Smart Meter Top-up

Smart meter energy saving tips: Cut your cost without losing comfort

Last year, a typical UK household spent around £1,720 on their dual fuel energy. Whilst the price cap fell slightly in July 2025, it’s still higher than the levels we saw before 2022.

One way to try and reduce your energy costs is with a smart meter. A smart meter can help you save money by showing you your near real-time energy usage and how much you’re spending, so you can make better energy choices.

How do smart meters save energy?

It’s not the actual meter that saves you energy, it’s the insight it gives you into your usage habits as it highlights where you use the most energy so you can see where you may be able to save it.

Smart meters send usage information to your energy supplier, and you can also view it on your in-home display (IHD).

You can view:

  • High usage hours (heating spikes etc)

  • Which appliances use the most energy when they’re running

  • An accurate cost per kWh in pounds and pence

Smart meters are free to install, and you can request one from your energy supplier at no additional cost.

Many people will have a smart meter installed for its convenience, however then forget to monitor their usage. By monitoring your usage, you can act on the information provided and save yourself some money.

Smart meter energy saving tips

1. Check your usage daily 

Use your in-home display (IHD) to spot high usage trends and act accordingly.

2. Track appliances 

Turn appliances on and off and check the IHD to see the difference this makes.

3. Set usage goals 

Compare your smart meters weekly or monthly data to set and track realistic energy saving targets.

4. Spot phantom loads 

Identify consistent background usage on your IHD, appliances left on standby etc and unplug the culprits.

5. Compare seasonal usage 

Review your smart meter data to see how your energy usage changes throughout the year.

6. Monitor heating habits 

Use daily data to see how thermostat changes impact your energy usage and costs.

UK schemes & support available

UK government schemes like Warm Home Discount and ECO4 help maximise household benefits and savings.

Key programmes:

  • Warm home discount

  • £150 off on electricity bills for eligible households.

  • ECO4 / Great British Insulation Scheme

  • Grants for insulation, heating upgrades & renewables until March 2026.

  • Winter Fuel Payment

  • Support for pensioners through colder seasons.

Take control of your energy costs

You can’t help the energy price swings, however you can control your usage and your energy choices. With a smart meter, simple behavioural changes can reduce your bills whilst maintaining your comfort at home.

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FAQ's

The smart meter itself doesn’t save you money, it’s the insight it gives you into your usage habits as it highlights where you use the most energy so you can see how you may be able to save it.

Not directly, but you can test this by switching appliances on/off and watching the change on your IHD.

Absolutely, yes! As well as being able to view your balance in near real-time and set alerts if your credit is running low, you can also top-up online using a mobile app.

Yes. All SMETS2 meters are compatible across suppliers, so you can keep the same device.

Potentially yes. They make it easier to cut wasted energy, which lowers both costs and emissions.

It’s protected by strict UK data privacy laws and encrypted before it’s sent to your supplier.

Some suppliers offer apps that connect to your smart meter so you can track usage remotely.

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