Smart Meters
Trial a Smart Meter for 8 weeks and see if you can save energy (and money)
On this page you will find information about:
- Our Project - Trial a Smart Meter in your home.
- What the government say about Smart Meters.
- What are Smart Meters?
- How can Smart Meters help you save energy / money?
- When can I get a Smart Meter?
Smart Meters / Community Carbon Champions
Would you like to trial a Smart Meter? Read on to find out more about this project.
You may have seen or heard a lot about Smart Meters in the news recently. This is because the government recently announced that by 2020 every home in the UK will have a Smart Meter fitted.
Until you get a Smart Meter fitted by your supplier, you can trial one for 8 weeks through our Community Carbon Champions project.
The project aims to help reduce household energy consumption by allowing people to see how much energy they use. This is done by fitting, at no cost to you, a Smart Meter in your home for 8 weeks. The Smart Meter will allow you to see how much electricity your household appliances are using and what this is costing you.
It won't reduce your energy consumption for you, but it will help you to understand exactly what you are paying those electricity bills for. Hopefully, you will also be able to find ways of cutting back on the energy you use and reduce your bills with it.
Unlike the Smart Meters that are talked about in the news, the one we fit is quite basic. It is not a whole new electricity meter, so you will still need to give meter readings to your supplier for accurate billing. The Smart Meter we fit just attaches to your current meter and is quick and easy to install. But don't worry, we will come to your home and fit it for you.
So far, 92% of people who have used the Smart Meters have said they found the Smart Meter useful.
If you would like to have a Smart Meter fitted and see if you can save some money or would like to find out more about this project, please contact Karen Toft using the contact details below:
Tel: 01202 264484
Email: k.toft@poole.gov.uk
What the government say about Smart Meters
In October 2008, the government announced that every UK home will use smart meters by 2020.
Around 26 million homes will be fitted with smart meters over the next 10 years.
Many other countries have started using smart meters - but the UK will be the first to roll them out on such a large scale.
Smart meters help save energy and make meter reading automatic - and you'll have one in your home by 2020...
Smart meters help you keep track of the energy you use, and cut out the need for meter readings. But how do they work and what do they do? You can find out all this information below:
What are smart meters?
Smart meters are the next generation of gas and electricity meters. They collect information about your energy use electronically.
The benefits of a smart meter:
- No more meter readings - the energy company can read your meter automatically.
- More accurate bills - your bill is always based on the exact energy you use, not on an estimate.
- Keep track of the energy you use - you can see your energy consumption on your TV, mobile phone or other display device and monitor your usage over time.
- Sell energy back to the grid - if you generate your own energy (using solar panels, for example) you can sell any energy you don't use.
How can smart meters help save energy / money?
By showing you how much energy you use, smart meters help you cut down waste.
You can see instantly when you're using lots of energy - and how much it's costing you.
It's easy to identify ways you could make savings - and with every household using smart meters, those savings will really add up.
Smart meters have been trialled in countries ranging from Sweden to the US. These trials have shown that smart meters can reduce household energy bills by 5-10 per cent.
When will I get a smart meter?
Energy companies and the government are still settling the details of the scheme.It may be a year or more before the first smart meters are installed.
In the meantime, you can trial a Smart Meter with our Community Carbon Champion project. We have a small waiting list for the Smart Meters we have, but you should be able to get one fitted within a couple of months of applying.
Please contact Karen Toft on 01202 264484 or email k.toft@poole.gov.uk to add your name to the waiting list.