It sits in the hallway, glowing for all to see, a handy yet stress-inducing device that can make or ruin your day at the touch of a button. I'm talking of course about the smart meter, the device that's been the topic of conversation this month as energy bills soar.
More than 24 million of these are already in homes and businesses across the UK, and many householders are joining the huge sign-up lists for one from their energy supplier. They are replacing the traditional meters, including pre-pay key meters, and measure how much gas and electricity you’re using, as well as what it’s costing you.
It turns out the smart meter may actually be an important tool for measuring your energy usage as April sees the energy price cap, set by regulator Ofgem, go up by a whopping 54% if not more for some. The energy price cap, which limits the rates a supplier can charge for each unit of gas and electricity you use, jumped by £693 from £1,277 to £1,971 this month.
Read more: Everything you need to know about the energy crisis if you are a British Gas customer
It's hard to know whether smart meters actually save you money or just cause more stress. They've also caused controversy in the past due to claims of false readings and their radio wave emissions, although a 2020 government report stated that the evidence to date suggests exposures to the radio waves produced by smart meters do not pose a risk to health.
I don't have a smart meter in my home, I'm with E.ON and I'm on a standard tariff, read more about that here, but it's only a matter of time before I probably get one. However, I wanted to see whether smart meters were actually beneficial in the home as well as discovering how much energy one person uses on a typical day.
I decided to unplug my laptop and take it to my dad's house for the day, working there from 8am until 5pm, and giving my dad strict instructions to inform me of smart meter updates after I left at 5.30pm. As I work from home full-time I'm a bit more conscious of what I'm using throughout the day, and I feel not having a smart meter puts me at a slight disadvantage because I don't know what appliances uses the most kilowatts per hour, although I can probably guess, and what costs more, so I was about to find out.
The British Gas smart meter diary
My dad, John, has had his British Gas smart meter for quite some time, with the original device being installed in the house in 2015. It measures both gas and electricity usage.
It's always been a topic of conversation, good and bad amongst the family. I have memories of my parents shouting at me and my brother about how much electricity we've used while they've been out, or if we've forgotten to turn lights off it was always that famous Royal Family line, "Christ, it's like Blackpool illuminations in here!" and then a further "Christ!" followed by some swearing once they read the price on the meter, so it wasn't our favourite gadget growing up, the little snitch.
Nowadays it is useful but also incredibly stressful to see how the new prices are affecting everyday usage. Deciding whether to make a cup of tea, put the heating on, do some laundry, or even have a hot shower all lies in the hands of the smart meter, it seems.
8.20am - 11.54am
I arrived at my dad's home at 8.20am and the smart meter was already on 83 pence. My dad informed me that he had ran a bath, boiled his kettle twice to make two cups of tea, and had his Samsung Galaxy on charge before he left for work, and I had arrived.
It's worth noting that the daily standing charge for British Gas for electricity is 50p a day on a prepayment meter, 28p per kilowatt hour, (kwh) and 37p a day for gas, equalling to 7p per kwh. A kilowatt hour (kWh) is a measure of how much energy you’re using per hour, whilst a kW is a measure of power. kW stands for kilowatt, a universal standard for measuring electricity. So, one kilowatt equals 1,000 watts.
Between 8.20am and 8.56am I noticed the price shoot up to £1.17 and the only extra usage added was putting my laptop on charge, ready to start work. So this jump of 34 pence within 25 minutes was certainly noticeable, especially when the heating wasn't on, nor larger appliances. The standing charge may have kicked in at this point.
After this large increase I didn't really notice a jump, until between 9.57am and 10.04am but even then it was only an increase of five pence, increasing from £1.17 to £1.22. Within this time I boiled the kettle to make a cup of tea and filled the dish bowl up with hot water to do some dishes.
At 10.25am I noticed the chill and despite wrapping up I still couldn't get warm (wish I had brought my Wowcher hoodie ), so I blasted the heating for one hour, the meter still read £1.22 and so I made another cup of tea.
During this time the price crept up too and the smart meter flashed £1.82 at 11.29am. I knew putting the heating on would be expensive but it was still surprising to see the jump within that hour.
As I got busy with work I forgot about the smart meter for a while and went back to it at 11.54am and noticed it had then gone up to £2.08 despite the heating now being off and no general appliances used within the time frame of when I last checked, my laptop was still on charge though.
11.54am - 4.30pm
I popped out briefly at 12pm and came back around 1.30pm and the meter was reading at £2.11, three pence more than when I left. My dad had also arrived home at this point too. Upon our return I made some toast, watched TV, and caved into the tea urge and asked dad to boil the kettle once more.
I also grabbed the Dyson Ball to tidy up my toast crumbs, and began to hoover at around 1.46pm. I noticed at this point, looking back on the time-lapse video, the smart meter entered into the red ring when the hoover was used, signalling that the Dyson was definitely a kilowatt eater. We also timed it and worked out that for every ten minutes of hoovering, it cost ten pence.
The house began to get a little colder once again so I popped the heating on for just under an hour at 3.07pm and at 3.37pm the meter read £2.61. From 1.30pm to 3.37pm the price had gone up by 50 pence. Watching TV for over an hour bumped the price up further to £2.75 at 4.41pm.
4.30pm onwards
I began to finish up work at 5pm and turned my laptop off and the charger. Dad was still watching TV and was about to put the Beko oven on for his tea. This was when I left for the evening but my dad kept me informed of the usage after I had gone home.
After turning the oven off when tea was ready the meter read £2.84, a jump of 13 pence. Only three pence more than the hoover usage to use the oven. This surprised me as I expected the oven, which is gas, to use a lot more within that time frame but my only presumption was that it was a cheaper charge for in the evening, or cheaper to use than a hoover?
The telly was continuing to be used, as my dad watched some of his documentaries he enjoys on Sky. It was just before 8pm, when the meter finally jumped to over £3 and read £3.34 at 7.56pm.
For most of the evening the TV remained on, lamps were on and a bath was run (my dad doesn't have a shower). The kettle was used a further four times, his phone was charged, as well as his e-cigarette and the heating was on for another hour. Near the end of the night at 11.10pm the meter read £4.84.
Conclusions
For one person an average day for gas and electricity usage comes in at nearly £5 on a British Gas smart meter. This may not seem like a lot but this cost used to be a lot cheaper for my dad.
What used to be £2 on average a day now costs him nearly £5 a day. This works out at £35 for the week and £140 for the month. That may not seem much but this is just for one person. When you factor in what that will look if more people live in the home, so a family of four, this could end up being considerably more.
During the day we were careful to only use what was necessary, only putting the heating on in short bursts, not using the washing machine or dryer that day either, so the overall price will probably be more when you factor in those extra appliances. My dad avoids putting the heating on to help keep costs down as much as possible but that shouldn't have to be the case.
Ahead of the increase on April 1, British Gas said that based on a typical household, credit customers will pay £693 (excluding VAT) more on their annual energy bill, which will work out at £58 per month. Prepayment customers will see an increase of £708 (excluding VAT) per year, or £59 per month. They say these figures are only an average, some customers may be quoted a higher figure based on their current usage, tariff and location.
My dad is paying more than double that at £140 per month, an extra £81 per month. It's important to note though, that the above figures are an average but it still an extortionate amount for one person living on their own.
I really worry for my dad, and for others as the energy prices continue to hit, and many simply cannot afford to pay those bills or top up excessive amounts each day.
The smart meter was really useful to have and it was, and still is, crucial in energy decision-making in the household. At the same time though it can cause stress and worry as you watch the money go up, especially if you don't have enough funds in your meter in the first place. To top up £5 a day is a big ask when you factor in other cost of living rises, like fuel, clothes and food prices.
British Gas say they are offering extra help to customers who are struggling in the light of the fuel cap increase. The energy provider have said they've invested £2 million into funding grants to help keep vulnerable customers keep warm in December 2021, which they say they have now added a further £2 million to. Their fund will remain open until all of the money has been distributed to customers. To find out how to apply, click here.
British Gas also offers customers payment plans that suit customers needs if they find themselves in difficult circumstances. The British Gas Energy Trust is an independently run charity which is funded by British Gas. The charity is able to help by advising on fuel debt, directing customers who are struggling to government grants, or - in some circumstances - allow grants for debt relief.
They've also offered the following tips on how customers can become more energy efficient in order to get the most out of the gas and electricity they pay for:
- Do fewer, but fuller, loads of laundry.
- Use eco settings on your dishwasher or boiler in order to use less energy.
- Turn your appliances off at the wall rather than leaving them on standby.
- Just fill your kettle up with the level of water you need, rather than filling it all the way up.
- Switch to LED bulbs, as these last longer.
- Use your microwave more often or consider investing in a slow cooker - microwaves save energy due to being quicker and slow cookers are one of the most energy efficient kitchen appliances.
- Unplug your chargers as soon as your device is fully charged.
- Close your curtains at night as this helps your home to retain heat.
- Ensure your washing machine is set to no higher than 30°C.
- Upgrade your boiler - newer boiler models are more energy efficient.
