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 and [sseenergysolutions.co.uk/smart-data-guide](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 31st March 2024, the service that transmits these radio signals will be switched off nationwide, affecting the functionality of these meters.

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.

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.

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 9563to 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 signaling 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.

The vast majority 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 install is complete.

At SSE Energy Solutions, our priority is keeping both our customers and teams safe. As a result, we’ve taken extra steps to ensure the on-site working practices performed by our installation partners are COVID secure:

• You will receive a call before the visit to ensure it is still safe for the engineer to attend. They will also assess the site on their arrival. Please be prepared to advise whether anyone in the property has been identified as a COVID close contact and/or is self-isolating, as this may mean that we need to re-schedule the visit.
• All engineers will carry sanitiser and antibacterial wipes to wipe down any surfaces they come into contact with both before and after use.
• They will be wearing a face mask and will be fully equipped with the necessary PPE following the latest Government Guidelines.
• They’ll also maintain social distancing and may ask you to give them space while they fit your meter/s.

You can find our installation partner’s COVID risk assessments linked below:

• Energy Assets
• SMS
• Imserv

To ensure a successful install is possible, the engineer will carry out a quick site inspection before installing the new meter and check the network coverage in the meter location.

The actual installation is quite quick and should take no more than two hours. Please note, the engineer will have to turn your electricity or gas off for around 30 to 40 minutes. The engineer will also show you how the meter works.

Smart Metering Systems Plc (SMS Plc) are one of our installation partners for our SMETS2 smart meter rollout programme. We selected SMS Plc as a trusted partner because they’re a nationwide firm with over 20 years of experience in the energy sector. Their highly skilled engineers are smart meter specialists who will carry out your upgrade quickly, with minimal disruption to your day.

SMS Plc will contact you to arrange your installation appointment. Their engineers carry SMS-branded IDs, which they’ll be happy to present on request. If you’d like to know more, visit the SMS website for more information.

Energy Assets Ltd are one of our installation partners for our SMETS2 smart meter rollout programme.

Their highly skilled engineers are smart meter specialists who will carry out your upgrade quickly, with minimal disruption to your day. Energy Assets Ltd will contact you to arrange your installation appointment. Their engineer(s) will have an Energy Assets identity card, so please feel free to ask to see this before allowing them entry to your premises.

If you’d like to know more, visit the Energy Assets Ltd website for more information.

You will continue to be billed in line with your contract terms. Your billing statement will show the new meter details along with your first smart meter reading. While your billing terms will remain the same, you can change to monthly billing once your smart meter is installed.

If you’ve been under-billed due to a genuine billing error, we promise not to ‘back bill’ your business for a period greater than 12 months. This applies to all SMEs and to single-site, non-half-hourly customers and quarterly billed gas customers for a period of 12 months, if we’re responsible for the error. For microbusinesses, unless we have been unable to contact a customer due to their obstructive, or manifestly unreasonable behaviour, we would never back bill beyond a period of 12 months.

We think every business needs an efficient energy management strategy, so we can offer you guidance, tailored to suit your business needs. As part of your smart meter installation, your engineer will be happy to provide you with energy efficiency guidance, or you can visit our tailored energy efficiency guidance web page.

Every smart meter customer will be offered free access to our online energy management tool, SSE Clarity. SSE Clarity takes profile data and shows you when your business is using energy. It’s free to use and designed to help you make sense of the information generated by your smart meter.

SSE Clarity can help you see patterns and anomalies in your usage. It also allows you to set alarms and notifications so you can be alerted if you suddenly start using more energy than normal. SSE Clarity is the business web-based equivalent of the in-home displays we provide with smart meters at domestic premises.

Visit our SSE Clarity page for more information.

If you would like to give us some feedback on the installation process, require more information, or if you believe your new smart meter may be faulty, please call our team on 03450-729-563. You will not be charged for the rectification of any fault found within the smart metering system.

All smart meters installed by SSE Energy Solutions contain firmware which can be updated as the technology develops. Whenever an update is released, it will 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.

The updates you receive will enhance or maintain the performance of your smart meter. Updates could include, but aren’t limited to, security upgrades, performance enhancements or additional smart meter features. And to avoid bothering you unnecessarily, we won’t clog up your inbox with smart meter update notifications.

Your smart meter 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. This 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 have agreed to show the primary total on their bills as a consistent source of usage data.

If you currently have a SMETS1¹ smart meter, installed by SSE Metering, your smart meter may not work properly if you move to an SSE Energy Solutions contract. In addition, if you received an In-Home-Display device with your SMETS1 smart meter, this could also be affected. Under these circumstances, your meter may stop communicating with us. If this happens, we’ll have to go back to asking you for a manual meter read. Furthermore, your In-Home-Display device may not be displaying the most up-to-date unit price information. Please note, this is an industry-wide issue affecting SMETS1 customers who switch between different suppliers.

The industry is working to fix this problem, and as a result, all SMETS1 smart meters are being adopted and enrolled with the Data Communications Company (DCC). The DCC is the secure central body that was set up to manage the communications between all suppliers and newer SMETS2 smart meters. This is a government led-initiative with a completion date planned for 31 December 2022. As soon as the DCC communicates the exact enrolment date for each meter, we’ll contact our SMETS1 customers with more information.

Once your SMETS1 meter is enrolled with the DCC and can communicate with our systems, it should operate in smart mode and its smart capability should be restored. This includes automated meter reading and the ability to switch to another supplier without losing the smart functionality, providing the new supplier has the capability to accept SMETS1 smart meters.

¹SMETS1 smart meters are the earlier versions of smart meters which allowed customers to submit automatic meter readings remotely. They also enabled customers to access their energy data.

If your previous supplier registered your smart meter with the Data Communications Company (DCC), we’ll be able to provide our smart meter service. However, if your meter was not registered with the DCC, by coming to SSE Energy Solutions, you may lose some smart functionality provided by your previous supplier.

This currently remains an industry-wide issue, however, the Government is currently facilitating an ongoing programme of work across all suppliers to ensure the majority of these smart meters are enrolled and adopted by the DCC, in order to allow the meter to regain its full smart functionality. In the meantime, SSE Energy Solutions may still be able to arrange a replacement smart meter so you can continue to enjoy all the benefits of smart metering.

If you would like to provide feedback on the installation process, require more information, or if you believe your new smart meter may be faulty, please call our team on 0345 0729 563.

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.

The first step is to check the SSE Clarity portal. Viewing your energy usage data will allow you to identify any variances in consumption.

If you’re still not sure, then speak to our team on 0345 725 2526 and our team can assist you further.

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.