How smart meters could help your small business save on energy costs

Are you submitting your meter readings? It’s a pretty simple question but easy to forget in your day-to-day of running a business.  

Meter readings are essential because they tell us how much gas and electricity you’re using in your business, so that we can invoice you correctly. We always want to save you money and are continuously investing in our systems to make your life easier, but we need your regular meter readings to help generate accurate invoices. Without reads, we estimate your gas and electricity consumption which could potentially lead to higher bills for you. 

How often do I need to submit a meter reading for a business? 

To help you keep on top of your energy costs we invoice you monthly so ideally, monthly meter reads would be great please! We’ll send you monthly reminders via email or post depending on your preference. Outside of these periods you don’t need to submit a read – not even on national meter read day! To avoid any incorrect large credit or debit balances on your energy account you shouldn’t go more than 3 months without submitting a read. It’s so quick and easy to do online via your MyAccount.

How does my billing work with meter readings? 

All small business customers are billed on the 1st of the month. If a meter reading has been submitted 5 days before the 1st of the month, then the bill will be based on that read. Therefore, it’s important that you submit your readings 5 days before the 1st, if you submit readings at other times in the month it will be used as information but will not be used for billing on the 1st. If you don’t provide a reading in the 5 days before the 1st then we will have to estimate a bill on the 1st. 

Are there any ways meter reads can be done automatically? 

Yes, why not get a Smart Meter? 

It saves you time. 

Taking an energy meter reading is important, but we know small business owners are busy, so we recommend all our customers get a smart meter. A Smart Meter  is a digital device that measures and records your electricity and gas consumption then automatically sends the information straight to us. Smart meters save you the stress of remembering to submit your meter readings so you can focus on what really matters. With your correct meter readings being provided we can keep your invoices accurate and up to date, to make sure your business is not being overcharged. 

It can save you money.  

EDF want to make getting a smart meter as easy as possible, so we provide no additional cost installations for the smart meter in your business premises. You don’t even pay for the smart meter directly, as this comes out through your energy bill – the same as your previous meters. 

Smart meters will tell you how much energy you’re using in real time, helping you to reduce your consumption. Better energy management gives you cheaper energy bills in the long term and you’re helping the environment which is a good look for your small business. 

And It’s safe to use. 

Smart meters store data about your energy consumption as frequently as you set: every half an hour, every day or once a month. Having your data updated every half an hour is very beneficial as it gives you an accurate picture on your energy usage. You will be able to spot areas where you can save energy and reduce costs. The data that is then sent to us is kept securely in full compliance with data protection legislation and our privacy policy.  

Smart meters that EDF install have been tested to make sure they are safe and secure, plus they meet and exceed all UK and EU safety measures. They emit less radiation than your mobile phone making it completely harmless to use in your small business. 

We only install the newest version of smart meters which keeps the smart functionality even if you leave us. So, if you want to switch supplier in the future, that’s nothing to worry about, you won’t need to get a new smart meter. For any other worries, take a look at our smart meter myth busters – to help you get a quick answer.  

Not got a smart meter for your small business yet? Here’s how you take a meter reading: 

Gas meters  

With a gas meter you either have an imperial or metric reading. An imperial meter has four numbers, and a metric meter will have five numbers. To get the reading you will need to read them all from left to right, not including any numbers in red.

Electric Meters

There are three types of electric meters: digital, electronic and dial meters. 

Here's a typical digital meter display:

Write down numbers from left to right, ignoring any numbers in red or in a red surround.

If your tariff gives you lower-priced off-peak electricity like Economy 7 your meter may have two rows of figures as shown below:

If your meter has more than one row of figures write down all the numbers from left to right in each row, ignoring any numbers in red or in a red surround. The previous meter readings on your bill will indicate which is 'day rate' and which is 'night rate'.

For more information specific to the type of meter you have – go to the submit a meter reading page.

How to submit a meter reading?