Page last updated on 11th June 2025
How smart meters could provide support for carers
Whether you are a formal carer or just helping a loved one, caring for others is an important job. But it can be difficult to manage without the correct information or support.
A report by 2020 Health, commissioned by Smart Energy GB, highlighted the ways smart meter energy usage data could provide support for carers and vulnerable people in the future, making it easier for carers and allowing vulnerable customers to live in their own homes for longer.
Here you can find out the link between smart meters and healthcare and how a smart meter could transform the future of healthcare for both you and the person you care for.
What's on this page?
- What is a smart meter?
- How can you request a smart meter for someone else?
- Why should you request a smart meter?
- What will happen during the installation?
- The future of healthcare
- Future smart meter benefits
- What is Telehealth and why is it important?
- The Priority Services Register
- AIHD smart meters
- Carers UK
- Smart meter health research
What is a smart meter?
Smart meters are the next generation of gas and electricity meters. They come with an in-home display, which shows you how much energy you're using and how much it costs. Smart meters and in-home displays have many benefits for carers.
How can you request a smart meter for someone else?
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Having a smart meter is a huge deal for a carer.
You don’t have to worry about putting in meter readings, checking the meter.
If my dad knows that everything’s in control, then he feels much happier.
You’re like: “Dealt with, fine, okay, what do you want to do today?”
Firstly, speak with the person you care for to make sure they understand the benefits of a smart meter. If they’re happy to get a smart meter installed, then you can begin the process.
As a carer, you can normally book an appointment for the person you support. Their energy supplier may ask some security questions when arranging the appointment. You should speak to the person you care for about these questions before calling.
If you’re looking to act as a named third party, you should contact the supplier to see how you can be added to the account.
Smart meters and health carers: why should you request a smart meter?
Helps keep track of energy spending
The smart meter’s in-home display provides support for carers and the person they care for by allowing them to view valuable information about the home’s energy usage. By monitoring this information, you can keep track of energy spending and make informed decisions about energy usage. Such as helping you both decide when to turn the heating up to make sure the person you care for stays warm. Or, it could help you spot when something has been left on accidentally.
Know how much energy bills should be
Having a smart meter means getting a bill based on how much energy the person you care for has used – carers no longer need to worry about estimated bills. This could take the guesswork out of balancing the budget for you and the person you care for.
Automatic meter readings
With a smart meter, the readings are sent directly and securely to your energy supplier. So, there’s no need for you – or the person you care for – to climb a ladder or crawl into a cupboard to read the meter. Smart meters provide help for carers by sending meter readings to the energy supplier automatically, so there’s one less item on your busy to-do list.
You don’t need wi-fi to get a smart meter
Smart meters aren’t connected to the internet. The in-home display isn’t connected to the internet, either. There’s no need to have internet access to get one. So, you can request a smart meter for the person you care for without the need for an internet connection.
Your energy data is in safe hands
The only people who can see how much energy is being used are you, the person you care for, and their energy supplier. The only information that gets sent to energy suppliers is how much energy is being used and when. Suppliers can’t see what’s plugged in - or when the washing machine is on!
Prepay customers can top up remotely
With prepay smart meters you can now top-up online, via telephone or text message, or even with a smartphone app - no gas card or electricity key necessary. This is especially handy for carers; no more last-minute trips down the shop in the rain when the meter runs out!
For carers needing help with fuel costs then smart meter data can also be useful to understand when and how much energy is being used. Organisations like Carers UK can also help understand what financial support might be available to carers if they are struggling to pay energy bills.
Watch how Joe, an unpaid carer, has used a smart meter and accompanying in-home display to help keep track of his mother's energy usage:
Joe’s story | Smart meter for carers
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Joe:
My name is Joe. I live in Leeds. I am an unpaid carer for my mother-in-law for about 5 hours a week. My typical routine as an unpaid carer is: get up at five to walk the dog, and take the kids to school. My wife does quite a bit with the kids anyway and it's like a couple of times a week I go round to my mother-in-law's house, help her shopping, a couple of tip runs if needed, that sort of thing. So yeah, I'd say it's maybe three or four times a week. Do something like that
Joe:
In terms of my mother-in-law's bills going up, we have seen the cost of food going up and maybe the cost of energy. Nothing that she can't deal with right now, but you don't know where it's going do you?Joe:
My mother-in-law at first didn't want a smart meter, it's just a little piece of tech, but once we talked about it and seen what it could do, I just think it helps me have that piece of mind that we're tracking those costs and hopefully they don't go out of control. So we can look at what she spent over the previous week, how much she is spending now. That sort of data just helps you to predict what's coming next.Joe:
So I'm known as the 'switcher off-er' in the house, I run around the house, switching all the switches off when my kids have been playing their games on tablets, they leave things switched on. Having a caring relationship with my mother-in-law, whether official or not, I think it's really rewarding to give something back to someone, especially being my mother-in-law, you know, grandmother to my kids. It's nice to give a bit back.00:01:27:00 - 00:01:42:04
Joe:
As a bit of a joke I call myself her 'favorite son-in-law', which is always a bit of a laugh. But other ways that she tries to give me a bit back is, she'll have the kids a bit more so me and my wife can do something or she might just buy me a cake when she goes out. So yeah, just little things like that little token things really.
What will happen during the installation?
Your smart meter installation is safe and secure. It also comes at no extra cost. The supplier should check if there are any specific needs you might have for installation of a smart meter. Health concerns may mean the person you care needs their home’s energy to power certain medical equipment, for instance.
If the energy supplier forgets to check while you are booking your appointment, please make sure they are aware of anything you may need in order for the installation to run smoothly.
For any other information on how smart meters are installed, visit our smart meter installation page.
The future of healthcare: what will healthcare look like?
In just a few years, data from smart meters could be used to help provide better care for people with conditions such as dementia and potentially reduce the £26 billion a year currently spent supporting sufferers, a third of which is money spent by people with dementia and their families.
850,000 people already live with dementia in the UK and that number is expected to grow to 1.6 million by 2040.
Arlene Phillips CBE, who has had her own experience caring for her father when he had dementia, said:
"It's so hard to detect the signs when you don't live with your relatives. I found out that my father would often leave the hob on overnight — not only was this a symptom of Alzheimer's developing, but it was also dangerous. Had this technology been around when I was looking after my father, it would have greatly helped me understand what was happening with him.”
"I'm an active campaigner for new research and investment into dementia and I am intrigued to know that if we all have smart meters in the future, it could make it easier for people to live independently in their homes for longer, not to mention making it a little less stressful for people to look after their vulnerable relatives."
Future smart meter benefits
Below we have compiled a list of the benefits of smart meters and how they may have a positive impact on the future of healthcare:
1. Caring for the elderly and vulnerable
Nearly 90% of unpaid carers were unprepared for the time and effort required to look after someone. In the future, smart meters could provide an extra bit of support for carers who already have lots on their plate.
Smart meters could help to keep vulnerable individuals in their homes longer by alerting relatives or healthcare workers to irregular energy use behaviours. This could indicate that the individual requires additional support in the home.
So, for example, if there's no sign of electrical usage or heating in an elderly person's home, a text alert could be sent to a carer or trusted relative to check on them.
While there are already products on the market offering this service, installing smart meters in every house in Britain could support vulnerable individuals on a larger scale.
2. Identifying families at risk of fuel poverty and providing support
Around 6.1 million UK householders are living in fuel poverty, unable to afford to heat their homes to the temperature needed to keep warm and healthy. Living in fuel poverty and cold living conditions can worsen many common physical and mental health problems, for people of any age.
There is evidence that with smart meter energy usage data, housing data and historical weather data over time, it could be possible to remotely detect these unhealthy living conditions; which could help prevent related health problems. This further highlights how, in the future, smart meters could help ensure that your loved ones are kept warm and safe.
This data would be taken only with the consent of each individual household.
3. Self-monitoring to improve wellbeing
Smart meters help us spot ways to to reduce our energy use, which in turn can lead to cheaper bills and decreased fuel poverty.
A smart meter in-home display shows in near real-time exactly how much gas and electricity a customer is using, how much it's costing, and – in the case of a meter in prepay mode – how much credit is left.
Or customers can choose a smart time-of-use tariff, which rewards them for shifting energy use to more cost-effective times of the day.
What is Telehealth and why is it important?
Telehealth is the use of digital technologies, such as computers or smartphones, to help care for patients with long-term conditions in a convenient, accessible and cost-effective way.
Smart meters could potentially be a large-scale form of Telehealth, with smart meter health-related data providing valuable insights into people's health and wellbeing.
Telehealth systems support people with long-term conditions to:
- Self-manage their conditions
- Remain more independent
- Reduce hospital stays and allow early discharge
- Reduce their dependency on primary health and GP services
It can also improve access to care for people with mobility issues or people who are unable to get time off work.
What is the Priority Services Register?
If you are caring for a loved one, it may be worth getting them on the Priority Services Register (PSR).
The PSR is a free and voluntary system that means the most vulnerable customers get the right support from energy suppliers. That might include advance notice of any planned service interruptions or priority in a power cut.
“Who is eligible for the priority services register?” The Priority Services Register is for customers who have extra communication, safety, or accessibility requirements even if these are temporary. This includes customers who:
- Use medical equipment that is reliant on electricity or water
- Are deaf or hard of hearing
- Are blind or partially sighted
- Have a disability or chronic illness
- Temporarily need extra support, such as due to injury
If you’re wondering who is eligible for the priority services register, visit the Priority Services Register website to find out more.
If you think being on the PSR would help the person you care for, register them as vulnerable with their energy supplier. Contact their energy supplier to find out more.
Accessible in-home display
Some energy suppliers also offer an accessible in-home display (AIHD). Smart meters come with an in-home display that shows near real-time energy use data. The AIHD is accessible version of the in-home display that may help you or the person you care for. For example, they have larger buttons and can read information out loud.
Please note: Eligibility may vary.
For more information on AIHD smart meters, visit our page about the accessible in-home display.
Carers UK
If you need more information, there’s more on the Carers UK website, including carers’ tips on using services or arranging power of attorney. They can also help you understand the options available to carers to help with fuel costs, such as Winter Fuel Payments and Cold Weather Payments.
Smart meter health research
To read the 2020 Healthcare report, click here to download.
Smart meters represent a promising future for both healthcare and Great Britain’s energy usage. With access to near real-time energy usage, smart meters could provide extra help for carers wanting the best for the person they care for.
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