Scottish Power smart meter
How to read & use smart meters
If you have a Scottish Power smart meter, you can use this page to find out how to use it, read it, and fix it!
Disclaimer: The information on this page was last updated on 20/12/2022, 15:42:44
By upgrading to a Scottish Power smart meter, you’re joining one of the millions of households taking full control of their energy usage while saving money. You can use this page to find out more about your smart meter, how to book an installation, and how to fix any problems that might come up. As always, we’ve got you covered!
What is a smart meter?
Smart meters are the newest gas and electricity meters available on the market. Just like a traditional meter, they measure your energy consumption to allow Scottish Power to calculate your bills accurately.
Smart meters aren’t just hidden away in your cupboard, never to be seen again; when you opt for a smart meter, you’ll also be given a small in-home display (IHD). Using this display, you can see how much energy you’re using in real-time and how much you’re spending.
What can you do with a Scottish Power smart meter?
With a smart meter from Scottish Power, you can:
- View your energy usage in real-time
- View your usage in monetary values
- Have your meter readings sent automatically
- See how your usage changes over time
- Top up from the comfort of your home
- Save energy and the environment
- Receive personalised energy efficiency tips from Scottish Power
Sometimes you can even benefit from better, cheaper, and exclusive tariffs, all because you have a smart meter!
Did you know that with a smart meter you may never have to submit a meter reading again! 100% accurate bills, all the time. Give us a call to find out more about automatic meter readings.
How to book your smart meter installation from Scottish Power
Scottish Power is encouraging all of its customers to upgrade to a smart meter. As part of the Government’s plan to become more energy-efficient, all homes should be offered a smart meter by 2025.
Scottish Power should get in touch with you if and when you’re eligible for a smart meter, however, you can book an installation yourself either by calling 0800 027 0072 or by clicking the link below.
Once you’ve booked your smart meter installation date, you’ll receive an email confirmation letting you know what to do next.
You’ll also receive reminders from Scottish Power as your installation date gets closer.
Can you upgrade from a prepayment meter to a smart meter?
Yes, you can.
Upgrading to a smart prepayment meter is a great idea! There are loads of extra features prepayment customers can benefit from, including:
- Topping up through the app or online, from the comfort of your home
- Seeing how much credit you have left easily through your IHD
- You’ll receive an alert when your credit falls below £2
- Accessing emergency credit through your IHD
Can you upgrade from an Economy 7 meter to a smart meter?
Unfortunately, Scottish Power currently doesn’t support smart Economy 7 meters.
However, there are many providers that do, including:
How is your Scottish Power smart meter installed?
As your installation date approaches, you should clear the area around your existing meter to allow easy access for the installers. When the time comes, you should make sure that your heating and any gas appliances are turned off.
The installers will identify themselves with an ID badge and will make a quick assessment of the location of your meter to make sure your home is suitable for the smart meter installation.
Then, they’ll provide with a brief description of the work that will take place and how long you should expect your supply to be down while they install the new meter (usually around 30 minutes to 1 hour per meter).
The whole process should take around 1-2 hours to complete and, once your new smart meter is installed, the engineer will run you through how to use your in-home display and answer any questions you have. Don’t worry if you don’t take it all in though, they’ll also leave you with a welcome pack.
How to use your in-home display
Your in-home display (IHD) is the most helpful piece of kit you’ll receive when you upgrade to a smart meter. You can place it wherever you like in the house and you’ll be able to see and understand your energy usage easily.
- Connectivity indicator - This shows how strong the connection is between your IHD and your smart meter. Try to keep them less than 15m apart for the best connection.
- Energy usage comparison - This shows how much energy you’ve used so far throughout the day compared to your budget.
- Energy usage - This shows exactly how much energy you’ve used throughout the day. You can use the arrow buttons to switch between screens to see your usage in different measurements (£ and kWh) and on different days.
- Home button - Use this to return to the home screen (pictured)
- Real-time button - Use this to see how much energy you’re using right now. This is useful when you’re trying to cut back to see how much energy your appliances and devices use.
- Electricity vs gas button - This button allows you to switch between your gas and electricity usage. The lightning bolt shows you’re on the electricity screen and the flame shows you’re on the gas screen.
- Calendar button - This button allows you to view your usage across different time scales rather than just daily.
- OK button - This takes you to the menu screen where you can change your budget, see your meter readings, find tariff information, and more. This button is also used to confirm a selection.
- Lights - These show if you’re using a lot of energy right now. The first light is green, which will light when you’re using a low amount of energy. The second is orange and will light when you’re using a medium amount of energy. The last button is red and will light up if you’re using a high amount of energy.
How to read your smart meter
While one of the main benefits of a smart meter is that you don’t have to read your meter anymore, you still might need or want to. We’ll walk you through exactly how to do this to save you time and stress.
If you have a smart meter with a keypad…
Press 9 on the keypad. Your gas reading will be the number followed by ‘m3’ and your electricity reading will be the number followed by ‘kWh’.
If you have a smart meter with A & B buttons…
Press ‘A’ until your meter reads ‘meter index’ for your gas reading or ‘total act import’ for your electricity reading.
If your smart electricity meter has two buttons…
Keep pressing the display button until you reach a number ending in ‘kWh’. This is your electricity reading.
If your smart electricity meter has three buttons…
Press the middle button. Your reading is the number under ‘IMP’.
How to view your energy usage online
Through your online account, you can access usage graphs that show how much energy you’re using throughout the year. Scottish Power will take your meter readings and plot how much you’ve used since your last reading onto a graph like the one below.
You can choose for your smart meter to send readings monthly, weekly, daily, or half-hourly, but the more often you send meter readings, the more accurate and detailed your usage graphs will be.
Sometimes, if you don’t submit readings daily, you might see spikes and gaps in your consumption. For example, if you sent a reading on Monday and one on Friday, the three days in between might show that you used nothing, but it’s added to Friday’s energy usage. This could be because your meter lost connection, or because you haven’t set your meter to send readings often enough - there’s no way for Scottish Power to know how much you used on each day.
Troubleshooting your smart meter from Scottish Power
As with all tech, smart meters are prone to a few problems, especially as they’re fairly new. Luckily, we have the solution to some of the most common smart meter issues Scottish Power customers have.
Will my Scottish Power smart meter work if I switch energy providers?
If you have a first-generation smart meter from Scottish Power (also known as SMETS1), unfortunately, your smart meter will likely lose its smart features when you switch energy providers. This is because they use a different network to second-generation smart meters (known as SMETS2), which some suppliers can’t access.
Luckily, SMETS1 meters are slowly being upgraded to be able to work on the same network as SMETS2 meters, so your smart features should return soon. Alternatively, you can ask your supplier to upgrade your SMETS1 meter to a SMETS2 meter.
If you have a second-generation smart meter from Scottish Power, you should be able to switch providers with no issues. There might be a brief period where you have to submit manual readings or your in-home display stops working, however, this should sort itself out within a week or two.
Why is my in-home display not showing my usage?
If your in-home display (IHD) is on, but not showing usage, there are a number of things that could be wrong with it.
If the IHD can’t connect to the network in your home, it should sort itself out on its own within a day or two. If this is the problem, it will show either:
- Information for one fuel only (if you have two smart meters)
- A message that says 'connection lost'
- A message that says 'waiting for data'
- No information at all
If your IHD is too far away from the meter, it won’t be able to retrieve any data. Try moving it closer to your meter. The recommended distance between the two is 15m, however, thick walls could mean that it needs to be even closer.
If your meter has lost its smart functions, your in-home display might also lose its smart features. Because it can’t retrieve data anymore, it won’t be able to display any either. Luckily, your IHD should go back to normal when your smart meter is upgraded to the central network.
If none of these are the issue, you might need an engineer to come out or to connect a new in-home display. To sort this, simply contact Scottish Power on 0800 027 0072 or using their live chat service and they’ll be able to help you out.
Why is my smart meter beeping?
The first thing to look at if your in-home display is beeping is the battery level. It could be alerting you that it’s running low on power and needs to be recharged. Scottish Power says that their IHDs last 1-2 hours on battery power, so we recommend keeping it plugged into the mains if possible.
If you have a smart prepayment meter, it could be an alert that you’re running low on credit. Your IHD will beep and flash the screen when your credit falls below £2 to remind you to top up. It will do the same when you can start using your emergency credit (which you’ll have to do manually on the screen).
If the beeping is coming from your meter, you should contact Scottish Power by calling 0800 027 0072 to arrange for an engineer to visit and take a look.
Why am I being asked to provide meter readings when I have a smart meter?
The most common reason people with a smart meter are asked to submit meter readings is because their meter has lost its smart features.
Whether this is because you’ve switched providers with a SMETS1 meter or your provider has lost connection to your meter, it’s best to send your meter readings manually when you’re asked to. If you don’t, you’ll likely receive an estimated bill based on how much energy Scottish Power thinks you’ll use, which is normally higher than your actual usage.
Some providers might also ask you to submit a reading to make sure that your smart meter is working properly, especially if you’ve set your readings to be sent less regularly. While not giving readings shouldn’t affect your bills, we advise that you still submit readings when you’re asked to.
You can submit your readings through your online account or by calling the dedicated meter reading line on 0800 027 8000.
The subject matter of this webpage is subject to the opinion of, and factual research carried out by, the author. We always strive to provide the most up to date, correct and informative information in all of our webpages, but from time to time, you may spot an error or something you don't agree with. Please report this to us at info@utilityswitchboard.com
Any products or services displayed on this webpage may only represent a portion of the options available to you. We encourage you to carry out your own independent research and seek advice where necessary to aid your decision making. We may receive a commission from selected partnered companies for the introduction of potential customers and business mentioned on this website. This helps us to provide our website to you for free as a customer.
Utility Switchboard is a free service provider of UK utility-industry advice and price comparison.
Follow us on socials
All rights reserved - © 2022