Page last updated on 24th April 2026
How do smart meters help the environment, and can they benefit Britain?
Reaching net zero by 2050, reducing our carbon footprint, helping to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels. What do these efforts have in common? The benefits of smart meters could help to unlock their potential. Getting a smart meter is a small step for individual households, but it will add up to big things for Great Britain.
What’s on this page?
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Enabling a smart future
What is a smart energy system and why do we need it?
A smart energy system uses modern digital technology to understand when customers across Great Britain use energy, as well as how much they use.
This will allow the system to enable smart energy management to better understand what energy is needed, and where. That means reducing energy waste and moving away from being reliant on fossil fuel energy.
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Einstein: Biscuit anyone?
Ed: Lovely!
Kim: Very British.
('Land of Hope and Glory' plays when Einstein opens the biscuit jar)
Einstein: Which reminds me! Smart meters could help Britain create a future where we're less reliant on imported gas.
(Music stops when the jar is closed)
Kim: Oh right...
(Music starts again when Ed opens jar)
Einstein: They help us manage our energy use, which improves the balance of supply and demand, so we could use more wind and solar energy from Britain!
Help Britain create a future that's less reliant on imported gas.
Search get a smart meter today.
How do smart meters enable a smart energy system?
Some of a smart meter's features and benefits could help create a smart energy system in the future because they:
- Enable a flexible energy system that can use greener sources of energy
- Help improve the way the system balances supply with demand
- Help to ensure the security of our energy supply.
But that isn’t all, smart meters also allow consumers to play an active role in the energy system. With smart meters, customers can get a better understanding of their energy usage from the in-home display. They can also benefit from using energy flexibly with new smart meter-enabled tariffs and schemes.
Smart meters securely share gas and electricity readings with your supplier. This means no more estimated bills, and no more manual meter readings. But that’s not all. Another benefit of smart meters automatically sending meter readings is more smart meter data, enabling the smart energy system to:
- Identify and respond to power outages more quickly
- Better balance supply with demand, which then helps to...
- Reduce waste - in fact, current estimates from the government are that the smart meter rollout will lead to a total saving of £6bn for Great Britain by 2034.*
- Make the most of renewable energy like wind and solar.
But what is a smart energy system, and what does smart energy management mean?
Today's technology has come so far – it's great to see how our homes are getting smarter, from our TVs to our phones. Now smart meters are the latest upgrade, helping us modernise and create a smart energy system.
A smart energy system uses modern digital technology to understand when customers across Great Britain use energy on a large scale, as well as how much they use. This will allow the system to better manage what energy is needed and where. This leads to cutting down on energy waste and shifting from depending on fossil fuels to focusing on renewable energy sources.
This modern system will mean we can use more renewable energy to combat climate change and reduce carbon emissions. Now that's smart.
*Requires consumer action.
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Reducing energy consumption and getting to net zero in the UK using smart meter
What is the UK net zero carbon emissions target?
Net zero refers to the balance between the amount of greenhouse gases we emit, and the amount removed from the atmosphere.
Back in 2019, the UK became the first major economy to pass net zero emissions law. This new target requires the UK to bring all greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050. And we all need to do our bit to help the UK reach this target. You can find out more about this law here.
How will smart meters help us achieve the net zero carbon emissions target in the UK?
To achieve the government’s net zero target, we need to decarbonise electricity by making sure that as much electricity as possible is generated by renewables. Because renewable energy and climate change prevention go hand-in-hand.
The benefits of smart meters include enabling a smart energy system, helping us make the most of renewable energy, such as solar or wind energy.
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Unlocking the advantages of renewable energy to the environment
Benefits of renewable energy: how does using renewable energy help the environment?
Renewable energy comes from sources that are constantly and naturally ‘renewed’, such as wind power or solar energy.
To help reduce the devastating effects of climate change, we are working to help Britain use more renewable energy sources. One of the benefits of using renewable energy is that renewable energy sources can replace fossil fuels like coal and gas.
But why is coal bad for the environment? And why are fossil fuels bad in general? When we burn fossil fuels to create energy, they release harmful gases which contribute to climate change. These gases increase the levels of CO2 and other gases and trapping heat in the atmosphere.
How do smart meters help the environment, enable greater use of renewable energy and reduce your carbon footprint?
A smart energy system needs to manage the supply of energy when usage is higher, for example, in the evening, as people cook dinner and watch TV. During these periods, the energy system can’t rely purely on renewables, so power stations are used.
To prevent this, customers could use their smart meter and smart tariffs to reduce their energy usage at peak periods, when electricity is most expensive. This will help the energy system reduce our reliance on additional power stations, because they won’t need to produce as much extra energy at these peak times. Helping us make the most of renewable energy, such as solar or wind energy.
But what is a carbon footprint?
We all want to do our bit for the environment. But it can be hard to know what effect you're having. So, what is a carbon footprint?
It's a clever way to measure our impact we have on the environment. It works out the amount of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere from our everyday activities – like driving, going on holiday or using single-use plastics. These gases can be very dangerous for our environment.
Luckily, there are lots of things you can do to help reduce your carbon footprint! Like getting a smart meter, which helps to upgrade Great Britain’s energy system and can help you find ways to save money on energy.
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Reduce the coal mining impact on the environment
Why is coal bad for the environment?
Coal is the most carbon-intensive fossil fuel, and is responsible for harmful air pollution:
The burning of coal and other fossil fuels releases greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, increasing levels of CO2 and other gases, trapping heat, and contributing to global climate change.
How smart meters will impact coal and the environment
As explained above, a smart energy system, enabled by smart meters, is helping us increase our use of renewable energy sources, such as wind power or solar power. Power stations burning coal and the disadvantages of coal will soon be a thing of the past…
In fact, reliance on coal for electricity has already dropped from 70% in 1990 to around 3% today. This is great news for the environment!
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Benefits of electric vehicles for the environment
How can electric vehicles reduce energy consumption?
A major feature of electric vehicles is that they get their power from electricity, instead of petroleum-based fuel. This means that drivers need to periodically plug them in to charge.
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My name is Andrew. I live here in Bedford, with my wife, Gemma, and my three boys. Having a smart meter and electric vehicle together works really well, it's a very good combination, because you can see what energy you're actually using to charge your vehicle.
So what that actually means for me is that I'm not going to get a huge shock of a bill at the end of the year, or at the end of the month. On average it's two pence per mile in terms of energy costs.
More people driving electric vehicles will mean that our roads will soon be a lot quieter. It will also cause a huge shift in energy demand, from liquid fossil fuels to electricity. This is one of the environmental benefits of electric vehicles.
But it also means that more electricity will need to be supplied to electric vehicle owners. This new demand needs to be managed as smartly as possible.
And that's where the smart energy system, supported by smart meters, comes in.
How smart meters could help unlock the potential for electric vehicles
A smart energy system will use a lot of information, including energy usage data from smart meters, to better predict energy demand. As more people get electric vehicles and demand for electricity increases, this will help us supply more reliable, efficient and low-carbon energy to households. And also help us all to manage our valuable resources more efficiently.
Smart meters and electric vehicle (EV) tariffs
Some suppliers offer special tariffs to electric vehicle owners. These tariffs are known as electric vehicle (EV) tariffs. EV tariffs typically charge a cheaper rate for electricity used at night. This allows people with electric cars to charge them for less when they are less likely to be driving them. In most cases, a smart meter is required to access EV tariffs. To find out more, check out Energy Saving Trust's guide to smart charging for electric vehicles.
But that isn’t all! By charging their electric vehicles during off-peak times, EV owners help to move demand for energy away from peak times. This can help to balance supply and demand in Great Britain's energy system, allowing it to make the most of renewable energy sources.
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Smart meter energy savings
Smart meter advantages: how do smart meters save energy?
Just having a smart meter installed doesn't automatically save your household energy. But the handy in-home display that comes with your smart meter helps you keep on top of your energy usage. It can show you your energy consumption in kWh and pounds and pence, in near-real time. You can use this information to make changes around your home to reduce your energy usage. This can help to reduce your carbon footprint.
Now that you're aware of the benefits of smart meters and their crucial role in helping Britain transition to a greener, more sustainable energy future, you can request your smart meter below!
Want to find out more?
Eligibility and availability vary. Consumer action required. Rewards schemes and tariffs available to selected customers from selected suppliers,