Should my business install a smart meter?

A smart meter is a newer form of meter installed in businesses up and down the country. Our commercial gas meter measures how much gas and electricity you use in kWh. It then shares this information with your energy supplier directly, usually once a month. From this, your energy supplier should be able to give you more accurate billing based on the information they receive.

The Government requires that every energy supplier offers customers a smart meter. However, there’s no legal obligation for your business to accept the offer of the meter. If you refuse, you can request a smart meter installation down the line at no extra cost.

Although, the benefits of having this type of meter for your business outweigh the pros of not having an installation. You’ll be able to save time as you’ll no longer need to waste time taking meter readings and sending them to your supplier. This gives you more time to focus on running your business. You’ll also be able to get more insight into how your business uses energy. You can identify peak usage times and look to reduce your consumption and spending.

There’s no guarantee that your energy bills will go down with a smart meter. However, with the extra control of your usage you can have, it will be easier to put the foundations in place. If you can see exactly how much energy your business is using at any given time, it will be easier to identify any patterns in your usage. For example, are there spikes at night when the business is closed? You could be leaving a piece of equipment on standby instead of fully switched off. When you can spot these things, you’ll be in a better position to make changes to reduce your usage, which will in turn reduce your energy bills.

Your supplier will also have a more accurate view of how your site uses energy. From this, you should receive more accurate billing than previously. This could reduce your energy bills if you were overcharged previously.

It’s more important than ever that businesses are not only saying their commitment to reducing their environmental impact but showing that they’re making changes to improve their sustainability management, and adopt sustainable practices and strategies. If your business has goals of becoming Carbon Neutral or Net Zero in the future, getting a smart meter will help. When you install your meter, you’ll have greater insight into how you’re using energy. This can help you to identify any methods to cut your usage and reduce your carbon footprint.

You’ll also be helping to create a smarter energy system across the country. By giving your supplier real time accurate data on your usage, they’ll learn more about how we use energy as a country. This gives them a clearer picture of energy usage throughout the day and the year. They can use this to plan for peak times in usage and prioritise the use of renewables to meet the demand instead of fossil fuels.