Step-by-step guide

Your smart meter in-home display lets you see how much electricity and gas you’re using and what it costs in near real time. This means your electricity updates every 10 seconds and your gas updates every 30 minutes. You can keep a closer eye on your usage and have greater control of your household energy.

Before you start

There are a few practical things you need to be aware of before you use your smart meter display. They’ll help you get fully up and running safely.

Charging your display
It’s best to leave your smart meter display plugged into the mains. It has a built-in rechargeable battery which should last for around four hours if it isn’t connected. If the battery does get low, the low battery icon will flash and it takes about three hours to charge.

Find a suitable location
It’s a good idea to keep the in-home display as close as possible to the smart meter itself. If the message ‘connecting to smart meter’ is displayed more than one hour after turning it on, move it closer to the electricity/gas meter. If problems continue, call the smart team on 0333 009 7000(1)

Smart meter connection
Each time you turn the smart meter display on, it will show ‘Connecting to smart meter’. It takes less than five minutes for your electricity usage to show on the screen It may take up to one hour after the initial setup for the gas consumption to show on the screen. 

 

Understanding your smart meter display

Below you’ll find details of all the main functions and descriptions of the main screen menus and displays. Alternatively, you can download our PDF guide.

 

Quick Reference Guide

Understanding your display functions

Menu options
You can see the main menu from the home screen. Select it by touching the middle [MENU] button.

Home
This exits the menu and returns you to the home screen.

Demonstration
This guides you through the main features of the monitor.

Tariffs
This displays your tariff unit price plus the standing charge.

Settings
Here you can access the advanced, PIN and installation sub-menus.

Advanced

The advanced option is another menu, which gives you the ability to change settings on your display.

Messages
All alerts and messages are displayed here. You’ll see a

symbol on the upper screen that remains visible while you have unread messages.

Meter balance
This gives you an indication of the balance on your electricity and gas meters.

Monitor Lower Screen

Home

This screen shows the total combined cost for the day. Press [MORE] to access other screens, including the menu.

So far

This screen shows the total consumption for both electricity and gas (where available) for the selected period.

Historic

This is a set of graphs showing consumption for electricity and gas separately. The total for the period is also shown. Press [UNITS] to cycle between electricity and gas.

Read these tips to use your smart meter display safely

  • Only use the power lead provided by us and don't use it if it's damaged   
  • Clean the smart meter display with a soft dry cloth and avoid getting any liquids on it
  • If it’s faulty call us on 0333 009 7000(1) so we can help you – please don't open the display yourself
  • Avoid keeping the smart meter display or power pack in direct sunlight.

How to troubleshoot your smart meter in-home display

Is your in-home display showing“Connection lost” or “No Network”?

Your in-home display can only update and give you useful information if it can connect with your smart meter – and to do that, it has to be within range. If your display is telling you that the signal has been lost, try doing these things to fix it:

Move your in-home display closer to the smart meter

After you’ve moved it, wait for a minute and your display should be back on talking terms with your smart meter.

Check nothing's interfering

All sorts of things can get in the way of a clear signal between your smart meter and your in-home display. These can include thick walls (or lots of walls) – and even other electrical appliances if they also use wireless. Try moving your display closer to the smart meter, whilst moving your other wireless technology further away from it.

Resetting your smart meter in-home display

If nothing else has worked and your display is still not updating, it’s probably time to do a reset.

Follow these steps to reset your in-home display:

1. Unplug the display

2. Remove the batteries

3. Leave the display for one minute, then reinsert the batteries and plug it back in

4. Leave it for another minute while it finds your meter.

Still can't get it to work? 

Call our team 0333 009 7000(1) and we'll try to help you.

Does your in-home display show unusual or delayed use?

Unexpected peaks showing on my smart meter display

The whole point of having an in-home display is to help you develop a better understanding of how your appliances use energy and give you more control of your usage. So if you’re seeing peaks in your energy use – well done for being so on the ball. Now to find out what’s causing the peaks, unplug your in-home display and take it for a walk, switching your appliances on and off as you go. Appliances most likely to cause peaks include:

  • Ovens
  • Kettles
  • Heaters
  • Dishwashers
  • Washing machines

Remember: The time lag between you using an electrical appliance and it showing on your smart meter display is about 30 seconds. The time lag for gas use is 30 minutes – so if your heating or hot water were on half an hour ago, the peak for them might only just be showing.

My total energy cost has fallen 

If you have solar panels it could be you’re generating enough electricity to give some back to the National Grid. This means the price for the total amount of energy you’ve used today has fallen.

Resetting your in-home display

If nothing else has worked and your in-home display is still not updating, it’s probably time to do a reset.

Follow these steps to reset your smart meter display:

1. Unplug your display

2. Take out the batteries

3. Leave your display for one minute, then put the batteries in, plug it in and switch it back on 

4. Leave ity for another minute while it finds your meter. 

Still not working? 

Call our customer services team 0333 009 7000(1) and we will try to help you.

Has the display on your in-home display gone blank?

Try these things to fix it:

Press the home button located on the top of the smart meter in-home display to see if this turns on the backlight.

Your display’s backlight is set go off between 10pm and 6am. This can be turned off via the settings menu.

Is your display plugged in?

It is possible the smart meter display’s built-in, rechargeable batteries have run flat and need charging. There are three rechargeable batteries in the display and these should not be replaced with any other battery type.

Still can't get it to work? 

Call our customer services team 0333 009 7000(1) and we'll be happy to help.

Got a question about smart meters?