How do smart meters work?

Smart meters measure your gas and electricity use in real-time and automatically send this data to us via a secure network called the Data Communications Company. They will come with an In-Home Display (IHD) that shows your energy use and cost, this can help you manage your energy use more efficiently. They can help create more accurate billing based on actual use rather than estimates and helps support a more efficient and reliable energy system.

This can sometimes occur whilst your account is still being updated with your new smart meter information. Once your account has been updated these requests will stop, and your regular bill will be generated based on readings from your smart meter.

However, there may be times when we are unable to communicate with your smart meter remotely and we may contact you to request manual reads or have to rely on an estimate.

If you require any help reading your smart meter we can help you here.

Sometimes our meter readers may visit your home if your account is still being updated with your new smart meter information. Once your account has been updated, you should no longer expect visits from our meter readers.

However, there may also be times when we are unable to communicate with your smart meter remotely and we may contact you to request manual reads or have to rely on an estimate.

There are two reasons why this can happen:

Smart meter graphs which are available within the ScottishPower App show your energy use over time. The information displayed will depend on how often your meter supplies us with readings (e.g. monthly, daily, half-hourly). To get the most detailed view of your energy use, it's best to have your smart meter provide us with half-hourly reads. You can change the frequency of readings here.

This normally happens when you’ve changed your meter read frequency from monthly to daily or half-hourly. Previously we were only receiving a reading from your smart meter(s) once per month and so we would apply your monthly usage on the day that we received your latest reading. From the day that your meter read frequency was updated, you should begin to see a greater level of detail available on your graphs. We are unable to populate historic energy use data from before you updated your read frequency to a great level of detail.