I have a smart meter - why are you asking for meter readings?
We like to make sure your bills are as accurate as possible – so you're only ever getting billed for the energy you're really using. That's why we send email reminders to take meter readings every month, unless you have a smart meter we're able to read automatically.
If you have a smart meter, there are a few reasons we might've still asked for a meter reading:
1. You're a new customer of ours.
No matter what type of meter you've got, we do need you to submit your very first reading manually. After that, we can connect to your smart meter remotely to take automatic readings if it's a second generation (SMETS2), or a first generation (SMETS1) Secure meter (i.e. says "Secure" on the front). Here's a video guide for reading your Secure smart meter, and a written step-by-step guides for reading your Secure SMETS1 and SMETS2 meters.
2. Your smart meter isn't one we can connect to
If your smart meter is a first generation (SMETS1) that Secure didn't make, then we won't be able to link up to it automatically after you switch. The meter will be absolutely fine, but it'll lose it's ‘smart' benefits. It'll behave like a traditional meter, so your in-home display monitor might not work, and you'll need to give us meter readings manually for the time being. Here's how to take readings from your non-Secure smart meter.
Across the industry, we're upgrading eligible SMETS1 first-generation smart meters by enrolling them in the Data Communications Company (DCC) network so they keep their smart functionality.
SMETS1 meters that can't be successfully enrolled will be replaced with SMETS2 meters at no additional cost.
SMETS2 are the new generation of smart meters; they will stay smart if you switch supplier and offer increased functionality and flexibility to be future-ready for developments in smart tariffs and smart home tech.
Do you have a SMETS1 meter that needs to be replaced? No worries, we'll be in touch shortly to book you in for your meter upgrade as soon as we have engineers available in your area.
Read more about your smart meter and the national smart meter rollout here.
3. We installed your meter and we're still connecting to it.
It can take a little while to get your new meter linked up to us after it's been installed. Generally, it takes about 14 days to get all your meter details into our systems, and another few days after that to fully connect so that we're able to take readings automatically.
While we're waiting for your meter to connect, you may receive an email asking for a meter reading. You don't need to do anything if you get this email, as your final meter reading from your old meter will have been taken already by our engineer.
If you receive this email, it just means we're still trying to connect to your new smart meter. If you receive it more 14 days after we installed your meter, just get in touch and we'll investigate.