What is a Smart Meter?

Smart meters are devices that measure how much gas and electricity you’re using, with the readings automatically sent to your energy supplier. They are incredibly helpful tools for homeowners, as the home display screen helps you monitor your energy usage.

By having access to your energy readings, you can make more conscious decisions about your energy usage, such as lowering the heating from your boiler a few degrees or changing when and where you use your heating to help reduce your bills.

According to the UK government, over 60% of all meters in the UK are smart meters. By the end of 2025, the government has set a target for 74.5% of UK homes to have smart meters.

If you’re a homeowner who currently doesn’t have a smart meter, you are likely to be offered the opportunity to have one installed.

In our latest homeowner guide, we tell you everything you need to know about smart meters, whether they are right for you and other ways you can monitor your energy usage.

How does a smart meter work?

Smart meters have two key elements.

The first is the meter itself. It uses a secure smart data network to send your meter readings directly to your supplier at least once a month. This is done automatically and wirelessly. You will have a meter for your gas and one for your electricity.

The in-home digital display unit shows what energy you’re using and how much it costs. You should see updates for gas every 30 minutes and real-time data for electricity.

Benefits of smart meters

There are various benefits of smart meters for homeowners, including:

More accurate bills

With a smart meter, you no longer receive inaccurate estimated bills. As data is sent directly to your energy supplier, you will have an accurate reading of your energy usage, so you’ll only ever pay for the energy you use.

Lower energy consumption

Smart meters also help reduce your energy usage. With a meter clearly displaying how much energy you’re using; you’ll be able to manage your usage better. That means lower bills and a lower carbon footprint as well.

Access to money-saving initiatives

Having a smart meter lets you take advantage of advanced time-of-use tariffs. These tariffs cost less to use energy at specific times of the day, and you might even get paid to use electricity at certain times.

On windy days, when lots of energy is generated by wind, some energy suppliers offer time-of-use tariffs, so you only pay for what is used from the grid. The number of suppliers offering these is likely to increase in the future.

Help tackle climate change

Smart meters help network operators balance usage on the grid by providing more information about national energy consumption. Through this, they directly contribute to tackling the climate emergency. This also means energy suppliers can be more efficient in how much energy they produce, allowing you to understand more about when people need it.

From a privacy standpoint, it should be noted that energy companies won’t be looking at your specific data, but rather the combined data from thousands of homes around the country.

What data do smart meters collect?

No personal data is transmitted by your smart meter – such as your name, address or bank details. While your energy supplier will have this information, it isn’t connected to your smart meter.

Smart meters only collect data regarding your gas and electricity usage to bill you accurately.

Do I have to have a smart meter?

It’s not compulsory to have a smart meter installed. If your energy supplier offers you a device, you can say no. The downside of not having one is you will have to continue manually sending your meter readings to your energy supplier.

Where are smart meters available?

The only way to get a smart meter is through your energy supplier. They’ll either arrange an appointment to install it or inform you when smart meters will be installed in your area.

How much does it cost to have a smart meter installed?

Smart meters are free and there’s no charge for their installation.

What if I already have a smart meter?

If you already have a smart meter, you need to check if you have a second-generation, SMETS2 model. This is because older, first-generation models may need to be replaced as they don’t meet the specifications required by the UK government.

These older models aren’t easily switched between suppliers and don’t always give you access to future data services, including time-of-use tariffs.

Your energy supplier will know if you need to upgrade your smart meter and will contact you about an upgrade.

Are smart meters the same as smart heating controls?

Smart meters are not the same as smart heating controls. They can be used separately without the need for both.

Smart heating controls give you more control over your boiler and how it heats your home. With a Navien Smart Plus Controller, you can:

• Turn your heating on and off remotely, through a mobile app, and adjust your temperature.
• Access your temperature settings through the same app.
• Optimise your heating settings to save energy and money on your bills.
• View information about how much energy you’re using.
• Access Smart Forecast, where Navien boilers check the weather forecast to ensure your home maintains a comfortable temperature come rain or shine.
• Use Geofencing options that will turn your heating on and off depending on your proximity to your home.

Additionally, our Smart Plus ON AI Controller for our NCB ON range of boilers, comes with additional features, including:

• Smart Diagnosis which regularly checks the operational health of the boiler through the mobile app.
• Monthly HEMS reports that help you keep a closer eye on your monthly heating usage, giving you vital insights into your spending.
• Firmware over-the-air (FOTA) updates keep your smart boiler up to date remotely.

Smart heating controls make it easier to adjust your home’s temperature. However, you need to take care not to have your heating turn on more regularly, as this will increase your bills.

If you’re looking for a smart boiler to heat your home, use our Find a Boiler tool and we’ll help you select the right boiler for your home.

For any further enquiries about Navien boilers, get in touch with our team or find an installer today.