How accurate are smart meters?

When it comes to measuring your electricity or gas usage, smart meters are as accurate as traditional meters. Where smart meters help with accuracy is when it comes to your bills. With traditional meters, bills could be based on estimates, or self-reported readings, sometimes leading to higher bills than normal. But with smart meters, energy suppliers get accurate and reliable readings automatically – over the DCC network – which enables them to bill for only as much energy as you use.

Smart meters also offer the benefit of near real-time data on energy use. Everyone who gets a smart meter installed will be provided with an in-home display (IHD for short). With near real-time data, your in-home display will show you exactly how much energy you're using. Armed with that information, you can make plans to lower your gas and electricity use.

Smart meters bring a number of benefits to consumers, and play a key role in Britain’s effort to digitise and decarbonise. From providing transparency of how much energy you're using, to more accurate bills and enabling consumers to switch energy supplier with ease, there are plenty of reasons why a smart meter is right for you.

Smart meters and the in-home display they are paired with, allow people to closely monitor their electricity and gas usage.

The data provided by your smart meter puts you in control of your energy usage, meaning you can take energy-saving steps to reduce your CO2 emissions and play your part in Britain’s journey to Net Zero. Together, Britain’s smart meter users and the DCC network save over 1.1 million tonnes of CO2 emissions each year.

The nationwide smart meter roll-out is progressing well, with more than half of all homes in Britain now connected to the DCC’s secure smart meter network. A better understanding of our home and business energy usage better, can enable new innovative measures that benefit the consumer and the planet, enabling households to control their bills while lowering their carbon footprint.

You can get a smart meter installed by your energy supplier at no extra cost. If you haven't already been offered a smart meter, you can request one from your supplier. It's the first step towards a wide range of benefits from smart functionality.