heating.