Every home and business in Great Britain has already been, or will eventually be, offered a smart meter as part of the nationwide rollout.

As well as removing the need to send manual readings to your energy supplier, smart meters offer a number of other potential benefits to growing businesses.

Here, we explain what a smart meter is, why it’s important, how you can get one, and answer some other crucial questions.

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What is a smart meter?

Put simply, a smart meter automatically sends gas and electricity readings to the energy supplier. By reducing the need for manual readings, you save time, and your bills are more accurate, as you’re only charged for the energy you use.

How does a smart meter for your start-up work?

To submit your readings, a smart meter uses similar technology to a mobile phone (though you don’t need a mobile phone signal to get one) with energy data transmitted to your supplier through a wireless network.

By default, your readings will be collected every half hour. New customers won’t be able to opt out of sharing electricity meter readings on a half-hourly basis, though existing customers can continue to opt out until they change supplier or contract.

When you sign up for a smart meter, you will be offered free and regular information on your energy use, usually via an app provided by your energy supplier or an online platform. This could help you to reduce costs and improve your business energy efficiency.

Can I get a smart meter for my home-based small business?

You certainly can – every home across the UK will eventually be offered a smart meter from their supplier. That means you’ll be eligible for a smart meter even if your business is run on domestic premises, and your business energy usage will be recorded as part of your domestic usage. However, if you do have a separate meter for your business at home, you can have that upgraded to a smart meter.

What if my business is on a rented premises?

If you’re the one paying the energy bills, you can absolutely get a smart meter. Just check that changing to a smart meter is allowed in your rental contract. If your landlord is paying the bills, you can have a chat with them about getting a smart meter in the building.

Smart meter benefits

Smart meters for commercial premises have several key benefits over traditional energy meters.

Greater control

Every small business with a smart meter will have access to free and regular information on your business energy use, either via your supplier’s app, an online platform or another data tool.

These insights make it easy to monitor your business energy usage in days, weeks or months. You can then identify periods of increased usage and look for ways to cut down and save money. Your supplier may offer you an In Home Display (IHD) which is a device which also shows you information on how much energy your business is using in pounds and pence.

Improved accuracy

As accurate, up to date information is delivered direct to your supplier straight from your meter with no need for a manual reading. This reduces the chance of human error and ensures your bills are accurate rather than estimated, meaning you only pay for the energy you actually use.

Help protect the environment

One of the other benefits of smart meters is that they are helping the UK reach its net zero targets in several ways.

Firstly, by allowing you to monitor how your business is using energy, smart meters can encourage you to cut down on unnecessary usage, such as turning off unneeded appliances and limiting temperature control measures, which reduces emissions.

Secondly, by providing accurate information about how much energy people are using throughout the day and the year, suppliers can manage supply and demand more efficiently.

A step-by-step guide to installing a smart meter for your business – Great Britain is upgrading to smart meters at a quick pace because of the potential benefits to efficiency, cost-saving and the environment, but how easy is it to get one installed for your business and what’s the process?

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What are the costs?

In many cases, you can have a smart meter installed at no extra cost to your business, with the cost of the rollout shared across the entire nation’s energy bills. Once you’ve agreed to have one, you just need to arrange a suitable time for an engineer to visit your premises and install it. Your new meter should be installed in the same place as your old one.

How to get a smart meter for your start-up

Start-ups with fewer than 10 employees may be eligible for a smart meter, and your business energy supplier obliged to offer you one if you are.

If you think you are eligible, and you haven’t already been contacted by your energy supplier, you should reach out to ask them when one is likely to be installed.

Also, be aware that you have no obligation to remain with your current supplier to get a smart meter, or even if they’ve already installed one. You can request a smart meter by entering your supplier into the box below:

Installation

In total, the whole process should take between one and two hours (one hour for your gas meter and one hour for your electricity meter) during which time your energy supply will need to be switched off. Depending on your supplier, you might be able to get an engineer out on a Saturday to minimise disruption.

While you have the engineer on site, don’t hesitate to ask them any questions. They should show you how to read the display if you get one with your supplier, give you a copy of the instructions and ensure you know who to contact if you need support.

For more information about the benefits of installing a smart meter in your workplace, visit Smart Energy GB at smartenergyGB.org.

This article is part of a paid-for information campaign for Smart Energy GB.

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