Page last updated on 19th August 2026
What are the benefits of smart meters for carers
Whether you are a formal carer or helping a loved one, caring for someone else can be demanding. Having clear information about their home energy use can make day-to-day support easier, especially when managing heating, bills or prepay credit.
This guide explains the smart meter benefits carers may find useful, the benefits of a smart meter for vulnerable households, and how smart meters could support future health and care services.
What's on this page?
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. For carers, the benefits of a smart meter include clearer energy information, automatic meter readings and fewer estimated bills. These residential smart meters can make it easier to support someone who may struggle to manage their energy account alone.
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?”
If you are a carer for someone and want to help them get a smart meter, speak to them first so they understand the smart meter benefits and agree to the installation.
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 before calling.
If you need to manage their energy account more formally, ask the supplier how you can be added as a named third party. This can make it easier to support billing, appointments and meter-related questions.
What are the benefits of smart meters for carers?
Helps keep track of energy spending
One of the main benefits of smart meter technology is that the in-home display shows energy use in pounds and pence. This can help carers and the person they support understand when energy use increases.
These smart meter benefits may help you decide when to turn the heating up, spot unusual energy use or notice if something may have been left switched on.
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, readings are sent securely to the energy supplier. This is one of the most practical benefits of a smart meter for carers, as it removes the need to read hard-to-reach meters in cupboards, outside boxes or awkward spaces. 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 do not need home wi-fi to work. The in-home display is not connected to the internet either. This means residential smart meters can still be installed in homes without broadband, which may be helpful for older or vulnerable customers.
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!
Can smart meters help carers with energy costs?
Smart meters do not reduce energy bills automatically, but they can help carers understand usage patterns more clearly. This can support conversations about heating, budgeting and energy-saving habits.
If the person you care for is struggling financially, they may also be eligible for wider support, including help from their supplier, local schemes or benefits-related support. People searching for help with gas and electric on universal credit should check official guidance and speak to their energy supplier about available options.
Carers UK may also be able to provide information about financial support, including help with gas and electric on universal credit and other energy-related assistance.
Watch how Joe, an unpaid carer, has used a smart meter and 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, secure and available at no extra cost. Before installation, tell the supplier about any specific needs the person you care for has. This is especially important if they rely on medical equipment powered by electricity. The supplier should explain what will happen, how long the appointment may take and whether the energy supply needs to be switched off briefly.
For more information about 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 £26 billion a year currently spent supporting people living with dementia, a third of which is paid 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 who lived with 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. One potential future benefit of smart meter data is that it could help identify changes in routine that may suggest someone needs support. Smart meters could provide extra support for carers who already have a lot 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
Smart meter data could also help identify households that may be underheating their homes because they cannot afford energy. Around 6.1 million UK householders are living in fuel poverty, are living in fuel poverty, unable to afford to heat their homes to a healthy temperature. 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
Another benefit of smart meters is that in-home displays can help people better understand daily energy habits. Smart meters can help us spot ways to reduce our energy use, which may lead to lower bills and reduced fuel poverty.
A smart meter in-home display shows in near real-time how much gas and electricity a customer is using, how much it costs and, for 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 support Telehealth-style services in the future by providing energy-use insights that help carers understand changes in routine.
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, for example due to injury
If you’re wondering who is eligible, visit the Priority Services Register website to find out more. And if you care for someone, registering them for the Priority Services Register may be one of the most important steps you can take alongside exploring the benefits of a smart meter.
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. These displays may include larger buttons, audio functions and easier-to-read screens, which can be especially helpful for some carers.
Please note: Eligibility may vary.
For more information on AIHD smart meters, visit our page about the accessible in-home display. The accessible in-home display.
Carers UK
If you need more information, visit the Carers UK website for advice on using services, arranging power of attorney and understanding support 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 energy use in Great Britain. With access to near real-time energy data, they could provide extra support for carers who want the best for the person they care for and help address concerns about smart meter health problems.
FAQs
What are the benefits of having a smart meter?
The main benefits of having a smart meter include automatic meter readings, more accurate bills, near real-time energy information and easier prepay top-ups.
What are the benefits of smart meters for carers?
For carers, the benefits of smart meters often come down to clearer information, easier budgeting and less need for manual meter readings.
What are the advantages of smart energy meter technology?
The main advantages of smart meter technology include automatic readings, in-home energy tracking and the potential for future care-related support with consent. These benefits are often why households consider upgrading from older meters that rely on manual readings.
Are residential smart meters suitable for vulnerable households?
Yes, residential smart meters can be useful for vulnerable households, especially when paired with accessible displays and supplier support.
Want to find out more?
