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Page last updated icon Page last updated on 16th March 2026
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Smart meter accuracy: is my smart meter accurate?

With a smart meter, you won’t have to spend time submitting meter readings or worrying about estimated bills. You’ll receive bills based on your actual usage. But if you’re unsure how accurate your smart meter bills will be, want to ask how reliable smart meters are, or just want to check ‘can smart meters be wrong’ then we have you covered. Read on to learn more.

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Are smart meters accurate: will you receive accurate bills with a smart meter?

Yes! Smart meters are just as accurate as traditional meters. And, with a smart meter, you’ll receive accurate, not estimated bills – meaning you only pay for the energy you use. 

Smart meters securely send automatic meter readings to your energy supplier. Your smart meter can send readings every day, every half an hour, or, in some cases, every month. With these regular automatic meter readings, your supplier can send you accurate bills. And that means you don’t need to take a manual reading of your energy bill—saving you time in the long run. Pretty smart, right? 

Are smart meter readings accurate?

Yes! Smart meters work by automatically sending accurate meter readings to energy suppliers. And if you find yourself needing to take a manual meter reading from your smart meter for any reason, this would be just as accurate as a manual meter reading from a traditional meter. 

How do I know if my smart meter is accurate, if I’m still receiving estimated bills?

If you have a smart meter, even if you are receiving estimated bills, your smart meter should still be accurately recording your energy usage. Receiving estimated bills just means that the smart meter hasn’t sent your latest meter readings to your supplier. There are a couple of reasons why this might happen: 

  • If you have recently had your smart meter installed, the first bill after the installation may still be estimated. This is expected and should be fixed in time for your next bill. After this, you should have accurate bills. 

  • If you get many estimated bills after getting a smart meter, there could be another reason for this. For example, if you have an older type of smart meter, switching energy suppliers might mean you temporarily get estimated bills. Read our page about switching supplier with a smart meter to find out more. 

If you have a first-generation meter and it loses smart functionality then you might need to send your meter readings manually to get an accurate bill. But this is a temporary situation until your meter is upgraded. This upgrade happens 'over the air', without needing a visit from an installer. Even if you need to take manual readings temporarily, your smart meter will still be accurately measuring your energy use.

With a second-generation meter, switching energy suppliers should not interrupt your meter readings. This means no interruption to your energy readings, bill payments or gas and electricity supply. And if you’re a new to smart meters, most customers now receive a second-generation meter by default—meaning you're less likely to need to submit readings manually to get an accurate bill.

Even if your smart meter is temporarily working without smart functionality, it should still be accurately recording your energy use. To find out more, please see our guide to what happens if your smart meter stops working in smart mode.

Can a smart meter be wrong?

Because smart meters are as accurate as traditional meters, they are no more likely to be wrong than traditional meters. But if you think your smart meter is wrong, or you’re worried your smart meter is not accurate, you should report this to your energy supplier.  

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Are smart meters more accurate than traditional meters?

Smart meters are as accurate as traditional meters. By law, all smart meters have to be approved by and certified by the Office of Product Safety & Standards to prove their accuracy. If you get a smart meter, it will be just as accurate as the meter it’s replacing.

However, if you believe that there's a fault with your smart meter you can report it to your energy supplier in the same way you would with a traditional meter. You can find your energy supplier using the tool below. 

How reliable are smart meters?

Can smart meters be wrong? Because smart meters are as accurate as traditional meters, they are no more likely to be wrong than traditional meters. But if you think your smart meter is displaying incorrect information, or you’re worried your smart meter is not accurate, you should report this to your energy supplier. 

Are smart meters reliable: what to do if you’re concerned about smart meter accuracy

Can smart meter readings be wrong, if my bills are appearing higher than normal? If you’re concerned that you’re receiving higher bills following a smart meter installation, it could be because you were previously receiving low estimates from your energy supplier, and your smart meter is now tracking your energy use accurately.

For issues with smart meters, if you have spoken to your energy supplier about your meter readings but are not satisfied, you can request an independent test of your meter. 

The test is free to begin with. But you may have to pay your energy supplier for organising it if your meter is found to be working correctly. You can find out more from the government’s guidance on electricity meter accuracy testing and gas meter accuracy testing. 

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How accurate is a smart meter in home-display?

Your in-home display should show you how much energy you’re using in pounds and pence. They should also show your standing charge, but this depends on your tariff and supplier.   

If you compare the amount of energy you’re using on your in-home display with your monthly or quarterly bill, you should see a relationship. Although it’s important to note that your in-home display may not show any discounts or ad hoc charges! 

Is my smart meter accurate? How to check for accuracy:

How do I know if my smart meter is accurate? Well, if you’re concerned your in-home display isn’t showing the right information, for example, if you think your smart meter is showing the wrong tariff, you can first check the following: 

  • Ensure the tariff information on your in-home display matches your tariff on your bill or new contract. This includes the tariff name, unit rate and standing charge. 

  • Check that the meter readings on your in-home display are similar to the ones on your meters  

If these are both showing correctly on your in-home display, then it will be presenting the correct energy usage data for your home.

However, if the meter readings don’t look similar, or if the in-home display of your smart meter is showing the wrong tariff, speak to your energy supplier to get this resolved.

But if you’ve just had your smart meter installed, it can take a little while for the in-home display to provide the right information. And the readings on it usually take a bit longer to update than the ones on your meters - this delay is normal. 

And there you have it—everything you need to know about smart meter accuracy. You're now ready to get a smart meter installed in your home and make tracking your energy use a whole lot easier. 

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