Does my In Home Display (IHD) smart meter need to be plugged in all the time?

Hey nealmurphy, thanks for answering my question. I honestly thought that mine was not working properly. I can't believe they have made them in that way, it's not the cost coz like you said its a pound a year but I thought they would of given them at least a few days of charge, I really think its a bad design.i know it's no big issue, I just think its a strange design but who I'm I to say anything.  Thanks again Jess 

I guess smaller internal battery = cheaper production costs = less overall cost for the smart meter rollout.

IHDs were designed to run off mains power. 

The idea of the battery was simply as a very short term backup if the power went off for a very short time or if you wanted to move the IHD a short distance. 

I suspect quite a few IHDs end up in landfill at some stage sadly. So having a minimal battery etc has some eco advantages. 

I appreciate all the security and tech issues but non the less it is a shame a mobile app on phones or tablets can't replace the IHDs for real time information. I wonder if all countries have IHDs? 

The idea of mobile apps for real-time data was considered but the NCSC will likely never allow it. Given how many insecure iOS and Android devices exist out there, it’s too risky no matter how safe you try to make it. :(

There was a limited trial of several thousand customers, one of my friends took part. Although obviously a bit of a fudge in terms of technology

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/smart-meters-derogation-guidance-supporting-energy-supplier-applications-for-trials-of-in-home-display-alternatives

The findings in terms of behaviour were not great. The apps were worse in terms of users reducing their energy consumption. This is thought to be due to the always on benefit of the IHD and the average consumer behaviour. 

The government decided against the current mandate of free IHDs for all smart meters based on the trial.

I had my smart meter installed 2 weeks ago. I have charged up my IHD several times for hours at a time, but it does not seem to hold a charge for very long at all. So I need to charge it up each time I want to view the display.

Is anyone else experiencing the same problem?

A lot of the IHDs have very short battery life and are designed to remain plugged in. The internal battery is generally enough for you to move your display around the house if you want to check usage of individual appliances.

Hi @PamEgl ,

I’m afraid the In-Home Displays are only equipped with very small batteries that are intended more for emergency use only than anything else, but you can take them around the house if you want to. They’re mostly designed to run off the charger and this is by design.

Thank you both for that. 

Disappointing that we have to charge the IHD up every time we want to view it!

I wasn’t aware we can check usage of individual appliances - I will need to look into that.