I actually think that sliced bread is overrated  

Smartmeters can’t reduce energy usage on their own but they can help identify when and where you’re using it. I’ve probably halved my usage over the past few years by understanding when things have been consuming power when I wasn’t using them. 
They’ve also helped identify a small gas leak by showing gas usage when I didn’t expect it. The gas hob was the culprit

I HATE the adverts! I think the claims are silly and bare no relation to reality. I postponed having one fitted and was even helped by Covid in that they paused fitting for a while. The fitting was poor and I was asked to demonstrate that all my appliances worked before continuing (including an aging gas fire that hadn’t been used in years). The installation was faulty and had to be repaired by a team from National Grid(?). The IHD isn’t really much help as usage (in particular gas) varies so much from day to day and with the weather.

As you say the smart meter doesn’t save you money, you’ve already used it.

BUT

It allows me to see how much energy and gas I’m using on a 30 minute basis. I can see what standby loads are on over-night (nothing to do with the IHD I download it from OVO). I can see how much energy I use to heat my hot water. So for me that extra data allows me to see precisely where my energy and money is going. I can make changes and see what effects they have. I detected when my off-peak timer failed (leaving the immersion heater stuck on) so that I could correct this within a day. I have used the IHD to check how much some standby loads use although the resolution isn’t great so I can’t check clock, timers etc.

So now it’s fitted and working It really helps me.

Hey @Fuzzycat,

Good debate starter!

For pay as you go customers, as you’ve stated it makes topping up much easier! Smart meters are clever – they allow you to top up without even going to the shop. To do this, create an account on the OVO Energy Top-up app or online, and add your top-up card numbers. This will allow you to top up remotely – anytime, anywhere.

For pay monthly customers, one of the benefits of going smart is live billing…

We’ve created a more model model for billing! The traditional model of issuing a monthly or quarterly statement can make it difficult for customers to feel in control of their energy costs. With half hourly or daily meter readings you can now get a clearer idea of how much your energy use has cost every day. You can keep track of your balance throughout the month, instead of waiting for your monthly statement. As we’re able to calculate your charges whenever we receive a reading, the live-billing platform is ideal if your smart meter schedule is set to send us readings either daily or half-hourly. We’ll then adjust your balance based on actual usage figures each day at midnight.

The benefits of going smart go beyond no longer having to submit manual reads. accurate. You can understand your energy costs, see how much energy is being used and get an idea of where it’s going in your home. Plus, with half hourly meter readings, you can access all of our best offers. For Electric Vehicle owners our Charge Anytime add on, at just 3p a mile. 

Check out our Charge Anytime product page here for more information.

We also have two grid balancing schemes, Power Move and Power Move Plus, which reward you for using energy in a way that’s better for the planet.

We have tons of topics about smart meters on the Forum you might want to check out:

Interested? Book now and start saving!