Increased flexibility and accuracy with new smart meters, SMETS2 

As part of the Government’s plans to make the UK 'Smart grid’ cheaper and more efficient, a smart meter roll-out plan is currently underway. With 2nd generation smart meters (SMETS2) becoming available, last summer SmartestEnergy launched a pilot offering for free upgrades to our eligible customers to the latest meter. Kieran Williams, Metering Team Leader, explains the benefits of switching to the newest generation of smart meters allowing customers a hassle-free and accurate supply reading. 

A SMETS2 meter is a new generation of smart meter which automatically sends your energy consumption information to the supplier, eliminating the need to send monthly reads or arrange visits with a data collector. We have upgraded 9 meters to date and we’re aiming to switch all our customers to SMETS2 by 2024. Here’s everything you need to consider before making the switch. 

What are the benefits of a SMETS2 meter? 

The SMETS2 meter allows greater flexibility for meter readings and will improve the overall metering and billing accuracy. Compared to our previous AMR meter, a SMETS2 Meter eradicates the need for self-readings or reading via Data Collector appointments. There is also no need for estimates on consumption which is normally based on the average consumption of a site. 

If for some reason your meter is faulty or tampered with, your supplier will be alerted, and arrangements will be made to resolve any issues promptly. This coupled with the ability to view your energy consumption in near real-time* in conjunction with an In-Home Display (IHD), provides peace of mind that we’ve got the most accurate data. 

Are you eligible for a free upgrade and how is it installed? 

If you are a current SmartestEnergy customer, your site is profile class 01-04 and you are currently using a traditional dial meter, you may be eligible for an upgrade. The install is free and there will be no change to any of your current contracts or rates for those customers using our default Meter Operators. For our customers who hold direct Agent Agreements for their metering needs, you should refer to these agents to avoid any potential costs.  

Once we have received confirmation that you happy to proceed, the metering team at SmartestEnergy will ask you to provide relevant information to assist with a successful site visit following our findings in our customer pilot. This will include items like, site contact details, photo(s) of your existing meter location and parking information for our engineers. We will liaise with the site contact to schedule the install with the smart meter installer, called IMServ.  

Once an appointment has been scheduled, an engineer will contact you 48 hours ahead of your appointment via phone call or text message to check everything is still good to go ahead. There will be a brief amount of time where your supply may need to be turned off to complete the upgrade. This is dependent on the configuration of the upgraded meter. Should a power down be needed, you will be prewarned of this to allow you to make necessary plans and to help secure an appointment date and time that works best for you. The power down should take no longer than 30 mins which is included in the average install completion time of 1hr 30mins. 

What are the next steps? 

If you are interested in switching over to our latest SMETS2 meter, please contact our meter team via email ([email protected]) with your account details so that we can verify your eligibility and schedule in your appointment with an engineer.