Smart meters and the in-home display

If you live in an area with poor mobile telephone reception you can either request a first generation meter that uses this network, but may experience difficulties sending readings to your supplier automatically. Alternatively, you can contact your energy supplier and insist that they install a second generation meter, known as SMETS2. A SMETS2 meter is not reliant upon the mobile phone network and by the end of the rollout this network will have coverage of 99.25% of Great Britain.

The in-home display is securely paired specially with the smart meters in that home, and will only work with those smart meters. This means a customer should not take the in-home display with them if they move. If a customer moves into a new home which has a smart meter but no in-home display, they should contact their energy supplier.

The accessible in-home display is sometimes called an AIHD. If customers need an accessible in-home display, they’re available from some suppliers. An accessible in-home display could be helpful if customers are: • blind or partially sighted. • have difficulties using their hands or wrists. • have difficulties with memory loss. They have larger buttons and can read information out loud. Customers should ask their energy supplier about an accessible in-home display.

The in-home display will show: • your gas and electricity costs • your energy costs each day, week and month • if you're using a small or large amount of gas and electricity • your spending goals (only available on some in-home displays). They could use this to make changes and spend less if they want to. If customers only have a smart meter for gas, the in-home display will only show them how much gas they use. If they only have a smart meter for electricity, the in-home display will only show them how much electricity they use.

The in-home display is a handheld, digital device that sits in the home. They give customers accurate, accessible, and near-real time consumption and pricing information. Each in-home display is securely paired with the smart meters in the home, taking information from them and displaying this for the customer. Energy suppliers are obliged to offer domestic customers an in-home display at the point of installation so that customers can visibly see their energy consumption, and in turn use the device to see the positive impact that any energy saving has on their bills. Non-domestic businesses should speak to their supplier directly [...]

1. The smart meter records the customers energy use, as they use it. 2. The in-home display shows how much energy customers are using, and what they’ve spent. 3. The smart meter automatically sends a reading to the energy supplier. 4. Customers get a bill based on the amount of gas and electricity they have used.

This is a way to maximise the benefit of your battery – charging it during the night with cheaper off-peak electricity from the national grid and then using that cheaper electricity during the day. This is particularly useful in the winter months when there is much less solar energy.  The key to this is finding the right tariff. Economy 7 tariffs provide different day and night-time rates, but some suppliers are withdrawing them. The likely replacements are time of use tariffs, or TOUs. As opposed to a flat rate model, the TOUs charge a dynamic hourly price that is responsive [...]

Smart meters use an entirely separate, bespoke wireless system. You don't need Wi-Fi in your home for it to work and it won't use your Wi-Fi if you have it.

There are 3 components that make up the smart metering system within a home: 1. The smart meter (one each for gas and electricity) 2. The in-home display 3. The communications hub

Smart meters record how much electricity or gas households use – just like existing meters. But with a smart meter, customers can also see how much energy they are using, on the in-home display. The in-home display is sometimes called an IHD. It comes with the smart meter, and can help households keep a closer eye on how much energy they are using, and how much it’s costing them. Having a smart meter means getting a bill based on how much energy has been used – not an estimate. This could help customers take some of the guesswork out of [...]