Back in October 2013 we were one of the first households in the country to have the new smart meters installed with British Gas.
The smart meters upgrade was a programme set out by the UK Government as a way of helping consumers gain more control over their energy use and spending. It also aims to help meet environmental targets and security of energy supply in the future and we have been one of the first households in the country to make that change.
The programme, which will see smart meters installed in all homes and businesses in Britain by 2020, represents the biggest energy revolution since the 70s, when the entire country switched from coal to natural gas central heating.
When people ask me whether having smart meters is something I would recommend, I always respond with a resounding “YES”
First of all, they don’t cost a penny to install, it is all done for you by a registered professional and takes a couple of hours work.
Secondly, they come with a nifty little monitor that you can install in any room of your house which tells you how much energy you are using in pounds and pence, helping you identify energy waste and set a target budget.
Our smart energy monitor sits in our lounge, by the computer, and makes for fascinating viewing. A traffic light system shows you how much energy you are using at a glance. Our summer consumption is fairly low as lights go on later and the tumble dryer is not in use but now the nights are drawing in and the tumble dryer has come out of hibernation it was a real shocker just seeing how much electricity we actually use.
The great thing about the smart energy monitor is that you can set yourselves an energy budget by entering your type of property, number of rooms and number of occupants. You can then opt for “Slightly Challenging”, “Challenging” or “Very Challenging”. The budget is then saved and will automatically reflect seasonal weather changes for summer and winter usage.
What energy changes have we made?
It’s the little changes that make the most difference. I always used to fill the kettle if I wanted a cup of tea, now I have a Breville one-cup which literally boils one cup of water at a time which uses far less energy than boiling a full kettle of water.
The TV now gets switched off if no-one is watching rather than being left on as background noise, lights are switched off when we are not in that room and phone chargers unplugged when not in use.
The machines which drain the most energy are the washing machine, dishwasher and tumble drier. All of these we have replaced since we had the Smart Meter installed and were bought as A+ rated appliances which has made a huge difference in our energy usage too.
Readings from your smart meters are also automatically sent to your energy provider, which means you don’t have to submit your meter readings, or wait for a meter reader to come around and will therefore always receive an accurate bill.
We pay for what we use which works for us, but you can still pay an average monthly direct debit if you prefer so you know where you are with your finances.
Have you got smart meters yet?
We refused to have ours installed because it wasn’t compatible in the event we changed suppliers – which we do every year and would mean having it changed every time. Ridiculous situation. So until they bring out one which can be used by any supplier we’ll be passing on it. Total lack of foresight and planning.
I haven’t got one! The monitor looks really cool. I’ve never even thought about installing it, I’ll have a look!
We’ve been looking at getting one and have thought against it. There has been so much trouble with the ones people have had put it when it comes to safety. This was on Watchdog not so long ago. Meters had been faulty and the installation negligent.
These look great to help cut down on unnecessary energy expenditure, or if you are my Dad, you constantly tell my mum to turn the heating down!!
This looks like a really good way to monitor how much energy is used – we don’t have a smart meter, but it’s on our list of things to do 🙂
We really considered getting the smart meters into our house in 2016 but we then made the decision to emigrate and so never got round to it. I think my hubby would have been shocked at our energy consumption as he’s a gadget freak who never ever unplugs things!
Ooh I’ve been thinking about getting one of these too! We are terrible with our electricity, our bill is sky high! My kids don’t know when to switch something off!
We’ve had a smart meter for ages, my husband loves keeping an eye on exactly how much energy we are using!
It is something I have been meaning to speak to my landlord about installing as it would be nice to see what I am using day to day and season to season
No we haven’t got smart meters yet. Was told we couldn’t have them because of the type of meters we had.
Bit of a contentious issue this one. There are those who are adamant they won’t have them because they think it will allow the utility companies to introduce ‘surge pricing’ when they know usage will be high (e.g. during corrie!). Some tinnitus sufferers also don’t want them because they think any WiFi related tech makes their buzzing and ringing worse. Personally I don’t want one but if you’ve no problems with them I don’t doubt you could make significant savings in your energy usage.
I really want a smart meter, but unfortunately as we are private renting they’ve told us we cant. It’s such a shame!
We don’t have one, but I think we need one. The kids would get a visual trigger on how much they are using everyone they leave the light on!
This sounds so good, I would love to be able to keep track on our spending in this way. We’re hoping to move this year so will definitely look in to this.
Wow, wow, wow. I love this. I’ve been umming and ahhing about changing to a smart meter and you have convinced me. I love that you can see what you’re using! We’re really smart about saving energy anyway and always turn off things when we’re not using them. But I’d love to find out more about what we are using and when. xx
We don’t have smart meters yet, or gas actually for that matter. Being in N.I we’re still a little behind the times!