Updated on 02/04/26 by Chris_OVO
Aclara S1 smart meters - your unofficial guide
Aclara is a common smart meter brand in the UK, used by many energy suppliers. Since Aclara makes both SMETS1 and SMETS2 meters, it can be confusing to tell which type you have.
To identify an Aclara smart meter, look for the display and the two buttons located right next to each other. Here are some helpful tips for using SMETS1 Aclara meters.
Which one do I have?
The SMETS1 Aclara SGM1300 Series meters come with an Aclara communications hub, usually the Aclara SGC1300 Series hub. The A and B buttons are always dark blue and positioned one above the other.
Does your Aclara meter look like this? If it does, you’re in the right place!
The SMETS2 Aclara SGM1400 Series meters use a different communications hub, usually branded as Toshiba or WNC. This hub depends on whether you are in the Northern or Southern Territory. The A and B buttons are different colors and are arranged in a row. If your Aclara meter looks like the one shown below, you may want to check the other topic below instead.
A SMETS2 Aclara SGM1400 Series meter (Aclara SGM1412-B) with comms hub
In both cases, there will be a red light to the left of the display and the display itself will be a large square shape with easy-read text and numbers.
What do the buttons do?
This guide is for people using their meter in Pay Monthly or credit mode with OVO. If you use a different energy supplier or have your meter set to Pay-As-You-Go, Prepayment, or Energy Limiting modes, the display may look different. Also, future updates to the meter's firmware may change how things appear.
Button-A is mainly used to scroll through the various meter readings:
- Total Imports kWh
- Total Exports kWh
- TOU (Time of Use) Rate 1 kWh
- TOU Rate 2 kWh
- TOU Rate 3 kWh
- TOU Rate 4 kWh
- Meter Balance
When the meter is in sleep mode, it also scrolls through all of those screens automatically. You can press A to wake up the meter and scroll through them manually, which also turns on the backlight for easy reading. The meter will go back into sleep mode and turn off the backlight after 60 seconds of inactivity.
Button-B is used for engineering and diagnostics. If you think there is a problem, you might need to use it to show certain information. For regular use, you don’t have to press Button-B. It’s usually best not to press it unless instructed.
My comms hub doesn’t have any lights, where should I look instead?
SMETS1 Aclara meters come with a communications hub that does not have any lights. You can find all the information you need on the meter display instead.
SMETS2 Aclara meters do have lights on the communications hub, but you might find the meter display more helpful than the lights.
How can I check signal strengths?
Aclara SGM1300 Series smart meters display signal strengths for both the Home Area Network (HAN) and the Wide Area Network (WAN) using a five-bar scale, similar to how a mobile phone shows signal strength. The WAN signal indicator is in the bottom right corner of the display, and the HAN indicator is in the bottom left next to a house icon.
This guide focuses on Aclara S1 smart meters. If you have an S1 Secure Liberty 100/110 smart meter, please refer to our guide below.
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