What are Smart meters?

At Northern Ireland Electricity (NIE) we are currently trialing smart meters. Find out more about our Shift & Save trial in Coleraine.

Smart meters are a high-tech version of the normal meter in your house. They have a digital display and are similar in size to regular meters. Various types and models of smart meters are available, but all of them have the same basic function.

Using a communications network, the internal antenna present in smart meters sends electricity consumption data to the utility.  Smart meters can also record the energy that you feed back into the distribution network from things such as wind turbines and solar panels.

This technology enables centralised meter reading, so meter readers don’t have to visit individual premises for data collection. However, your meter may need to be examined occasionally for testing and maintenance.

Smart meters let you find out how much energy you are consuming at a certain time; therefore, by using them you can check your energy consumption and you could reduce your electricity bills.