The deadline for the acceptance of smart meters has been pushed back by the government until 2024. The government understands that consumers are used to reading business energy meters to provide a monthly reading. Energy suppliers will contact consumers to install a smart meter especially if your meter is exceptionally obsolete as this could pose a safety threat to the services of the energy supplier and the community at large. Here we look at the different types of smart meters and the difference between first-generation smart meters and second-generation smart meters.
How Do Smart Meters Work?
Smart meters connect a consumer’s home to the secure, nationwide smart network that is monitored by the Data and Communications Company (DCC). The information related to a consumer’s gas and electricity consumption is sent through the DCC to provide the consumer their energy consumption data in almost real-time. The data is displayed on smart meters via an In-Home Display (IHD) which indicates energy usage in kilowatt-hours (kWh) as well as in pounds and pence for the consumer. The functionality of smart meters is different based on whether it is used to measure the consumption of gas or electricity.
An electricity smart meter connects directly to the main supply to provide exact electricity consumption data as the electricity is being used. A gas smart meter utilizes a battery-powered meter that remains idle most of the time but activates every half an hour to send the gas consumption data to the consumer’s provider and the IHD. There is an internal battery in the smart meter IHD that can run out of charge. Some energy providers state that a smart meter IHD will last for one and a half hours on battery after which the screen might turn off if the device is not recharged.
A consumer’s energy supply will not be affected, if the smart meter IHD does go off due to not being recharged. The functionality of the screen does not affect the consumer’s energy supply. However, consumers are advised to contact their energy provider if the screen does not turn on promptly after being recharged.
Understanding The Difference Between SMETS1 & SMETS2
Consumers coming across smart meters for the first time will be a little perplexed about the terms SMETS1 and SMETS2. In simple language, SMETS stands for Smart Metering Equipment Technical Specification UK energy suppliers. SMETS1 is the first generation of smart meters and SMETS2 is the second generation of smart meters.
SMETS1, which are the first generation smart meters, tends to lose its smart functioning capabilities if a consumer decides to switch their energy provider upon receiving their smart meter. In such a case, a first-generation smart meter would function like a regular “dumb” meter without smart capabilities. Choosing an energy provider became quite a difficult task, for first-generation smart meter consumers, which required undue commitment from the consumer. In such a case, first-generation smart meters are ultimately reprogrammed remotely to avoid losing their smart functionality, but this may take some time.
SMETS2, frequently referred to as second-generation smart meters, facilitate the process of switching energy providers for the consumer by linking the SMETS2 meters to the national communications network to make the change immediately. In other words, there is NO engineer visit required to make the change effective immediately.
