Smart meters for your business

Smart meters are the most up to date energy technology, using wireless communications technology, similar to mobile phone signals, to send us your meter readings automatically. This brings an end to estimated billing and manual meter readings.

Smart meters must meet UK and EU product safety standards. They’ve been rigorously tested in laboratory conditions to ensure they work correctly and are safe to use.

There’s no additional cost for a standard smart meter installation, and ongoing maintenance costs are covered in the same way as your present meter(s).

Occasionally, additional work may be required to ensure your energy supply is in a safe condition for a smart meter to be installed, which may be subject to additional charges.

Smart meters only measure your energy usage i.e., what energy is being used and when. The data captured is sent securely to energy suppliers through the Data Communications Company (DCC), part of a national infrastructure project. The DCC establishes and manages the data and communications network that connects smart meters to the business systems of energy suppliers, network operators and other authorised service users of the network. The DCC also ensures consumers can maintain their smart service when they switch energy suppliers.

Your data will be kept in a secure manner, governed by strict industry and regulatory requirements, and will not be shared with anyone without your permission.

Your privacy is important to us and you’re always in control of how we store and use your data (subject to limited regulatory exceptions). If you’d like to learn more about how we collect, use and store the data from your smart meter, please visit our privacy policy sseenergysolutions.co.uk/privacy-policy and our smart data guide.

Radio Teleswitch Service (RTS) meters are controlled by radio signals to complete certain functions, such as switching between peak and off-peak times and maintaining heating and hot water. On 30th June 2025, the RTS service will come to an end.

We want to ensure all our customers can continue using their heating and hot water without disruption, which is why we're exchanging these meters for smart meters.

We're currently in the process of contacting all customers impacted by this. If you think you may be affected and haven't received any correspondence from us, please email radioteleswitching@sse.com.

If you’d like more information on the Radio Teleswitch Service closure, please read our dedicated blog.

Market-wide Half-Hourly Settlement (MHHS) introduces new rules to improve the accuracy of how we measure energy consumption. Energy use will be settled in half-hourly intervals, providing a more precise picture of electricity usage.

Visit our dedicated MHHS page for more information on how this affects your business.

Smart meters are being installed as part of the UK Government’s Industrial Strategy. Their aim is to develop a world-leading smart energy system, delivering secure and clean energy.

For more information about the UK’s smart metering roll-out, use the following links:

• The Retail Energy Code (REC) website - SSE Energy Solutions is bound by the Retail Energy Code (REC) Smart Installation Schedule. The Schedule aims to ensure smart meter installation is a positive experience for you, the customer. The REC schedule sets minimum standards which all members must follow, so you know what to expect during the installation process. It also ensures we help you understand the benefits smart meters can bring to individual customers, and as part of the wider industry Smart Programme.

• Smart Meters Guide on gov.co.uk - Find out more about how smart meters work

• Further information about smart meters at Smart Energy GB - Smart Energy GB is the national campaign for the smart meter rollout. Its task is to help everyone in Great Britain understand smart meters. Smart Energy GB is required to extend its consumer engagement activities to microbusinesses, where it is cost-effective to do so.

From 2022 to 2025, all energy suppliers will have binding annual targets to install smart and advanced meters for their remaining non-smart customers. These targets will be reset annually based on the proportion of the supplier’s customer base without a smart or advanced meter.

We’ll continue to work collaboratively with DESNZ (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero) to support and lead the way with the non-domestic rollout of smart meters, and in making sure all of our customers can benefit from smart.

You can view smart metering targets in a handy table, here.

SSE Energy Solutions (SSE Energy Supply Limited) does not hold a domestic supply license and supplies non-domestic customers only. All customers are supplied via credit meters as we do not support prepayment supply. These are reflected in the targets above.

Thanks to the support of Smart Energy GB, we can provide you with free resources relating to smart metering in several other languages, as well as in formats such as braille, audio and large print. Call our team on 0345 072 9563 to find out how we can help.

A number of our resources are available in Welsh. If you’d like to receive a copy of our Welsh smart metering information, please call 0345 072 9563 and our team can assist you further.

No, we have partnerships with Meter Operators who install smart meters on our behalf. If you receive communication from them, or you notice it’s not an SSE van that turns up to conduct your smart meter install, there’s nothing to worry about. You’ll be notified as to which install partner is conducting your smart meter install, and you’ll also be contacted by them ahead of your appointment.

We assess whether there are any signalling issues associated with your business premises when we book your installation appointment. Before every smart meter appointment, we’ll conduct a WAN check (wide area network) to assess signalling capabilities at a premises. This is also checked again at the point of installation, to determine potential onsite obstructions.

In most cases, smart meters can be installed straight away. In some cases, alternative communication methods, like remote aerials, can be used where the signal is poor. These may be subject to additional cost.

Over 90% of UK postcodes are now confirmed to have WAN coverage.

Smart meter installations are quick and hassle free. Typically, appointments take around an hour, but should take no more than two hours. This includes the safety check and signal check beforehand, and time afterwards for the engineer to run through important information.

Please note: the engineer will have to turn your electricity or gas off for around 30 to 40 minutes.

Yes, someone will need to be present on site in order for the appointment to go ahead. We need at least one person aged 18 or over present for the duration of the appointment.

Please note: if you share your supply with any other premises, they’ll also need to be present, to provide access to their unit, so the engineer can conduct safety checks once the installation is complete.

If you require support after your smart meter installation, please call our team on 0345 072 9563. The vast majority of smart meters function as intended straight away, but if you believe your smart meter may have run into a problem, our team are on hand to support you and discuss solutions.

If you’d like to provide feedback on the installation process, please call 0345 072 9563.

You’ll continue to be billed in line with your contract terms, and your billing will look almost the same as before your smart meter installation. However, your billing statement will show the new meter details along with your first smart meter reading.

All smart meters contain firmware which can be updated as the technology develops. Updates are installed remotely and won’t require your meter to be replaced in order to install the updates. When an update is released, it’ll be sent to your meter over the dedicated secure network, in the same way updates are sent to your smartphone. When the update is received, your meter will install it automatically and continue working as normal.

No, an IHD is not compulsory for non-domestic premises. Although it’s a viable option for domestic premises, in most cases an IHD won’t function properly for a business customer due to the required proximity to the meter itself.

As an alternative solution, we offer every customer with a smart meter access to SSE Clarity, our free online energy management platform. You’ll be able to measure, manage and forecast the energy your business uses. It also allows you to set alarms and notifications, so you can be alerted if you suddenly start using more energy than normal. Visit our SSE Clarity page for more information.

We start receiving half-hourly readings as soon as your smart meter is installed. The half-hourly readings received from your meter will show in SSE Clarity, but it takes up to 48 hours to appear.

You can start by checking the SSE Clarity portal - viewing your energy usage data will allow you to identify any variances in consumption.

If you still require assistance, then speak to our billing team on 0345 725 2526. Many billing queries have a quick and simple solution, and our team are always on hand to help ensure you’re not paying too much towards your energy.

Smart meters can record consumption on 48 different registers. Any number of these registers can be used in any combination, depending on your supplier and your chosen tariff. This enables suppliers to charge different amounts at different times of the day, or different days of the week. To keep your bills simple, any registers that aren’t being used to record consumption aren’t normally shown.

The ‘primary total’ is the sum of all 48 consumption registers and increases each month to display your total usage. It lets you keep track of your overall consumption, regardless of which registers are being used. It also lets you check that the correct readings have been used when changing suppliers. Most UK suppliers opt to show the primary total on their bills as a consistent source of usage data.