Analog technology is, thankfully, going out of style. In the energy industry, there’s been a tremendous push by utilities to switch customers from outdated analog meters to modern smart meters.
Utility Warehouse is a big believer in smart meters and the potential they have to shape the future of energy. This next-gen technology allows you to monitor your electricity usage or in-home display, which makes it much easier to optimize your energy consumption and save money.
The best part? Smart meters are free to all Utility Warehouse customers because they benefit everyone. With more accurate meter readings and improved service, smart meters have the potential to transform how we think about energy. In fact, as of July 2021, 60% of Utility Warehouse customers switched to smart meters—and we’re working to get that number to 100%.
Not sure if a smart meter is right for you? Learn how smart meters work, their benefits, and how Utility Warehouse uses smart meters to offer better service to all of our customers.
What is a smart meter?
If you have a traditional analog electricity or gas meter, the utility company reads the meter every six months and relies on you to provide quarterly meter readings. The utility company will then bill you based on these meter readings.
That might sound simple enough, but analog meters rely on the bill payer to provide the meter reading. The utility company also has to service the meter yearly and remember to change its battery. Since the meter can’t communicate with the utility company, it has no way of knowing about outages or your electricity usage trends, either.
A smart meter, on the other hand, opens up two-way communication between your home and your utility company. Like a traditional meter, a smart meter measures your energy consumption. However, because a smart meter is digital, you can see your usage stats in near real-time. Unlike analog meters, a smart meter automatically sends readings to your energy provider. This means that the utility company doesn’t have to rely on estimates between engineer or customer readings, which cuts down on a lot of inaccuracies.
Three reasons to switch to a smart meter
The perks of a smart meter might sound negligible, but when providers like Utility Warehouse offer a free upgrade, it’s the perfect chance to overhaul your electricity bill. Smart meters have 4 big advantages over traditional analog meters that make the switch well worth it.
1. Save energy, save money
67% of British smart meter customers say they became more conscious of their energy consumption after they installed a smart meter. And when you’re more conscious about your energy use, you’re better equipped to save more money on your energy bill every month.
Every smart meter comes with a digital face that not only tells you how much energy you’ve used, but other metrics like time of day, usage trends, and more. For example, you can use your smart meter to see how much energy you use when you’re home versus when you’re at work.
The great thing about a smart meter is that its near real-time feedback helps you conduct energy-saving experiments in your home. Not sure if setting the A/C a degree higher will have an impact on your bill? Try it out and compare your smart meter stats—the system will be able to tell you which energy-saving activities have the biggest impact on your usage.
You can use smart meter data to help you:
- Unplug appliances that aren’t in use while you aren’t home.
- See which temperature settings will save you the most electricity.
- Understand how switching to LED light bulbs affects your bill.
Awareness goes a long way to help you save energy and money. In fact, switching to a smart meter can save you up to £138 pounds a year with Utility Warehouse. If you want to see cheaper energy bills while minimizing your impact on the environment, a smart meter is a true win-win.
2. Proactive customer service
Nobody wants to spend hours on the phone with their energy company. When you switch to a smart meter, your energy company is able to proactively address issues and provide much better service.
If you have an analog electricity meter, you generally have to wait for something bad to happen for your utility provider to check or repair it. Smart meters, on the other hand, give utilities real-time data that helps them keep your home powered without problems.
It’s much easier to catch issues with a smart meter than it is with an outdated analog meter. If you want better customer service and more reliable energy, a smart meter will help your utility company better serve your family.
3. Accuracy and ease of use
Traditional analog meters don’t communicate with your utility company. There are just too many unknowns with an analog meter, especially when a better alternative is available. Smart meters make things as easy as possible for customers. You can even connect and disconnect service with the push of a button, so you’re free to switch suppliers whenever you want for less hassle.
Utility Warehouse’s smart meters
Utility Warehouse is at the forefront of smart meter efforts in the UK. Even during the pandemic, the stringent safety measures we quickly put in place allowed us to get back to helping our customers as soon as possible, installing smart meters in more homes. In fact, with a 60% penetration rate, UW is way ahead of the industry average.
Nearly two-thirds of our customers now manage their energy consumption with a smart meter. This upgrade is great because, not only can it save Utility Warehouse customers more energy, and therefore money, but it also helps us provide better service.
But we do more than install smart meters. Thanks to UW’s Home Services arm, we’re able to offer other smart meter perks to our clients, including:
- In-house technicians: We don’t rely on third-party engineers to install your smart meter. Our own trusted engineering workforce is available to handle the installation and any questions you may have. This way, we have more control and offer a better, more consistent installation experience for all customers.
- Convenient installation: You don’t need to take an entire day off of work to wait for your smart meter installation. Utility Warehouse’s team works with your schedule to book an installation time that works best for your family.
- Free smart meters: Over 60% of Utility Warehouse’s customers have a smart meter—and that’s probably because they’re free! We want as many of our customers as possible to have a smart meter because it benefits everyone.
Utility Warehouse is ahead of the industry standard for smart meter installations. In fact, we were responsible for 5% of all smart meter installations in the UK in the financial year ending in March 2021.
Enjoy smarter energy with a smart meter
Smart meters are a better and more affordable way to manage your energy use. Instead of relying on an outdated analog meter, upgrade to a smart meter to:
- Receive accurate bills without the hassle of providing meter readings.
- Better understand your usage to save money.
- Use less energy and protect the environment.
- Enjoy an improved level of service from your utility provider.
Knowledge is power, after all. Upgrading to a smart meter gives you the power to make informed decisions about your energy usage.
And when you upgrade to a smart meter with Utility Warehouse, the cost of a smart meter is on them. UW offers free smart meter upgrades to all customers, but new customers can enjoy £50 off their bill when they make the switch. Curious to see how it works? Learn more about Utility Warehouse’s smart meter technology.
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