Smart meter roll-out

The smart meter roll-out has faced delays and changes. Find out how these affect you, and what smart meters will bring in the future
Sarah IngramsPrincipal researcher & writer
Smart meter in home

Energy companies are replacing all old-style gas and electricity meters with smart meters. They are part of creating a smarter energy system and send information on how much gas and electricity you're using to your supplier.

But the purpose of the smart meter roll-out is far broader. They’re part of the wider ‘smart grid’ planned by the government, intended to be cheaper and more efficient, and incorporate smart home products, electric cars and more.

Government data published in August 2023 showed that 2.7 million out of the 31 million smart meters in homes in Great Britain were being used in 'traditional' mode. That's when they aren't sending readings automatically, so you still have to send meter readings to your energy provider. This data isn't available in the latest statistics published in November 2023.

Find out what to expect from a smart meter installation.

The smart meter roll-out so far

According to the data published in November 2023, some 60% of electricity and gas meters in homes in England, Scotland and Wales are now smart. But that leaves over 21 million meters still to upgrade.

Energy firms now have until the end of 2025 to fit smart meters in 75% of homes.

Firms have annual installation targets they have to meet but progress on the roll-out has been slower than planned. The main reasons for this are shortages of engineers to fit smart meters and energy firms saying they've exhausted the customers who want them, according to a National Audit Office report published in June 2023.

The official national smart meter roll-out began in 2011, and was meant to finish in 2020. But installations were paused at the start of the coronavirus pandemic and suppliers were given additional time to install smart meters.

Until 2019, the majority of smart meters installed were first-generation meters, also called SMETS1 meters. These have had a series of technical problems – particularly that they were prone to losing their smart capabilities if you switched energy provider.

However, in recent years energy companies have been fitting second-generation smart meters (SMETS2), which do not have these issues.

Find out: what is a SMETS2 smart meter?

Energy companies can now upgrade most first-generation smart meters so that they work fully again.

If you have a first-generation smart meter that isn’t working, get help in our guide to smart meter problems and how to solve them. 

Smart meters in Northern Ireland

Smart meters aren't currently being installed in Northern Ireland but that is set to change.

In July 2023, the Department for the Economy announced that it is developing a 'plan for the implementation of electricity smart meters and systems'. 

Its analysis recommends that a roll-out over six years, starting in 2027, would be most cost effective.

There are no plans to install smart gas meters.

Read more about Northern Ireland electricity and gas companies.

What is the point of smart meters?

Person holding a smart meter monitor

Smart meters are being rolled out because, if used correctly, they can make money and carbon savings for you, your energy company, and the wider energy system.

For you, a smart meter is the means to get in-depth information about your energy use – for example, how much you’re spending on running your vacuum cleaner or an old freezer. You can use this to be more efficient at home.

Having a smart meter means you may be able to switch suppliers much more quickly in future – via an app, for example. 

You can also use them to track how much surplus electricity generated from your solar panels you've sold to the grid, or access time of use tariffs where you pay less for energy used at times when demand is low.

Last winter National Grid ESO ran a scheme where you could get paid for reducing the amount of electricity you used at busy times (if you signed up to participate) and it's been repeated this winter.

Find out more about the Smart Export Guaranteewhich pays households that put renewable electricity into the grid.

Your energy company gets automatic readings from your smart meters. This helps ensure your bills are as accurate and up to date as possible.

You can choose how often these are sent, typically every half hour or day.

Smart meters are a key part of the wider electricity system changing from passive electricity grids to ‘smart grids’. 

Smart grids use digital technology, so network operators can predict much more accurately how much electricity is needed by the country, and when, so they can better match supply with demand.

Network operators use information from smart meters to detect power cuts faster and give engineers better information about what caused them.

In future, we could see:

  • smart appliances used to help manage surges in demand (e.g. millions of people boiling the kettle at half time during the FA Cup final) by being switched off momentarily
  • electric vehicle batteries used to store excess generated electricity.

Find out more about what smart meters are and how they work with our advice guide.