What are smart meters and why should you get one?

By Jessica Durston - 22 February 2022

CommunityHome and Garden

Swindon Borough Council explain more about the benefits of smart meters as part of its Be the Change campaign.

Energy suppliers are gradually rolling out smart meters across England, in line with Government ambitions for everyone to be offered a smart meter at no upfront cost in the next few years.

The council say smart meters are essentially modern gas and electricity meters that are designed to give you more information about your household energy usage.

Smart meters come in two parts, the meter itself which sends an individual's usage information to their energy supplier, and an ‘in-home display’ which monitors the energy being used, and shows people how much it costs in near real-time.

The in-home display gives readings in pounds and pence, and kilowatt hours (kWh), so it can help people to identify where they can cut back on their energy use – reducing an individual's bills and their carbon footprint.

A spokesperson for Swindon Borough Council said: "The good news is, even if you’re renting you can choose to have a smart meter installed, as long as as you pay for the gas or electricity in your rented property, and the bills are addressed to you. The advice is that you should speak to your landlord first though."

More information about smart meters can be found on the Centre for Sustainable Energy's website at https://www.cse.org.uk/advice/advice-and-support/smart-meters

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