Chameleon In-Home Displays: a complete guide

Chameleon offers sleek, award-winning In-Home Displays (IHDs) for smart meters. These little gadgets let you track your energy use in a way that’s simple and easy to understand. They provide detailed insights so you can easily see your  energy use and help you stick to a budget that works for you.

The Chameleon IHD3 and IHD6 In-Home Displays are wonderfully user-friendly, but there are still some things you’ll need to know to make the most of them. With that in mind, we’ve crafted this complete guide to your Chameleon 3 and 6 In-Home Displays. 

Benefits of the Chameleon In-Home Display

The Chameleon IHD3 and IHD6 In-Home Displays team with your smart meter so you get all the insights on your energy use. They  boast some fantastic features and benefits for users. These include:

• An easy-to-use touch display 
• User-friendly design 
• A reputation for reliability 
• A simple traffic-light-system to help you easily understand your energy use in real time 
• A signal strength icon so you can be sure your meter is working correctly 
• The ability for you to set a budget 
• The ability to display electricity and gas use individually or together 
• An option to easily reset 
• A clock 
• Sleek, stylish design

Will my Chameleon In-Home Display work with OVO? 

Versatility and ease of use have always been key to the innovative Chameleon brand. Their In-Home Displays work with all the smart meters that OVO Energy installs, and will be supplied along with the smart meter. 

So how do you get one? All you need to do is to book a smart meter installation through OVO and answer some questions through your account. You can do this online or through the OVO app.  

It's also easy to switch suppliers with a smart meter, so you may be able to continue using your In-Home Display as normal. But bear in mind that your new supplier may use a different type of In-Home Display. If that’s the case, you might lose some of the functionality on your IHD when you switch. If you're not sure, we recommend asking your new supplier if they can support your In-Home Display before you switch.

Chameleon In-Home Display manual

While there are always things to learn about any new home technology, we can assure you that getting to grips with a Chameleon In-Home Display is a piece of cake! 

Once you’ve had your smart meter installed, your engineer will offer you an introduction to your Chameleon IHD3 or IHD6 In-Home Display. But if you’d rather do it yourself, set-up is really straightforward.  You’ll probably be able to get to grips with its functions  just by having a play with it once it’s switched on. But there are some neat functions you could miss out on. 

With that in mind, we’ve put together this Chameleon Smart In-Home Display manual so you can make the most out of your In-Home Display  straight away. That way, you can begin to understand how to save money and energy from the moment it arrives. 

How to read a Chameleon Smart In-Home Display

There are 2 different versions of the Chameleon Smart In-Home Display you might be given with your smart meter. The IHD 3 or IHD 6. Although they work in similar ways and are both excellent for managing your energy use, there are a few practical differences between them. Here, we’ll break it down so you’ll be fully informed no matter which version  you’re given. We’ll begin with the earlier model, the Chameleon IHD 3. 

The compact Chameleon IHD 3 Smart In-Home Display has a variety of uses. 

Using the Chameleon IHD 3 smart In-Home Display buttons

Let’s start at the Home symbol. Very simply, this returns you to the home screen. So, if you ever get lost, you’ll want to hit this.

The Now button simply showcases the amount of energy you’re using at that very moment. 

Fuel/Utility is one of the most important buttons for staying on top of your energy bills. It lets you switch between gas and electricity. If you find your Chameleon IHD 3 is not showing electricity or gas, there’s a good chance you’re simply on the wrong screen. 

Similarly, the Calendar button lets you toggle between energy use at different times. That means you can see how much you’ve used that day, week, month or even all year. 

The final two buttons are for more general navigation. The Menu/OK button – as the name would suggest – either allows you to visit a menu or confirm a selection when looking through a series of options. 

Finally, the arrow keys allow you to scroll through options or information. 

Reading the Chameleon IHD 3 In-Home  Display

Here, we’ll go through the 9 key elements of the display. We’ll be going from left to right, and end with the ones that cover the majority of the screen. 

1. Budget Dial: To the left, you have a budget dial. This fills up throughout the day to tell you how much of your budget you’ve used.
2. Signal Strength: At the upper left is your signal strength meter. The bars tell you how well the device is connected to the smart meter and so, how well your In-Home Display can do its job.
3. Fuel View: A little closer to the centre and highlighted by a flame, an electric bolt, or both. The fuel view shows what kind of energy use is currently being presented. It might be gas, electricity, or both together.
4. Budget Marker: Above the fuel view is the budget marker. This tells you your maximum spend for the day.
5. Battery: To the centre right of the screen, there’s a battery symbol which tells you how much juice is left in the unit. If it’s running low, just plug it in to charge.
6. Time: To the right of the battery, at the very top of the screen is a clock. Of course, this is generally handy to have, as well as putting all this information into context.
7. Cost Display: At the low  centre of the display – and stretched across much of it lengthwise – is the cost display. This tells you clearly, and to the penny, how much money you’ve spent.
8. Control Panel: Further down the screen is the control panel. This is where all the buttons mentioned in the previous section can be found. 
9. Traffic Lights: At the bottom of the screen is the traffic lights system. This tells you (based on your budget) whether you’re using too much energy at that very moment. Green means all is good, amber means you’re close to going over and red means if you continue using this amount, you’ll soon be over budget.

Using the Chameleon IHD 6 smart In-Home Display buttons 

The first key difference between the Chameleon IHD 3 and IHD 6 is there’s no row of buttons at the bottom of the screen on the IHD 6 which work as a control panel. Instead, you can interact with the touch screen directly.

Firstly, you can toggle between viewing your energy use over various periods of time. These include:

• Use now
• So far today
• So far this week
• So far this month
• So far this year

You can swap between them by touching the screen to move through to the next period of use. These options can be found just below your gas and electricity use displays. These are illustrated by an electric bolt or a gas flame. If you want to view your current use (now), you’ll find the option below the amount of money spent per hour, and wattage. 

When viewing your energy use over the different time periods, you can see both your electricity and gas use either in terms of £ or kWh. You can choose whichever you find easiest to use and understand. You can go back and forth between these options by pressing on the type of energy display you want to see. 

At the upper left of the screen, there’s the Budget option. This allows you to see and change your daily budget for both gas and electricity. 

To the bottom left, is a little Home symbol. This takes you back to the home screen if you’ve been checking through the different budget displays.

All the other functions on the Chameleon IHD 6 come from the Menu screen This  can be accessed by touching the symbol in the bottom right corner. From here, you’ll be able to access detailed information about your Account, History, Budget, Meter, and IHD Info, as well as checking any Messages. 

Hit the Arrow button for more menu options and you’ll be able to access your Settings and even a Contact screen, which has handy details for your supplier. Finally, there’s a Tutorial option if you want further help.

Reading the Chameleon IHD 6 In-Home Display 

As the Chameleon IHD 6 is so simple and interactive, most of its displays are pretty self-explanatory. That said, here’s a complete breakdown to the functions on the Chameleon IHD 6 display. Again, we’ll be going from left to right across the screen:

1. Signal Strength: This tells you how well the display is connected to the smart meter. 
2. Home Button: At the very bottom left of the screen is the Home button. Press this to return to the home page from wherever you are on the display.
3. Use Indicator: Between the Signal Strength and Home button symbols, there is the use indicator for gas and electricity. These tell you how much energy you’ve used according to your budget. Electricity is shown as a yellow line and gas is shown as a blue line.
4. Budget: At the top and in the middle of the Use Indicator is the Budget button, which is shown as a purple line with the word “Budget”. This gives you a clear indication of how close you are to going over your budget. It  also lets you easily change your set amounts for gas and electricity use. 
5. Fuel Type: In the middle of your Use Indicator is either a flame or an electric bolt symbol, or both. These tell you the type of energy you are looking at right now.
6. Clock: Right at the upper centre of your screen is a clock display. 
7. Electricity Use: To the bottom right of the clock is your Electricity Energy Use. Indicated by an electric bolt symbol, it shows how much you’ve either spent or used in kWh within the time period selected below.
8. Gas Use: This is exactly the same as above but with gas use indicated by the same flame symbol you can see on Fuel Type.
9. Time Period: This tells you the time period that all this information refers to, whether it’s right now, today, this week, this month or even for the entire year.
10. Battery level/Charging Status: Found at the top right of the screen, this shows how much battery you have left on your IHD and whether it will need charging soon.
11. Menu: At the bottom right of the screen is the button to access the Menu, which is indicated by six white squares. 

In addition to the Chameleon In-Home Displays, you can also use the OVO Energy app to review your use and help manage your account.

How to pair a Chameleon In-Home Display

Again, there are some slight differences between how the Chameleon IHD 3 and IHD 6 work. Here’s a step-by-step guide for both, with easy instructions that should only take you a few minutes to set up. Again, we'll begin with the earlier model, the Chameleon IHD 3. 

Pairing a Chameleon IHD 3

• Pair to the internet: To pair your Chameleon IHD 3 to the internet, turn it on by holding down the button at the back of the device. You can then connect it to your Wi-Fi network. This allows us to get updates and monitor the smart meter’s functionality and IHD 3 display. That means we can ensure that its working at its best. 

• Connect to Wi-Fi: First go to Settings and select OK. Next, scroll through your Wi-Fi options until you find the correct selection for you. Choose ‘join network’ and confirm. 

  Pick a connection option: You then have three options to connect. These are generally standard and should be recognisable if you’ve connected

At the upper left of the screen, there’s the Budget option. This allows you to see and change your daily budget for both gas and electricity. 

To the bottom left, is a little Home symbol. This takes you back to the home screen if you’ve been checking through the different budget displays.

All the other functions on the Chameleon IHD 6 come from the Menu screen This  can be accessed by touching the symbol in the bottom right corner. From here, you’ll be able to access detailed information about your Account, History, Budget, Meter, and IHD Info, as well as checking any Messages. 

Hit the Arrow button for more menu options and you’ll be able to access your Settings and even a Contact screen, which has handy details for your supplier. Finally, there’s a Tutorial option if you want further help.

Pairing a Chameleon Smart IHD 6

Pairing the Chameleon IHD 6 is done in a similar way. Here’s what to do if you have the later model. 

• Turn the IHD 6 on: It starts the same as the IHD 3 here. Just switch on your display by pressing the button at the back of the device.
• Navigate to Settings: Click the Menu button at the bottom right of your screen. While in the Menu, click the arrow at the right hand side of the screen. From here, you can select Settings. 
• Select Wi-Fi: The Wi-Fi button should now appear at the centre upper left of the screen with the recognisable Wi-Fi symbol. You can then click the On/Off button to on.
• Pick a connection option: This will bring up a similar selection of options as the IHD 3. These include the WPS Push button, WPS Pin Entry, WPS Push button and Network Name. Choose whichever option best suits your needs and set up and follow the relevant instructions. If you can’t get onto the Wi-Fi, you can ask for help during the installation or contact the OVO support team.

How to set a budget in a Chameleon In-Home Display

Setting the budget on a Chameleon IHD3

One of the best things about the Chameleon IHDs is the ability to easily set a budget. For the Chameleon IHD 3, all you need to do is head to the menu screen, select OK and click on Adjust settings.  

From there, you can choose the time period for your budget by tapping the Calendar button. The arrow will change the amount. Your screen will even tell you previous use amounts to give you an idea of what your budget should be. Click OK again to confirm your choices. 

You can also do this individually for each type of fuel if you wish by using the Utility button. The budget dial will now help you easily see how well you’re sticking to your newly set targets, alongside the budget marker. The Chameleon IHD 3 instructions for budgeting are every bit as easy as the Chameleon technology smart meter set-up. 

Setting the budget on a Chameleon IHD 6

On the IHD6 you can change your budget in a couple of clicks by tapping on the Budget button found above the Usage Indicator. You’ll then have the option to choose electricity or gas. This will take you to another screen where plus and minus signs allow you to quickly and easily lower or increase your budget. You can toggle the time periods for that budget by hitting the date indicator (which will say day, week, month or year) at the bottom of the screen. 

You can also easily choose between the electricity and gas budget screen by clicking on the relevant symbols,  indicated by a bolt and a flame. These settings can also be accessed through the Menu screen. 

See your energy use in real time

There are a couple of different ways to see the amount of energy you’re using with the IHD 3 . The Now button shows how much you are using in both kilowatts and cost per hour at that moment. 

If you want to see your energy use at a glance, just take a look at the traffic light system at the bottom of the In-Home Display screen. This will give you a good idea of your use and will help you adjust where needed to stick to your budget. 

With the IHD 6. You simply touch the time period button until it selects Usage now, if it’s not already on that setting. This will tell you your usage right now in both kilowatts and money spent per hour. 

There is no traffic light system on the IHD 6 model but you can see a display of your electricity and gas use as a dial on the time period views. These clearly show how close you are to your budget at a glance and can be changed to show your usage on a daily, weekly, monthly or yearly basis. 

Customising your display

You can do the following customisations on the display of both IHD 3 and IHD 6. 

• adjust screen brightness
• enable (or disable) night mode
• set a budget alert
• choose between English or Welsh languages and select your own key tones

Only the Chameleon IHD 3 allows you to toggle between gas and electricity on the home screen.

OVO Greenlight 

Now you have your smart meter and In-Home Display, green up your home with OVO Greenlight – a free energy-saving tool that gives you all sorts of useful info about your energy use. Plus, handy tips to help you cut carbon and bills!

OVO Greenlight brings you:

• Weekly breakdowns of where you use (and can save) energy
• Live updates showing the greenest times to power up 
• Your home’s energy carbon footprint compared to others

OVO Greenlight helps you:

• Do more for the planet
• Take control of your energy use (and bills!)
• Discover the greenest time to use energy

By joining OVO, you’ll automatically get access to OVO Greenlight, so why not switch today?