Our smart meter campaign What is a smart meter?
The roll-out of smart meters is happening between 2012 and 2020
Smart meters are a new version of the meter that records your household energy use.
They are 'smart' because they will provide information about the energy you use directly to you or your supplier, without anyone having to read the meter.
Smart meters and money saving
On their own, smart meters won't save you money, as they don't lower your gas and electricity consumption, or give you real-time information about how much energy you are using.
However, by using an additional energy monitor (sometimes called an 'in-home display' or IHD) you can see your household's real-time energy. The information provided by the energy monitor could help you work out where you can cut energy usage to save money.
For more information on smart meters, watch our smart meter video.
Why is Which? interested in smart meters?
Smart meters have the potential to bring great energy and cost savings to consumers. But we want to make sure that the benefits to consumers aren't clouded by companies looking to make a profit out of the smart meter roll out.
We're calling on companies to:
- Sign up to our smart challenge. We'd like companies to promise that when they install your smart meter they won't use it as an opportunity to give you a hard sell on other products.
- Pass on the savings. Smart meters will save energy companies a lot of money as they won't have to deal with meter readings, or as many complaints about bills. We think these savings should be passed on to you.
- Look after your data. Smart meters will collect a lot more information than your old meter. We're asking companies to commit to keeping your data safe, and not collect more than they need.
We're also undergoing a review of the smart meter roll-out to examine how consumer interests have been taken into account. This was sparked by a lot of debate on Which? Conversation, and will help Which? shape the way that we campaign on smart meters in the future. Do you have a smart meter? What do you think of the roll-out? Join in the smart meter debate on Which? Conversation.
- Smart meters versus energy monitors – our video highlights key differences
- Your smart meter questions answered
- Read our energy monitor user reviews
