Smart meters are transforming how we manage energy in the UK. Designed to provide real-time tracking of electricity and gas usage, they aim to make billing more accurate and encourage energy efficiency.
But is installing one really worth it? Take a look at some of the major pros and cons of smart meters, so you can decide if it’s the right choice for your home.
Pro: Accurate Bills, No More Estimates
This is one of the biggest selling points of smart meters, and with good reason.
A traditional meter requires someone – usually yourself – to manually take a reading to figure out how much energy you’ve used. Without an up-to-date reading, suppliers will simply make an educated guess.
Estimated usage can often lead to overpaying, underpaying – leading to a much larger catch-up bill later on – and generally confusing bills that don’t reflect your actual energy usage habits.
Smart meters get around this issue by automatically sending your usage data to your supplier. This means:
- Your bills are always based on your actual usage, not guesswork
- You don’t need to submit manual meter readings
- You can see exactly how much energy you’re using, in real time
- Fewer nasty surprises, making it easier to budget month-to-month
Smart meters can provide peace of mind, for both customers and suppliers, and are particularly useful for customers who’ve had issues with incorrect bills in the past.
Con: Compatibility Issues with Some Suppliers
While smart meters offer a ton of benefits in terms of automation and reliability, not all models are created equally.
The first generation of smart meters, known as SMETS1, were typically tied to the supplier that installed them, meaning that if you decided to switch suppliers your smart meter could lose a lot of its functionality.
Remote upgrades aimed at resolving this problem are in progress throughout the country, but timelines vary from supplier to supplier, and there’s no guarantee that all meters will be able to be upgraded successfully.
The new second-generation smart meters, SMETS2, are designed to be fully interoperable between suppliers, meaning these compatibility issues should eventually be a thing of the past. Still, it’s best to ask your supplier which type of smart meter they’re offering – SMETS1 or SMETS2 – before agreeing to an installation.
Pro: Real-Time Usage Insights
Another major benefit of smart meters is the ability to see your energy usage in real time. This is a game-changing feature that gives you much greater control over your electricity and gas consumption and spending.
If you’ve ever wondered just how much power your kettle or tumble dryer uses, this is right up your street.
When you have a smart meter installed, you’ll usually be given an in-home display (IHD) – a small touch-screen device that connects wirelessly to the meter. It will typically show:
- Live energy usage, usually updated every few seconds
- Real-time usage in pounds and pence, not just kWh
- The total cost of the energy used today so far
- Daily, weekly and monthly summaries of your energy usage
This little device has a number of knock-on benefits too, including greater awareness of your energy usage, waste identification and easier, more effective budgeting. It might even help change your energy habits for the better.
Con: Connectivity and Technical Glitches
A smart meter may have some great features, but at the end of the day it’s still a piece of tech and as such can be vulnerable to a number of technological issues.
The biggest issue is connectivity. Smart meters rely on mobile data networks to send information back to the supplier, so may not function very well in homes or areas where signal strength is weak.
Living in a basement flat, or a building with thick walls? You might struggle to get a smart meter to work to its full potential. And if a smart meter isn’t able to send data it works just like a traditional model, meaning you’re back to meter readings and estimated usage.
Some customers have also reported issues with their in-home displays – such as frozen screens or inaccurate data – but that will obviously vary from supplier to supplier, depending on the technology used.
Should you get a smart meter?
Like most things, smart meters work really well for some people, but not so great for others. If you’re thinking about having one installed, it’s best to find out everything you can about the meter on offer, assess your individual situation and decide if a smart meter makes sense for your home.
Think about potential connectivity and compatibility issues, and weigh those considerations against the benefits a smart meter would bring to your household. And remember – smart meters are optional under current UK law, so it’s entirely up to you.
