Frequently asked questions.

Smart meters are part of the UK government’s transition to a greener, more reliable energy system.

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.

Every smart meter comes with an offer of an IHD, to help you keep track of your home's energy use. It shows your energy use in real time and how much it's costing in £ and p. It’s an effective way to help you make changes that could lower your energy bills.

Smart meters communicate via a separate, secure national Wide Area Network (WAN). The WAN uses either mobile-phone or radio masts to send us your electricity and gas readings, depending on your location. If you live in northern areas of the UK, your smart meter uses long-range radio technology, while in central and southern areas, it uses cellular and wireless mesh technology. A device called a communications hub connects to your electricity smart meter, and through the Home Area Network (HAN) communicates with your electricity and gas meters and In-Home Display.

The engineer will install a device called a communications hub above your electricity smart meter. It connects your IHD to your electricity and gas smart meters. Meter readings are then sent via the communications hub to your IHD, through the Home Area Network (HAN). 

Every IHD we install comes with a mains power adapter and it should always be left connected to the power supply.

A smart meter doesn't need to connect to your home WiFi. Some In-Home Displays (IHD) can connect via WiFi, but this depends on which model comes with your smart meter.

Your engineer will tell you whether your IHD can be connected to your home WiFi when they install your smart meter. If it can, you can ask them to pair it, or they can show you how to do it yourself. 

An IHD that connects to WiFi (often called a Consumer Access Device, or CAD) has the following benefits:

• If you have any issues with your IHD, we can usually detect the problem straight away
• You can see your home's energy use in real time
• It makes any future software updates easier

Electricity smart meters are powered by the mains electricity supply in your home. Gas smart meters have an internal battery that powers them. These typically last up to 20 years.

The UK’s first smart meters were SMETS1, which were first installed in 2013. Many of them stopped sending automatic readings if people changed suppliers, due to the different communications systems they used.

The latest smart meters are SMETS2 – the only type of meter that OVO installs. They all use the same communication system, through a standalone, secure network operated by the Data Communications Company (DCC). SMETS2 meters have the same features as SMETS1, but the communications system they use makes sure they’ll keep working if you change suppliers.   

Since 2021, the DCC has been remotely upgrading SMETS1 meters’ software, so they can move onto the same network as SMETS2 meters. This allows people to switch suppliers without the meter losing any of its smart features.

They’re for both. So, if we supply both fuels to your property, we’ll replace both meters – usually on the same visit, to make things as easy as possible. You'll only need one In-Home Display to view both your gas and electricity use.

If we only supply one fuel, then we'll still install a smart meter for that one supply. You'll need to speak to your other supplier to get a second smart meter installed.

No, one IHD can cover both fuels. Or just electricity if you only have a smart electricity meter with us.

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

To change your smart meter reading schedule please contact us.

Smart meters give you more control over your energy use in several ways. They provide accurate readings, so you only pay for what you use. You can also keep an eye on your energy use via your In-Home Display and the OVO app. This lets you track your costs and understand where you’re using the most energy. These insights can help you see where you could make changes to your energy use.

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

Find out more.

A smart meter and installation won't cost you anything extra.

Generally, no. But the industry is now only making smart meters, so there is limited availability of older meter types.

Some customers with an RTS (Radio Teleswitch Service) meter will need to have a smart meter installed before June 2025. Or they could lose their heating and hot water controls. If you’re an RTS customer, we’ll contact you soon to arrange a replacement meter. Find out more about RTS.

Yes, you’ll need to join us first. Once you’re a customer, you can book a smart meter appointment and could unlock a range of handy money-saving offers.

You shouldn't need to switch to a new energy tariff when you get a smart meter. However, some customers with an RTS (Radio Teleswitch Service) meter will need to change energy tariff – we offer a range of tariffs and will recommend an alternative. Find out more about RTS. 

If you currently Pay As You Go, your smart meter will be set up as a prepayment meter. Your tariff and payment method won't change.

Yes. You'll still pay for your energy before you use it, by topping up your meter(s) with credit anytime using the OVO energy Top-up app, or at any Post Office, PayPoint or Payzone shop. You'll also be offered an In-Home Display that lets you track your costs and understand where you’re using the most energy. These insights can help you see where you could make changes to your energy use.

If we supply your electricity and gas, we’ll look to replace both your meters with smart meters. 

If we only supply your gas, we can usually complete the install by attaching what’s called a ‘hot shoe’ device to your existing electricity meter. Using this, we’ll set up a communications hub, so your smart gas meter can send readings to the In-Home Display. 

You’ll then be able to contact whoever supplies your electricity, to request an electricity smart meter. Their engineer will remove the ‘hot shoe’ and the old electricity meter, replacing it with a smart meter.

Yes, as long as you’re the one paying the bills. It’s a good idea to let your landlord know before going ahead with installation. See our renter’s guide to smart meters for more information.

Yes, they'll work together. And, if OVO supply your energy and you bought your solar panels and a battery from us, you could be eligible for our exclusive Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) tariff.

Sign up to one of our SEG tariffs once you've got your smart meter, and we'll buy the electricity you export at our great anytime rate of up to 20p per kWh (correct at 1 October 2024). Terms and eligibility apply. Excludes FiT customers.

No problem. Even in areas with poor mobile reception, a SMETS2 smart meter should still work in your home.

It communicates via a separate, secure national Wide Area Network (WAN) using mobile-phone or radio masts, depending on your location. If you live in northern areas of the UK, your smart meter uses long-range radio technology, while in central and southern areas, it uses cellular and wireless mesh technology.

Yes, we offer an Accessible In-Home Display (AIHD) with new installations. Just ask for an AIHD when you call to book your appointment. Or, if you’ve booked online, please contact us to request one.

Most homes can use a Single Band Communications Hub (SBCH) to connect everything. But if your gas meter is further away or your walls are thick, we can provide extra tech like Dual Band Hubs or an Alt HAN device. These can usually help your gas and electricity meters to communicate smoothly, even in bigger buildings.

Yes, we’ve been replacing 3-phase meters with smart meters for some time.

Our engineer will need clear access to your current meters. So, any obstacles will have to be removed before your appointment. If your meters are in a locked room or cupboard, be sure to have keys ready on the day.

When our engineers come to install smart meters, they can only exchange meters and not move them. If you do need to move your existing meter(s), you can speak to your local Distribution Network Operator (DNO) or the National Grid.

In most cases, yes. Log in to your account and make a booking to check if your area is eligible.

Smart meters are designed to replace your existing meter. They should simply slot in. 

Typically, the dimensions of the smart meters we install are:

SMETS2 electricity meter: 
Width 127mm
Height 160mm 
Diameter 65mm

SMETS2 gas meter: 
Width 235mm
Height 262mm 
Diameter 167mm

There’s no additional charge for getting a smart meter installed.

Someone over the age of 18 needs to be in the property to let our engineer in, and stay until the work’s finished. If there’s nobody over 18 at home when the engineer arrives, they won’t be able to carry out the installation and you may have to pay a £30 fee. 

If you’re on the Priority Service Register (PSR) and have an agreed password for the engineer to use, please make sure you have it to hand. If you’ve forgotten it, or want to set one up, call us on 0330 303 5063, Monday to Friday, between 8am–6pm.

It’ll take about 75 minutes to replace one meter. If you’re having both electricity and gas meters replaced, please allow around 100 minutes. Your electricity and gas will be disconnected for about 30 minutes each.

This is a set of rules and standards that make sure you get a great experience and excellent service when you’re having a smart meter installed. We’ve signed up to this schedule. It covers many parts of the installation process, including: helping you understand how to use your smart equipment, making sure our engineers are highly trained, giving extra support to anyone who’s vulnerable, and keeping you informed if something’s not right with your smart equipment. Find out more about SMIS.

Your electricity or gas will be disconnected for about 30 minutes during installation. If we’re replacing both meters, your electricity and gas will each be switched off for around 30 minutes. 

If you have any mains-powered medical equipment, please let us know when you book the appointment. If our engineer is unable to switch the power off, they won't be able to complete the installation, and the appointment will need to be re-scheduled.

Your smart meter will be installed by one of our qualified and registered engineers. We also partner with trusted metering companies and may need to send one of their engineers (who are also qualified and registered).

We know plans can change and you may need to change your appointment. We just ask that you give us at least 24 hours’ notice. If not, there may be a late-notice fee of £30. Just log in to your account to change your appointment.

Both electricity and gas smart meters need to be replaced about every 15 years. That’s slightly more often than traditional meters since the tech is more sensitive. As improvements are made across the grid, meters need to be in the best condition to make sure our energy system can work at peak performance.

Don’t worry, we’ll let you know well before it’s time for an upgrade.

No, smart meters must be installed by a trained and registered engineer.

Every smart meter comes with an offer of an IHD, to help you keep track of your home's energy use. It shows your energy use in real time and how much it's costing in £ and p. It's an effective way to help you make changes that could lower your energy bills.

The engineer will have shown you how to read your smart meter and use your IHD. There are different models available, and our engineer will also have left you a guide containing instructions for your specific IHD.

If you need a reminder, you can find instructions here. If you Pay As You Go, you can find the details here.

No, but it can help you keep track of your home's energy use. It shows your energy use in real time, how much it's costing in £ and p and is an effective way to help spot where you could make changes to lower your energy bills.

If you have a smart meter and you move to a new OVO tariff or prices change for any other reason, we’ll update your In-Home Display so that any changes are shown automatically.

The IHD shows your energy use in real time, and how much it’s costing in £ and p. It also shows how much energy you’ve used so far in a day, week, month or year and, if you’ve set a budget, track how much of it you’ve used. You can find the IHD instructions here. If you Pay As You Go, you can find the details here.

Your IHD shows you how much energy your home’s using in real time. The readings update every 10 seconds for electricity, and every 30 minutes for gas. This lets you track your costs and understand where you’re using the most energy. These insights can help you see where you could make changes to your energy use.

It depends on which IHD model comes with your smart meter. Our engineer will tell you whether your IHD can be connected to your home WiFi when they install your smart meter. If it can, you can ask them to pair it, or they can show you how to do it yourself. 

An IHD that connects to WiFi (often called a Consumer Access Device, or CAD) has the following benefits:

• If you have any issues with your IHD, we can usually detect the problem straight away
• You can see your home's energy use in real time
• It makes any future software updates easier

An IHD comes with your smart meter – so it won’t cost you anything extra. And if it’s faulty, we’ll replace it for free.

For the best connection, keep the IHD in the same room as your smart meter or within 15 metres of it. If you’re connecting through your WiFi router, it should be within a similar range.

Yes. An IHD doesn’t need a WiFi connection because they’re connected to your smart meter through the Home Area Network (HAN).

The majority of IHDs we provide don't come with a built-in rechargeable battery. They all come with a mains power adapter and it should always be left connected to the power supply.

An IHD costs less than £2 a year to run (cost calculations based on a national average of 34p per kWh, as published by Smart Energy GB).

Yes, all prices and unit rates shown on your IHD screen include VAT.

You don’t need to. Your smart meter sends readings to us automatically. You can check them on both your In-Home Display and the meter itself. It’s simple to do - our engineer will give you a guidebook that shows you how.

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

To change your smart meter reading schedule please contact us.

You can see your smart meter data as graphs in the app under ‘Usage’. Here, you can see 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.

Yes. More frequent, half-hourly readings give you a clearer picture of your home’s energy use, which could help you spot ways to reduce it. This not only helps save your money but can help to cut carbon too.

If you have any problems after installation, check out our easy-to-follow troubleshooting guide. It covers many simple solutions to help you fix most common issues. If you still can't find the answer you're looking for, please contact us.

Simply having a smart meter installed won’t cause an increase in your usage. There are no hidden costs, and your tariff won't change unless you choose to. The only difference between a smart meter and a traditional meter is that it can send your readings to us automatically. 

This doesn’t affect your home’s energy use at all. But it’s worth noting that your first bill after installation may be higher than usual because it could take up to 8 weeks to issue, rather than the usual 4.

Also, your bills will now be based on the automatic readings from your smart meter rather than estimated ones, so you’ll only ever pay for the energy you’ve used.  

A smart meter can give you more control over your home’s energy use. The In-Home Display and OVO app let you track your costs and understand where you’re using the most energy. That could help you to make changes which could lower your bills.

If you’re struggling to pay your energy bill, we’re here to help. You can find ways to get financial support in our guide, or you can contact us.  And if you’re on our Priority Service Register, check our handy Help Centre guide.

It may mean you chose to send us readings monthly. If that’s the case, we may have generated your bill before your smart meter has sent us a reading. Your balance will update accurately with your next smart meter reading. 

You can also choose to send us either half-hourly or daily readings to get more accurate bills. 

If you can only see estimated readings on your bills, it may mean your smart meter has stopped communicating with us. Check that the meter serial number matches those on your account and bill. The serial number is unique for each of your electricity and gas meters and can be found on each meter near the barcode. Please get in touch so we can look into it.

Getting a smart meter installed won’t increase your bills. There are no hidden charges or effects on your usage. If we didn’t receive regular meter readings with your traditional meter, your previous bills may have been underestimated. Your bills will now be based on the automatic readings from your smart meter rather than estimated ones, so you’ll only pay for the energy you use.

Smart meters are just as accurate as traditional meters at measuring the amount of electricity and gas used. They all have to be legally approved and certified by the Office of Product Safety & Standards, to prove their accuracy.

If you think there may be a fault with your smart meter, please get in touch.

Your first statement based on smart meter readings will be available in up to 8 weeks. But you can log in anytime to see your home’s energy use and its cost. You can also see this information on your In-Home Display.

If you’re an OVO customer, log in to your account to let us know the exact date you’re moving. Then just give us your final reading on the day so we can create a final bill for you. Find out more about moving home.

Generally, no. But the industry is now only making smart meters, so there is limited availability of older meter types.

Some customers with an RTS (Radio Teleswitch Service) meter will need to have a smart meter installed before June 2025. Or they could lose their heating and hot water controls. If you’re an RTS customer, we’ll contact you soon to arrange a replacement meter. Find out more about RTS.

Smart meters have their own, closed communications system. Your data will only be seen by you and your energy supplier.

Smart meters use 2 secure networks to communicate:

• Home Area Network (HAN): so your meters can talk to each other
• Wide Area Network (WAN): to send us your meter readings

These are not the same as a WiFi connection. Smart meters don’t need to use the internet so there’s no need for a WiFi connection. 

We use safety measures to make sure that any data your smart meter shares with us is always safe and private. We also follow strict rules set out by the industry regulator, Ofgem. 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).

Find out more about smart meter safety and security.

Smart meters can't collect personal information like your name, address, or bank account details. Your meter can only collect meter readings, supply numbers and the meter serial number, which are protected by strict UK and EU product safety laws. Visit our Privacy Policy to see how we use smart data.

Smart meters are just as accurate as traditional meters at measuring the amount of electricity and gas used. They all have to be legally approved and certified by the Office of Product Safety & Standards, to prove their accuracy. 

If you think there may be a fault with your smart meter, please get in touch.

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.

No. Some people worry that smart meters (like mobile phones, WiFi, and satellite TV) emit low-frequency radio waves that could be harmful to people who are sensitive to electromagnetic fields. Yet this is one myth that’s been resoundingly dismissed.

Public Health England has found no evidence of any health risks. They’ve introduced strict product standards to make sure smart meters are safe, and they’ll continue to check for any ill effects as more and more homes get their new meters.

Getting a smart meter installed won’t increase your bills. There are no hidden charges or effects on your usage. If we didn’t receive regular meter readings with your traditional meter, your previous bills may have been underestimated. Your bills will now be based on the automatic readings from your smart meter rather than estimated ones, so you’ll only pay for the energy you use.

Yes, you can. Find out more in our guide about switching suppliers with a smart meter.

Thinking about switching to OVO? Find out more about our energy tariffs and then get a quote.