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Smart Meter Awareness Week:

31^stOct - 4^th Nov 2022

This week is Smart Meter Awareness Week, where we’re sharing information for renters, so we’ve produced some useful guides and tips for saving energy for all those who rent. Whether it’s getting the right energy-efficient lightbulb or getting a smart meter installed, here are some ways you could get more control over your energy if you rent your home.

In light of cost-of-living concerns, we’ve commissioned research into how renters are finding ways to save this winter. The results showed that renters are prepared to go to big lengths in order to save energy and money. In fact, 22% of private renters say they would go to the gym each morning to shower in order to help cut down on their water and heating bills. During this time of high energy prices, it can feel frustrating as a renter. One of the more frustrating parts of renting is not knowing what energy-saving changes you can make to your rented home.

That’s why we’ve started Smart Meter Awareness Week, to help you understand what energy efficient actions you can take, including requesting a smart meter, to help you get more control over the energy you use in your rented home.

Father and son cooking while father is on the phone

WHAT IS SMART METER AWARENESS WEEK?

Smart Meter Awareness Week is an annual campaign for the private rented sector in Great Britain. This campaign is designed to help renters, landlords and letting agents better understand the benefits of smart meters.

This week’s goal is to encourage people to request smart meter installations in private rented homes as part of the national rollout.

HOW CAN YOU SAVE THIS WINTER IF YOU RENT?

With the high cost of energy, it’s more important than ever to make your home as energy efficient as you can. There are things you can keep an eye out for whether you’ve just moved into a new place or whether you’ve been in your current home for a while.

If you rent your home there are small, low or no cost changes you can make that will help you to keep the cold out and valuable heat in. Just remember the word LIGHT – Lighting, Insulation, Glazing, Heating, and Tech!

Lighting

Switching all the bulbs in your home to energy efficient LEDs can save up to £65 a year*

Insulation

Install brushes or strips where there are draughts, including over letterboxes and keyholes or where there are gaps in the frame.

Glazing

Thin film stuck to the window frame with tape can help keep heat inside. There are DIY kits with removable systems which can make even more of a difference.

Heating

Radiator reflector panels can be fitted behind radiators on external walls. These work by keeping more of the heat in the room.

Tech

Ask your energy supplier for a smart meter at no additional cost - this can help you know where you can make changes to save energy and money.

*Savings based on a typical gas-heated three bedroom semi-detached home with gas tariff of 10.3p/kWh and electricity tariff of 34p/kWh. Energy Saving Trust, correct as of October 2022.

Download the full energy saving checklist below to get a more detailed look at how to save energy in your rented property:

Energy efficiency checklist for renters

Watch leading property expert Kate Faulkner dive into the LIGHT checklist further:

video url

: Kate Faulkner: With the high cost of energy bills, it's more important than ever before to try and make sure your home is as energy efficient as possible. However, when you're renting, that can seem quite difficult. You might think the landlord won't cover any extra costs, or you can't make any permanent changes to your home. However, if you've been renting for a long time or you're looking for a new property to rent, there are things to keep an eye out for and steps that you can take that will make a real difference.

There are low or no cost changes that you can make, such as getting a smart meter which can help you track your energy usage. But there are other things you can do that help keep the cold out and that valuable heat in. The easy change is taking all the light bulbs out of your home and replacing them with LED light bulbs.

This can mean that you can save up to £65 a year. Draught excluders are a great way to keep the cold air out. What you can do is go round your doors, your window frames, and you're looking for any gaps that are letting a breeze in. If you hang thicker and heavier curtains on your windows, this can be a great way to trap the warmth into your home.

You can adjust your heating oil boiler controls. And even if you look at the thermostat and take it down by just one degree, you could save yourself up to £145 a year. If you pay your gas and electricity supplier directly in your rented home. You can choose to have a smart meter fitted. Now, these come with a fantastic in-home display which allows you to track your energy use in pounds and pence in near real time.

SMART METERS FOR TENANTS

What is a smart meter?

Smart meters are the next generation of gas and electricity meters. They are being installed in homes across Great Britain at no extra cost, to replace traditional meters (including prepay meters). Smart meters measure how much energy you're using in near real-time and show you what it's costing you ona handy in home display.

We believe that Octopus Energy is now responsible for Affect Energy customers. Therefore we are connecting you with Octopus Energy who will be responsible for taking your request forward.

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We believe that British Gas is now responsible for Angelic Energy customers. Therefore we are connecting you with British Gas who will be responsible for taking your request forward.

We believe that SSE is now responsible for Atlantic Energy customers. Therefore we are connecting you with SSE who will be responsible for taking your request forward.

We believe that Nabuh Energy is now responsible for Avid Energy customers. Therefore we are connecting you with Nabuh Energy who will be responsible for taking your request forward.

We believe that Octopus Energy are responsible for Avro Energy customers. Therefore we are connecting you with Octopus Energy who will be responsible for taking your request forward.

We believe that British Gas is now responsible for Beam Energy customers. Therefore we are connecting you with British Gas who will be responsible for taking your request forward.

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We are connecting you to your supplier's website. They will take your request forward.

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You can continue your smart meter journey at your supplier's website. They will take your request forward.

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We believe that OVO Energy are responsible for Economy Energy credit customers. Therefore we are connecting you with OVO Energy who will be responsible for taking your request forward. If you are a prepay customer you will need to visit Boost Energy at www.boostpower.co.uk/smart-meters. They will be responsible for taking you request forward.

We believe that Octopus Energy is now responsible for Engie customers. Therefore we are connecting you with Octopus Energy who will be responsible for taking your request forward.

We believe that E.ON Next is now responsible for Enstroga customers. Therefore we will connect you with E.ON Next who will be responsible for taking your request forward.

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We believe that Octopus Energy is now responsible for Gen4U customers. Therefore we are connecting you with Octopus Energy who will be responsible for taking your request forward.

We don't currently have information from your energy supplier regarding their bookings for smart meters, but we will connect you to their website so you can contact them directly.

We believe that Bulb Energy is now responsible for GnErgy customers. Therefore we will connect you with Bulb who will be responsible for taking your request forward.

We don't currently have information from your energy supplier regarding their bookings for smart meters, but we will connect you to their website so you can contact them directly.

We believe that Shell Energy is now responsible for Goto Energy customers. Therefore we will connect you with Shell energy who will be responsible for taking your request forward.

We believe that British Gas is now responsible for Great North Energy customers. Therefore we are connecting you with British Gas who will be responsible for taking your request forward.

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We believe that EDF Energy is now responsible for Green Network Energy customers. Therefore we will connect you with EDF Energy who will be responsible for taking your request forward.

We don't currently have information from your energy supplier regarding their bookings for smart meters, but we will connect you to their website so you can contact them directly.

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We don't currently have information from your energy supplier regarding their bookings for smart meters, but we will connect you to their website so you can contact them directly.

We believe that E.ON Next is now responsible for Hub Energy customers. Therefore we will connect you with E.ON Next who will be responsible for taking your request forward.

We believe that E.ON Next is now responsible for Igloo Energy customers. Therefore we will connect you with E.ON Next who will be responsible for taking your request forward.

We believe that Octopus Energy is now responsible for Iresa customers. Therefore we are connecting you with Octopus Energy who will be responsible for taking your request forward.

We believe that EDF Energy is now responsible for iSupply Energy customers. Therefore we are connecting you with EDF Energy who will be responsible for taking your request forward.

We don't currently have information from your energy supplier regarding their bookings for smart meters, but we will connect you to their website so you can contact them directly.

We believe that OVO Energy is now responsible for Lumo customers. Therefore we are connecting you with OVO Energy who will be responsible for taking your request forward.

We don't currently have information from your energy supplier regarding their bookings for smart meters, but we will connect you to their website so you can contact them directly.

We believe that British Gas is now responsible for MoneyPlus Energy customers. Therefore we will connect you with British Gas who will be responsible for taking your request forward.

We believe that British Gas is now responsible for Nabuh Energy customers. Therefore we will connect you with British Gas who will be responsible for taking your request forward.

We believe that British Gas is now responsible for Neon Reef Energy customers. Therefore we will connect you with British Gas who will be responsible for taking your request forward.

We believe that E.ON is now responsible for Npower Select customers. Therefore we will connect you with E.ON who will be responsible for taking your request forward.

We believe that E.ON Next is now responsible for Npower Select customers. Therefore we will connect you with E.ON Next who will be responsible for taking your request forward.

We believe that Utilita are responsible for Omni Energy customers. Therefore we are connecting you to Utilita who will be responsible for taking your request forward.

We beleive that Scottish Power is now responsible for Orbit Energy customers. Therefore we will connect you with Scottish Power who will be responsible with taking your request forward.

We believe that Utilita is now responsible for Our Power customers. Therefore we are connecting you with Utilita who will be responsible for taking your request forward.

We believe that British Gas is now responsible for People's Energy customers. Therefore we will connect you with British Gas who will be responsible for taking your request forward.

We believe that British Gas is now responsible for PFP Energy customers. Therefore we will connect you with British Gas who will be responsible for taking your request forward.

We believe that E.ON Next is now responsible for Powershop customers. Therefore we will connect you with E.ON Next who will be responsible for taking your request forward.

We believe that Shell Energy is now responsible for Pure Planet customers. Therefore we will connect you with Shell Energy who will be responsible for taking your request forward.

We believe that Octopus Energy is now responsible for Qwest Energy customers. Therefore we are connecting you with Octopus Energy who will be responsible for taking your request forward.

We believe that British Gas is now responsible for Ram Energy customers. Therefore we are connecting you with British Gas who will be responsible for taking your request forward.

We believe that British Gas is now responsible for Robin Hood Energy customers. Therefore we will connect you with British Gas who will be responsible for taking your request forward.

You can continue your smart meter journey at your supplier's website. They will take your request forward.

Scottish Gas have told us that British Gas is responsible for providing smart meters on their behalf. Therefore we are connecting you with British Gas who will be responsible for taking your request forward.

Scottish Hydro have told us that SSE is responsible for providing smart meters on their behalf. Therefore we are connecting you with SSE who will be responsible for taking your request forward.

We believe that British Gas is now responsible for Simplicity Energy customers. Therefore we will connect you with British Gas who will be responsible for taking your request forward.

We believe that SSE is now responsible for Spark Energy customers. Therefore we will connect you with SSE who will be responsible for taking your request forward.

We believe that British Gas is now responsible for Southend Energy customers. Therefore we are connecting you with British Gas who will be responsible for taking your request forward.

We believe that Nabuh Energy is now responsible for Snowdrop Energy customers. Therefore we are connecting you with Nabuh Energy who will be responsible for taking your request forward.

We believe that British Gas is now responsible for Social Energy customers. Therefore we will connect you with British Gas who will be responsible for taking your request forward.

We don't currently have information from your energy supplier regarding their bookings for smart meters, but we will connect you to their website so you can contact them directly.

We believe that EDF are responsible for Solarplicity customers. Therefore we are connecting you with EDF who will be responsible for taking your request forward.

Swalec have told us that SSE is responsible for providing smart meters on their behalf. Therefore we are connecting you with SSE who will be responsible for taking your request forward.

Symbio Energy have told us that E.ON NEXT is responsible for providing smart meters on their behalf. Therefore we will connect you with E.ON NEXT who will be responsible for taking your request forward.

We believe that British Gas is now responsible for The Leccy customers. Therefore we are connecting you with British Gas who will be responsible for taking your request forward.

We believe that British Gas are responsible for Together Energy customers. Therefore we are connecting you with British Gas who will be responsible for taking your request forward.

We believe that Scottish Power is now responsible for Tonik Energy customers. Therefore we are connecting you with Scottish Power who will be responsible for taking your request forward.

We believe that EDF Energy are responsible for Toto Energy customers. Therefore we are connecting you with EDF Energy who will be responsible for taking your request forward.

We believe that Octopus Energy are responsible for UKEIH customers. Therefore we are connecting you with Octopus Energy who will be responsible for taking your request forward.

We believe that Shell Energy Retail is now responsible for Usio Energy customers. Therefore we are connecting you with Shell Energy Retail who will be responsible for taking your request forward.

We believe that EDF Energy is now responsible for Utility Point customers. Therefore we will connect you with EDF Energy who will be responsible for taking your request forward.

We believe that E.ON are responsible for Wasp Energy customers. Therefore we are connecting you with E.ON who will be responsible for taking your request forward.

We believe that British Gas is now responsible for White Rose Energy customers. Therefore we are connecting you with British Gas who will be responsible for taking your request forward.

We believe that E.ON are responsible for Wigan Warriors Energy customers. Therefore we are connecting you with E.ON who will be responsible for taking your request forward.

We beleive that Scottish Power is now responsible for Yorkshire Energy customers. Therefore we are connecting you with Scottish Power who will be responsible for taking your request forward.

We believe that British Gas is now responsible for Your Energy Sussex customers. Therefore we are connecting you with British Gas who will be responsible for taking your request forward.

We believe that British Gas is now responsible for Zebra Power customers. Therefore we are connecting you with British Gas who will be responsible for taking your request forward.

We believe that EDF is now responsible for Zog Energy customers. Therefore we are connecting you with EDF who will be responsible for taking your request forward.

Who can request a smart meter?

There can be some confusion as to whose responsibility it is to install a smart meter. If you pay for the gas or electricity in your rented property, you can choose to have a smart meter. We do recommend you tell your landlord before you get one though.

That's because there may be rules in your tenancy agreement about how energy is supplied to the property, including the type of meter that can be installed.

Ofgem, the energy regulator, says that your landlord should not unreasonably prevent you from getting a smart meter. This is the case even if your tenancy agreement says you need your landlord's permission to change the meter at your propery.

Click on the links below to download our full smart meter factsheet for private tenants in English and Welsh.

It has more infomation on the benefits smart meters could have for you and about how smart meters work when you’re renting.

Smart meters: a guide for renters

Mesuryddion clyfar: canllaw ar gyfer tenantiaid

SMART METERS FOR SMALL BUSINESSES

If you own a small business and are renting your space, you may be eligible for a smart meter as well. Smart meters can help you have more control over your businesses’ energy spend.

Check out our guide to smart meters for small businesses in English and Welsh below. Or you can go to our small business hub for more information.

A guide to smart meters for small businesses

Canllaw i fesuryddion clyfar ar gyfer busnesau bach

STILL CONCERNED ABOUT GETTING A SMART METER FOR YOUR RENTED PROPERTY?

Even with these benefits, you may still have concerns about getting a smart meter. Are you worried about what your landlord might say? Or are you worried about how much it might cost?

We’ve created a mythbusting leaflet below to answer these questions and to help you better understand other common concerns you might have around getting a smart meter for your flat or house.

Smart meters: the misconceptions

Mesuryddion clyfar: y camsyniadau

Smart Meter Awareness Week:

31st Oct - 4th Nov 2022

WHAT IS SMART METER AWARENESS WEEK?

HOW CAN YOU SAVE THIS WINTER IF YOU RENT?

Lighting

Insulation

Glazing

Heating

Tech

SMART METERS FOR TENANTS

What is a smart meter?

Who can request a smart meter?

SMART METERS FOR SMALL BUSINESSES

STILL CONCERNED ABOUT GETTING A SMART METER FOR YOUR RENTED PROPERTY?

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31^stOct - 4^th Nov 2022