When I got a chance to review the Remote Heating Control system from British Gas a few months ago I must admit, although there had been a few teething issues to start with, it is definitely a rather impressive piece of technology. Well, this time round, as a follow up in my plight to save energy I had the British Gas smart meter installed in my home to review.
With the New Year, the installation couldn’t have come at a better time. Why? As a shopaholic loving female I went a little mad on Boxing Day Sales, which as a result left us with very little left in our piggy bank. I know! Very irresponsible of me! So I decided to do the responsible thing and have a smart meter installed in my house by British Gas to compensate. So will it help me save those hard earned pennies? Let’s take a look at my review shall we to find out?
The Maths Behind the Madness
You might be asking the question. Why on earth is a profit making company such as British Gas wanting us to become more energy efficient when it is in their interest for us to use energy so they can make money? There are two main reasons. Firstly, British Gas is thinking long term. It is far too easy to switch to a different provider based on price, however if British Gas help their customers by reducing their energy bills, they are likely to be a lot happier and in turn more inclined to stay with them in the long term. Secondly, The Government has unveiled plans for every home in Britain to be equipped with smart meters by the end of 2019. British Gas is at the forefront of these plans and leading the way in the installation of smart meters having already installed over 600,000, so when they asked us to test their meter, we thought why not…if it saves us money…
Installation – Quick and Mess Free!
We had the smart meter installed over a month ago and with temperatures dropping to the minuses it was definitely a good time to test out the device.
The installation itself took just under an hour causing minimal inconvenience especially as I have a young baby in the house. The engineer asked if he could switch the electricity off for approximately half an hour and in that time he replaced our old meter with a new shiny smart meter. The way it works is simple. The smart meter is connected wirelessly to their mobile devices, which means that British Gas can take accurate meter reading as well eliminating the visits made by engineers to do a meter reading.
As well as replacing the smart meter, he talked us through the smart energy monitor and how to use it. Below is a helpful guide that he left for us explaining each area of the smart energy monitor:
After the installation we decided to move the smart energy monitor into our lounge so we could keep an eye on our energy usage on a frequent basis. Some people do like to keep it in the kitchen however as my husband was keen to see the energy usage he thought it would be pointless to keep it in the kitchen as he rarely uses that room! ;-)
So What Happens Next?
The British Gas smart meter benefits go above and beyond just getting an accurate bill. Readings from your smart meter are automatically sent to British Gas and they represent a valuable source of information that they can in turn use to provide you with a full array of clever insights such as energy efficiency tips to help you save even more money. Data information from a meter also helps to check it is working effectively and safely so that any faults can be diagnosed and corrected.
Putting the British Gas Smart Meter to Test!
Want to know how I got on with the smart meter and whether in fact we have been energy efficient? Stay tuned for part two of my review.