How to use your smart meter and In-Home Display to save money.
Your smart meter comes with a handy digital device called an In-Home Display (IHD), which can help you keep track of your home’s energy use.
It shows how much energy you’re using in real time, and how much it’s costing in £ and p. It’s an effective way to help you see where you can make changes to lower your energy bills.
How to startsaving
1
Find your benchmark
Check your IHD when you’re using the devices and appliances you’d usually have on. Make a note of how much energy your IHD says you’re using, and what it’s costing. This’ll be your benchmark.
2
Test an appliance
Pick an appliance you want to test and turn it on. Now check your IHD. Within a few seconds, it’ll update the electricity usage so you can see how much energy the appliance uses. And how much it costs. Gas usage takes up to 30 minutes to update.
3
Compare the difference
Look at your energy use with the appliance on and compare it to your benchmark usage. The difference shows you how much it uses. E.g if your benchmark was £0.24/hour and this went up to £0.96/hour with the appliance on, it costs £0.72 per hour to run it.
4
Make changes – and save
Once you know the cost of using each of your appliances, you can adjust your energy use, like unplugging appliances instead of leaving them on standby. And using energy when the IHD’s off-peak indicator light is on helps you benefit from lower rates.
Discover the benefits ofan IHD
See your energy use in real time
In kWh (the unit used to measure energy) and in £ and p. You can also easily check your meter readings any time in a couple of taps.
Know what your energy is costing
See daily, weekly, or monthly costs - so, you'll know what you'll pay each month. You can also spot the biggest energy users in your home to help make changes that could save money.
Set energy budgets
To help manage your monthly bills, you can set an energy budget for both electricity and gas. You can also receive alerts for high usage if you're close to the limit you've set.