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Installing a smart meter: how to make energy cost-effective and efficient at your business

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Installing a smart meter: how to make energy cost-effective and efficient at your business

Many people have already heard about smart meters and know that they’re growing in popularity as a way to make energy use easier to keep track of for UK households.

But, did you know that small businesses can reap the same rewards by installing a smart meter? If you want to find out whether a smart meter could help lower costs and save energy at your company building, find out everything you need to know first to make an informed decision…

The meteoric rise of the UK smart meter

Smart meters are a very popular product in the UK due to their efficiency and other benefits, however, the rise in installations of this type of technology has been helped by a government intuitive. The government has set electricity and mains gas suppliers the target of making the technology available to every home in England, Scotland and Wales by 2020 — that’s 26 million households in total.

But, why exactly is the government pushing smart meters so much? The main reason is basically to phase out imprecise estimated readings in favour of up-to-the-minute digital energy usage recordings. These measurements are then sent directly to energy suppliers and used to generate fully accurate bills, based on actual usage.

Interested? Then first, you’ll have to find out if you’re eligible. If you run a small business with fewer than ten employees, then you’re probably entitled to a smart meter. Not sure? Simply ask your energy supplier or broker. If your energy bills are included in the rent you pay for your commercial premises, it’s the bill payer who needs to make the request for your smart meter — so ask your landlord.

Main benefits of installing a smart meter at a business premises

Here are the main benefits of getting a smart meter installed at your workplace:

  • Looking to the future

Smart meters are proving to be a roaring success, so maybe it’s time you get on board, too. The long-term plan is to create a fully integrated smart grid linking different hardware, communications and other technologies together in something of an internet for gas and electricity. Smart meters are a crucial step towards this vision, which will eventually serve homes and businesses alike with greener, more efficient and more cost-effective energy.

  • No more meter readings

Gone is the inconvenience of waiting around to let an energy supplier employee access to your building to read you meter.

  • Better energy usage that could cuts costs

With tea rounds and technology left on out of office time, there will be several peaks and troughs when it comes to your business’ energy usage. A smart meter is an excellent way to determine and detect when your building is using energy the most and can help you become more efficient. From investing in a hot water urn and reminding employees to switch off their machines at night, developing a heightened awareness and understanding of your energy usage also makes you more likely to make smarter money and energy-saving decisions.

  • Better understating of final bill

No more shocking bills that turn out way higher than you expected.

  • Reduced impact of power cuts

The UK network is improving and transforming alongside the increase of smart meters, which means that energy suppliers can act more quickly if a power cut occurs.

  • Improved energy tariffs

With this ‘smarter’ type of energy reading device, your supplier also has a greater chance of creating new, innovative and increasingly competitive tariffs.

The installation process of a smart meter

You won’t need to take long out of your day to get a smart meter installed. Once you’ve made the initial move of speaking to your energy supplier or broker (or your landlord, in the case of rented premises), here’s what will happen:

  1. Date and time:

Call your energy supplier to organise a date and time. Your supplier will work with you to ensure this is a time that works for both parties and causes minimal disruption to the running of your business.

  1. Installation:

Let your energy supplier’s employee into your building to install your new energy device.

  1. Learning:

Learn how it works from the installer. Now’s the time for any questions, too.

What others think about smart meters around the UK

Check out what people across the UK have said about their smart maters and the installation process. The Smart Meter Customer Experience Study carried out in August 2017 by the government’s Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy revealed that 80% of those surveyed were satisfied with the technology, while 89% were happy with the installation visit.

This article was created by Flogas, a leading supplier of commercial gas.

I am the founder of Startup Today. I am the main writer and have put in many hours of work into creating this blog. If you want to find out more about me then lets get in contact.

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