As the smart meter rollout continues, now’s a great time to get one or switch to a provider who supports them. Smart meters could be a great way of keeping tabs on your energy use, side-stepping inaccurate bills, and safeguarding the future of our planet.
Energy supplier smart meter rollout
Energy companies are currently rolling out first-generation smart meters (sMETs1) or the newer second-generation smart meters (sMETs2). In some cases, energy providers are still installing sMETs1 meters where certain geographical locations or property types do not yet support the upgraded models.
As energy suppliers differ in size and number of customers, energy regulator Ofgem and the government have agreed that all providers should have installed smart meters in 85% of its customer’s homes by the end of 2024.
Which energy suppliers currently use smart meters?
The answer is all of them will be, eventually, but not just yet. While you have the right to say no to a smart meter, all energy suppliers are obliged to rollout or offer a certain number of smart meters to all customers by the end of 2020.
That means if you do want one and your supplier hasn’t been in touch, you can either call them up or wait for the rollout to reach your local area.
Switching suppliers with your smart meter
If you already have a smart meter you can still switch suppliers. If you’re currently using a sMETs2 then switching supplier could be quite straightforward. The following energy providers may be able to support their smart functionality when you switch:
- Bulb
- British Gas
- Co-Op Energy
- EDF
- E.ON
- Green Network Energy
- Green Star Energy
- Igloo
- Lumo
- nPower
- OVO Energy
- Pure Planet
- Scottish Power
- Shell Energy
- Spark Energy
- Tonik Energy
- Utility Warehouse
At present, if you switch suppliers using a sMETs1, your meter will most likely turn dumb (i.e. go back to being a standard meter). With a small number of energy suppliers (as shown below), the meter may have already been upgraded and might continue to support the smart technology it came with.
- Bristol Energy
- British Gas
- Co-Op Energy
- Ecotricity
- EDF
- E.ON
- Nabuh Energy
- nPower
- Octopus Energy
- OVO Energy
- Scottish Power
- Shell Energy
- Simplicity Energy
- SSE
- Tonik Energy
- Utilita
If you do switch with a sMETs1 meter, and it goes indeed go dumb, this will most likely be a short-term issue. By 2020, all existing first-generation smart meters should have been connected to the Data Communications Company (DCC).
The DCC is the new smart meter infrastructure that will link all smart meters to all suppliers via a secure wireless network. This means you won’t have any problems switching suppliers in the future.
Top tip:
Some current sMETs1 meters may be able to “stay smart” if they have a “P” as the third character of its serial number, and you’re switching to either Utilita, Boost Energy or Nabuh Energy.
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