The low-down on the benefits of smart meters

SMART meters are a core part of the biggest upgrade our energy system has seen in a generation, which is happening right now. They will form part of a smarter grid - a digital energy system which will be able to cope better with the energy demands of modern life.

Thanks to the data collected by smart meters, electricity distributors will have more accurate figures on Britain’s energy use, and in turn will be able to better match energy supply with demand.

From power vampires to the electric car revolution, our energy experts have all the answers to how smart meters will help change your life.

“Power vampires” are devices in the home that consume energy when on standby or not doing anything useful. It used to be the case, for instance, that TVs were terrible for this. As an energy geek I study my smart meter, so I know that overnight, when I’m not doing anything, my home uses about 50p of electricity, and it galls me massively. There are some things I can’t switch off, such as my fridge, but other things I was able to hunt down and turn off. A smart meter is crucial because the data Advertisement feature provides you with useful information on what is being used when. So that’s good for your bills and it’s good for the planet.” “Having an electric car could become the norm fairly quickly. There has been a whole slew of announcements from car companies, such as Volvo, saying they are not going to build pure combustion engines any more.

“So, electric vehicles are now the future of motoring. Add to that the fact that they don’t need to rely on liquid fossil fuels and you have a high-performance, environmentally-friendly mode of transport.

“Even if you don’t accept the climate change argument - and it is difficult to see how you wouldn’t - but even if you don’t and you love cars, the new generation of electric vehicles are impressive. After my experience with a new generation electric car, I was seriously impressed. It was quieter and smoother. In all it was a better drive and it’s cheaper. I got back into a traditional car and it was like driving a tractor. When we make other city vehicles like cars, buses, delivery vehicles, electric, that is when there will an enormous positive impact on air quality.

“People with smart meters could really get the cheapest deal for powering their cars. There are already tariffs for people with smart meters that charge less at off-peak times, like overnight, which is when you’re most likely to be charging your car. And in the future, we may even see smart switches, connected to your smart meter, that you could set to charge your car automatically when supply of green energy is high and the price is low (like when the wind is blowing). So we’ll be making much better use of sustainable energy, whilst also reducing air pollution.” “With my colleague Paul Fergus, we’re looking at using smart meter data to build additional services over and above simple energy management. We are concerned with the social aspects of the knowledge and feedback that smart meters and the smart grid can give us.

“Smart meters give accurate profiles of people’s daily energy use, which can be used in lots of ways to make people’s lives easier. Data is already used, for example, by companies to make it easier to find what you want when you shop on their website. They know your habits and can tailor your experience for you. We want to find ways to use the data that smart meters give us to create better ways to support people in their homes.

“But this doesn’t mean we’re spying on anyone. We create services for people, but we don’t know who they are. In our case, we simply have an ID number from the NHS that has no identifying details whatsoever. Plus, with the patient’s permission, we get their energy readings from their smart meter. That can show us if their energy use changes from their normal, expected daily patterns. For example, if they haven’t turned on their heating on a cold day, we’ll see that their energy use is lower than we’d expect, and their carer can receive an alert. We can’t see exactly what they are doing, but we can use this amazing technology to help keep them safe and well. This can only be done with their permission and the rules on this are incredibly strict.” “There are several differences between a smart meter and existing ones. The things you will notice every day at home are mainly that meter readings will become automated and energy usage will become more visible to you through in-home displays, which will also show the real cost of energy consumption.

“Further change will arrive in new services and products that are on their way. For example, electricity tariffs will become dynamic – you could use a service to chop and change your supplier automatically as soon as the best deal comes up.”

Smart Energy GB is the government backed organisation tasked with informing Great Britain about the benefits of the smart meter rollout.