Smart energy: Frequently asked questions
There are common concerns around smart energy, such as the use and security of data or how different technologies interact. If you have a question that isn’t answered below which you think could be beneficial to include for other people, please let us know via the evaluation form. (You’ll be invited to offer feedback to help us improve this tool via a very short online survey. This will be sent to your email address).
If you’re unsure whether you have a smart meter, first check on your fuel bill or online account, particularly the ‘meter reading’ section of the bill.
Sometimes smart meters cannot operate in ‘smart mode’ but operate like standard meters – in ‘dumb mode’. For more information on smart meter smart and dumb mode operation see Smart Energy GB: How to know if you have a smart meter
To check if someone has a smart meter that is operating in smart mode see the Citizens Advice smart meter check. The client will need their electricity MPAN (Meter Point Administration number) which is on their electricity bill.
Smart meters record half hourly energy use and relay that information to your energy supplier using a secure network. The smart meter doesn’t contain information like your name, address or postcode. Half hourly energy data is not detailed enough to be able to know what activities in a home correspond to energy usage. Energy suppliers do not analyse smart meter data for very low or no energy use, for example if you were away from home for a few days.
Smart meters help consumers in a number of ways e.g. accurate billing, ability to monitor energy use via their In-Home Display. A major benefit of smart metering is that UK-wide the demand for energy is known. This is important to ensure that energy supply is adequate to meet demand.
It is really important to be safe online to avoid scams.
Smart meters don’t use the internet. They have their own closed communications system which was designed with top cybersecurity experts, including GCHQ, the government’s security and intelligence organisation. Your smart meter data is only available to you and your energy supplier.
With some smart tech, for example for voice control devices like Siri or Alexa, security settings have to be lowered for their operation. Voice activation is an emerging area that scammers are targeting to try and gain access to personal data. Voice activation can be used with other smart technologies, e.g. a smart plug (‘Alexa, turn the smart plug on’). Stay one step ahead of scammers. Keep up to date with internet security issues and protect yourself. You can:
- Keep your phone / computer software up to date with the latest operating system.
- Regularly update software.
- Change user credentials from the factory default settings.
- Avoid sharing personal information with automated phone systems, unless you trust the service provider’s online security systems
See Get Safe Online for more information.
The independent consumer body Which? have researched the tech support for smart products and smart product security. More details are available here about the security of smart devices. This includes doing a tech audit, taking security measures (latest software, strong passwords), upgrade devices that are unsupported, and know your legal rights.
The Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure (PSTI) Act 2022 specifies that among other security requirements for smart products, companies will have to be transparent with consumers about how long they will support smart products for with tech updates. This gives smart products a ‘tech best lifetime’ estimate, so that consumers know at point of purchase the likely working lifetime of a product (and not end up with a perfectly good product for which the supplier no longer updates the software, making the product inoperable). Currently there is little standardisation of tech update requirements for smart products.
Which? suggests that If you have a device that’s less than six years old and no longer supported, you could try to argue that you deserve a refund or replacement.
To estimate how much you might be able to flex your electricity use, it is worth thinking about:
-
Your household’s annual electricity consumption.
This will depend on the size of your
home, its energy efficiency, number of occupants, your appliances and how you use them,
your household’s health. Ofgem has
Typical Domestic Consumption values for electricity use
(e.g. low for a one-bedroom home with 1-2 people is 1,800 kilowatt hours a year).
The less electricity you use, the less flexibility potential you have. - Occupancy times. If someone is at home 09:00-16:00 and able to utilise high consumption appliances outside of peak time (16:00-20:00) this indicates that you have the potential to flex your electricity use.
-
Household appliances. If you have high electricity consumption appliances like:
- Electric power shower
- Washing machine and tumble drier
- Electric oven or hob, kettle, kitchen appliances that heat e.g. friers
- Electric heating
- Immersion heater which you can use outside of peak time that will yield large flexibility benefits for you. Alternatively, if you have battery storage, you can use stored electricity at peak time.
- The extent to which you can engage other household members in turning down their electricity use at peak time.
For some households, it might be essential for health reasons to use electricity during peak time. For other households their schedule and electricity use may be adaptable.
You could do a test run. Compare your electricity usage, one day maintaining your normal routine, one day minimising your electricity use 16:00-20:00, taking readings for your kilowatt hour electricity use for both days at 20:00 (8pm) on an In-Home Display (usage so far today). This will give you an idea of your household’s flexibility.
The following are websites that review smart technologies. Please check whether reviews are independent.
Which?
Useful articles, independent reviews. However actual reviews are behind a paywall.
Ethical Consumer
Articles and FAQs. Detailed product reviews are behind a paywall.
Best Product Reviews
Tech Advisor
Sections on Reviews and Best picks
Eco Experts
Research Institute for Disabled Consumers
For older people or disabled consumers, independent reviews e.g. of smart heating controls
The Research & Consultancy section includes reports and presentations, such as on the energy consumption of Assistive Technology.