How smart meters work.
A smart meter automatically sends us your meter readings, so your bill is more accurate. Plus, using the OVO app or the handy In-Home Display (IHD) that comes with your smart meter helps you keep track of your energy usage. That means you can control how much energy you’re using, see what it’s costing, and where you can make changes that could help you save.
A few things to help you get started
Different generations of smart meters
There are currently two kinds of smart meter. The older SMETS1, and the latest type, SMETS2, which is the one we install. With this meter, if you decide to switch supplier in the future, it'll continue to work as it should.
Read moreWhat's an In-Home Display?
Your smart meter comes with a handy digital device called an In-Home Display (IHD). Simple to use, it shows your energy use in real time, and how much it’s costing in £ and p. It’s an effective way to track your usage and help you make changes which could lower your energy bills.
Read moreHow your smart meter sends data
Your smart meter doesn’t connect to your home WiFi. Instead, your data is sent directly to the energy supplier through the WAN (wide area network).
Read moreBusting smart meter myths
Smart meters have been thoroughly tested and have passed all UK and EU safety regulations. They use their own closed communications system, so only you and your energy supplier can see your data.
Read moreTraditional versus smart meters
You read a traditional meter once a month
Either you or a meter reader have to take regular meter readings and share them with us to make sure you’re only billed for the energy you use. If you don’t provide readings, your bill will be estimated.
Smart meters send readings automatically
You can choose how often your smart meter sends readings. The more often readings are taken, the more you’ll know about your home's energy usage. You can track your usage, and the cost, in the OVO app.
Smart meters: safety and security
Smart meters can’t collect personal information like your name, address, or bank details. Your meter only collects readings, supply numbers, and the meter serial number, which are protected by strict UK and EU product safety laws. For more information, please see our Privacy Policy.
Smart meters: safety and security
Smart meters can’t collect personal information like your name, address, or bank details. Your meter only collects readings, supply numbers, and the meter serial number, which are protected by strict UK and EU product safety laws. For more information, please see our Privacy Policy.
Pay As You Go customers can upgrade too
If you currently choose to pay ahead instead of paying monthly, you can still upgrade to a smart meter. You can top up anytime using the OVO Energy Top-up app, or at any Post Office, PayPoint or Payzone shop.
Pay As You Go customers can upgrade too
If you currently choose to pay ahead instead of paying monthly, you can still upgrade to a smart meter. You can top up anytime using the OVO Energy Top-up app, or at any Post Office, PayPoint or Payzone shop.
Your smart meter questions answered
There are 3 options:
- Half-hourly – what we recommend as it tells you the most about your energy use
- Daily – this shows exactly how much energy you use each day
- Monthly – some customers can set their meter reading schedule to show their energy use over the month, and their bill is based on that
The data from your smart meter is used to work out your bill based on your actual energy usage. It also helps us:
- Predict energy use so we can buy energy more cheaply
- Tailor advice to you about lowering your energy usage
You can see your smart meter data as graphs in the app under ‘Usage’.
Here, you can view your home's energy use by day (if your smart meter sends us daily data), and data from previous weeks and months. Just tap the arrows to see energy use at different times.
Your privacy is our priority. We use security measures agreed with the government. Only authorised members of the OVO team can see your information. And we only keep it for as long as we need, before securely deleting it.
If you switch energy supplier, we can still see data from when we supplied your energy but nothing from your new supplier.
We also guarantee that we won’t pass your information to any third parties for marketing unless you say we can.
And you’re always protected under UK General Data Protection Regulation and Data Protection Act 2018, which sets out rights and obligations about the use of personal data. For more information, go to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).
You can find out more in our Privacy Policy.
Smart meters could help you to reduce your energy use and lower your energy bills. They’re a part of the big picture for a greener future.