Smart metres in council homes

Your home may already have a smart meter. You may also decide to ask your electric and or gas energy supplier to fit one. This is a choice you can make. You don't need permission from the council as your landlord to get a smart meter.

Both traditional gas and electricity meters in most homes can be replaced with smart meters. They will usually be set up where your old meters are now, such as in a cupboard under the stairs or an outdoor meter box.

Smart meters work as trackers for both energy usage and costs. For gas, it updates every 30 minutes, and for electricity, it's almost real-time. The installation also includes a communications hub that connects to the secure national smart meter network. Your supplier may also give you an In-Home Display (IHD) showing how much energy you're using.

Please note: when changing your meter your supplier may suspect that the board behind the meter contains asbestos. An asbestos survey can be arranged by the council.

Benefits of having a smart meter include:

• Getting accurate details about your energy use to help you find ways to spend less energy and money, and see your energy use in real time
• Automatic readings are sent to your supplier, making sure you're billed only for what you use, avoiding estimated bills
• Ability to participate in Demand Flexibility Services, which lets you receive payments from your energy supplier when you use less electricity when the grid is busy