Smart meter display comparison

king312
king312 Posts: 43 Forumite
First Anniversary Combo Breaker Car Insurance Carver!
Which energy company offers the best smart meters?
I can't seem to be able to find any comparisons on features available at the meter, on the display and in their apps.

British Gas
1423754852123.png

Eon
smart-energy-display.jpg

Scottish Power
smart-meter-437x338.jpg

NPower
smart_energy_display.png

SSE
3E3977C900000578-4308780-image-a-6_1489408120247.jpg

EDF
pasted_image_at_2017_08_11_11_49_am.png?itok=c2go5GKB

Ovo
smart-meter.jpg
«1

Comments

  • matelodave
    matelodave Posts: 8,606 Forumite
    First Anniversary Name Dropper Photogenic First Post
    edited 7 December 2017 at 6:05PM
    In the end it depends on what you hope to gain from the display.

    We've got an SSE one, which shows cost as it's default screen, which IMO is useless, especially as we've now swapped suppliers and it now shows zero. I work in kwh, not £'s

    The other screens with data from the meter are still working OK so I can see what we are using and check the meter reading but it requires button pushing rather than just glancing at it. You can't change what's displayed on the default screen

    AFAIK you can't choose what you get, it's what the supplier gives you or what works with your meter.
    Your piccy of the SSE display is not the default home screen, it has to be selected by button pushing and only displays for a few minutes before it returns to the useless home screen

    At least mine hasn't died completely (yet) with the change of supplier. I can still check the meter reading & see the daily/instantaneous consumption without having to go outside - the default home screen showing the cost stopped working on the day of the swap.
    Never under estimate the power of stupid people in large numbers
  • AndyCF
    AndyCF Posts: 748 Forumite
    Name Dropper First Anniversary Combo Breaker First Post
    My old EON IHD looked like the one in your picture however the newer one I have now is monochrome display not colour, although they are roughly identical from what I can recall in their 'display abilities' , bear in mind there was about an 18 month gap between me having one type then the other.
  • They're all much the same and show the same information.

    E.g. The NPOWER one us a portrait view of the British Gas one
  • teddysmum
    teddysmum Posts: 9,471 Forumite
    First Anniversary Combo Breaker First Post
    !!! wrote: »
    They're all much the same and show the same information.

    E.g. The NPOWER one us a portrait view of the British Gas one
    NPower are changing the ones issued, in February.


    I was told (when I rang to confirmthat I didn't want one ) that we wouldn't be changing to smart ,until February when they will begin an experimental rollout of a new meter.


    However, next day I received an appointment for mid December,so called to confirm that the refusal tag was still in place. I mentioned that if installed in December I would be getting one of the old useless models and was told that was so.
  • House_Martin
    House_Martin Posts: 1,462 Forumite
    edited 17 January 2018 at 1:53PM
    king312 wrote: »
    Which energy company offers the best smart meters?
    I can't seem to be able to find any comparisons on features available at the meter, on the display and in their apps.

    British Gas
    1423754852123.png

    Eon
    smart-energy-display.jpg

    Scottish Power
    smart-meter-437x338.jpg

    NPower
    smart_energy_display.png

    SSE
    3E3977C900000578-4308780-image-a-6_1489408120247.jpg

    EDF
    pasted_image_at_2017_08_11_11_49_am.png?itok=c2go5GKB

    Ovo
    smart-meter.jpg
    Non of these gizmos are "smart meters " that lies elsewhere in the property.
    They are the cheap freebie In House Display . When it breaks down they wont replace it free.
    and it will sure as hell go bang at some time .Most of them never even stay plugged in for more than a few months when they are binned or put to the back of a drawer.
    The worst smart meter by a country mile is the Secure Liberty appalling meters.
    Shame on Eon for cutting corners and saving a few bob by insulting their customers installing them.They only appeal to techo geeks
  • Anthorn
    Anthorn Posts: 4,362 Forumite
    First Post First Anniversary Combo Breaker
    Yup the items illustrated are the in-home display which connects with the smart meter. At this time I can only compare British Gas with OVO because those are the ones I've used. The British Gas in-home display has much more comprehensive information lacking on the OVO display: Meter readings is one I used as well as the running daily total spent on the BG display.

    But overall I don't see the point of them. It might be useful for some people to know that when they boil water in their electric kettle or use the microwave energy consumption increases quite dramatically. But I'm not going to stop boiling water for a cuppa or using the microwave because of it. It comes across to me as a gimmick, a little toy that doesn't need much space. But the novelty wears off quickly.
  • Raxiel
    Raxiel Posts: 1,401 Forumite
    First Anniversary First Post Name Dropper Photogenic
    The one you have listed as Scottish power is the model I got from E.ON

    A year (to the day) since we got the meters fitted, and 11 months since they lost smart functionality, I still keep mine plugged in, I find it quite usefull.

    The back-light does a reasonable job as a low power night-light, We leave it on 'current consumption' for electric, and I've got a feel for how much we use at given times. I can see at a glance if anything's been left switched on before leaving.
    3.6 kW PV in the Midlands - 9x Sharp 400W black panels - 6x facing SE and 3x facing SW, Solaredge Optimisers and Inverter. 400W Derril Water (one day). Octopus Flux
  • It is good to find out before installation, exactly what features the various different suppliers smart meters provide.

    I have read that not all in house displays show the actual volume meter reading from the gas meter in cubic meters. This is important for those with disability issues who want to periodically record their actual meter readings from the in house display and not some useless kWh approximation which will not be used for billing.

    If the in house display does not show the actual meter readings then smart meters are useless as far as I am concerned. I am certainly not interested in a high, medium, low traffic light type display or silly CO2 figures.
  • Raxiel
    Raxiel Posts: 1,401 Forumite
    First Anniversary First Post Name Dropper Photogenic
    thorganby wrote: »
    It is good to find out before installation, exactly what features the various different suppliers smart meters provide.

    I have read that not all in house displays show the actual volume meter reading from the gas meter in cubic meters. This is important for those with disability issues who want to periodically record their actual meter readings from the in house display and not some useless kWh approximation which will not be used for billing.

    If the in house display does not show the actual meter readings then smart meters are useless as far as I am concerned. I am certainly not interested in a high, medium, low traffic light type display or silly CO2 figures.

    Mine is pretty useless in that regard, I must admit. Not only is the gas given in kWh, but the electric is the total kWh figure, while the meter has separate day and night readings. Even though I am on a single rate tariff, I still need the separate figures to pass to the supplier.
    3.6 kW PV in the Midlands - 9x Sharp 400W black panels - 6x facing SE and 3x facing SW, Solaredge Optimisers and Inverter. 400W Derril Water (one day). Octopus Flux
  • matelodave
    matelodave Posts: 8,606 Forumite
    First Anniversary Name Dropper Photogenic First Post
    Raxiel wrote: »
    Mine is pretty useless in that regard, I must admit. Not only is the gas given in kWh, but the electric is the total kWh figure, while the meter has separate day and night readings. Even though I am on a single rate tariff, I still need the separate figures to pass to the supplier.

    You must have an E7 meter then if it's recording day & night consumption separately. Does it not ahve a single aggregate total.

    Do you have problems swapping suppliers?
    Never under estimate the power of stupid people in large numbers
This discussion has been closed.
Meet your Ambassadors

Categories

  • All Categories
  • 343.1K Banking & Borrowing
  • 250.1K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
  • 449.6K Spending & Discounts
  • 235.2K Work, Benefits & Business
  • 607.8K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
  • 173K Life & Family
  • 247.8K Travel & Transport
  • 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
  • 15.9K Discuss & Feedback
  • 15.1K Coronavirus Support Boards