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Cormac is Selectra.ie's energy expert along with being the chief content and editorial manager for the website. His aim is to help find the best deal for you and your home energy needs so that you save money on your annual bills. His knowledge and experience of the Irish energy market allows him to offer the best advice and insight into current prices, emerging trends and overall energy saving tips.
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Smart meters work by transmitting real time information to your electricity provider ensuring that you get accurate and detailed billing for your energy consumption. There are three different rates for customers using a smart meter, a day rate, a higher peak rate and a lower night rate. The incentive is to change your electricity consuming habits in order to avail of the cheaper night rate and thereby reduce your electricity bills.
What Is a Smart Meter?
Smart meters are digital devices that track your electricity use and send data to your supplier.
They provide accurate billing, help you understand your consumption, and allow you to take advantage of cheaper off-peak rates.
Simply put, a smart is a type of electricity meter is a device that counts your electricity usage in real-time and wirelessly relays that information to your energy provider.
This allows you to have up-to-the-minute control over your electricity consumption, intended to help reduce electricity usage in your home.
Having a smart meter eliminates the need to submit meter readings which means that you shouldn't be overcharged on your energy bills that can sometimes happen when your usage is estimated.
Your smart meter transmits your electricity usage wirelessly via a secure 2G mobile phone network, provided by Three Ireland Limited.
The technology used in the ESB smart meter-supplier communications employs multiple layers of cybersecurity and complies with all applicable data privacy and protection laws.
What are Smart Tariffs and Time-Of-Use Tariffs?
Unlike standard electricity tariffs, smart meter tariffs offer different prices for electricity throughout the day. These are known as Time-of-Use tariffs.
These tariffs are designed to encourage consumers to avoid using electricity at peak times and shift their usage to cheaper nightime rates.
There are various types of smart tariffs available to homeowners;
Standard Smart Tariff
Weekend Smart Tariff
24 hour Smart Tariff
All suppliers are required to offer a Standard Smart Plan with three unit rates:
⚡ Smart Tariff Times
Unit Rate
Time
Price
Day
08:00 - 17:00
€€
Peak
17:00 - 19:00
€€€
Night
19:00 - 23:00
€€
EV
23:00 - 08:00
€
Special smart meter tariffs are also available for electric vehicle owners that offer an extra-low, nighttime rate for charging your electric vehicle.
Some suppliers also offer free weekend electricity as part of their smart tariffs.
Unfortunately, there is not an official ESB smart meter app, but you can create access the data from your smart meter through the ESB Networks Online Account.
Through your account, you can view details of your electricity usage to help you understand and manage your consumption.
Once signed up, you will be able to access your smart meter information including:
Charts showing your electricity usage over a week, which you can also switch between daily, monthly, or yearly views through the drop-down menu above the chart.
Breakdown of your electricity usage during the day/ night/ peak periods.
The data is updated regularly, but it may take 36–48 hours for data to appear on your online account.
How Do You Read an Esb Smart Meter?
Every smart meter has a digital screen from which you can select the display option of your choice. Simply push the large black button on the left-hand side and scroll between display options.
Your cumulative meter reading should be the number displayed in the centre of the digital screen.
Here is the information found from the default display:
Shows the cumulative kWh usage for a 24-hour period
Current Time-Of-Use tariff (i.e. T1, T2, T3) for day, night, or peak tariff
Meter signal strength
Voltage and the direction of feed (import or export for those selling back energy produced from their solar panels, windmill, or another source).
Do not confuse smart meters with electricity monitors, or In-Home Display (IHD) monitors. Currently, we know of two electricity suppliers, Electric Ireland and Pinergy, who provide IHDs with their smart meter plans.
By looking at an electricity monitor, you'll be able to see how much energy you are consuming and how much you are spending, in near real-time. Roughly the size of a smartphone, you can place the device anywhere you like in your house.
What Are the Pros and Cons of a Smart Meter?
If you're looking for ways to save money on your electricity bills, a smart meter can help by allowing you to monitor and cut back on your consumption.
Smart meters in Ireland will also give you access to a wider variety of tariffs, some of which offer cheaper prices during certain hours.
Smart Meter Advantages in Ireland
Let's have a look at some of the various advantages of ESB smart meters.
Accurate Billing Smart meters automatically send accurate meter readings to your energy supplier, you no longer need to deal with estimated bills.
Real-Time Display With a smart meter, customers can use the In-Home Display monitor, their online account, or an app to see how much energy they are consuming.
Savings Studies suggest that customers with a smart meter could save an additional 2.5% on their average electricity bills per year (around €30) because of increased awareness of their consumption.
Eliminate Inefficient Devices A smart meter allows you to identify which appliances are consuming the most energy. You can then easily take steps to replace items or encourage energy-saving behaviour.
Curb Your Behaviour There are many ways to reduce your bills by changing energy spending habits in your household. A smart meter can help you easily identify these.
Access Better Tariffs An ESB smart meter allows for time-of-use tariffs. These tariffs take consumption patterns into account and allow consumers to take advantage of cheaper rates during off-peak hours. With this type of tariff, you could save up to 8% (around €80 a year) on your energy bills if you consume more than a quarter of your energy during off-peak times.
Reduce Carbon Footprint Smart meters will aid Ireland’s Climate Action Plan. Less energy consumption equals less demand. Less demand means a further reduction in carbon-producing fuels that produce electricity.
Support Renewable Energy Smart meters will be able to calculate electricity imports and exports. This means that customers who have additional energy sources, such as solar power, wind farms, will find it easier to feed their excess electricity back into the grid and get paid for it.
Are There Any Disadvantages to Smart Meters in Ireland?
Let's examine some of the various disadvantages of ESB smart meters.
Cost Advertised as a ‘Free’ installation, the ESB smart meter rollout will incur an additional network charge for all customers, no matter if you have a smart meter or not. This will be the nominal amount of €5.50 a year added to your bill for the next 20 years.
No Turning Back Once you decide to have a smart meter installed, there is not a change of mind policy. You cannot return to your old-style meter if you are not happy with these new, modern ones.
Not Fail-Proof Some smart meter customers in the UK have also reported issues with faulty meters, contributing to an increase in their bills.
Dependent on Phone Signal If you live in a remote area where the phone signal is low, your smart meter will not work efficiently.
Overestimated Savings An overestimate of the potential savings given smart meter plans are advertised using the average annual consumption.
While the ESB program for smart meter installation aims to equip all homes and businesses with smart meters, consumers are not legally obligated to participate and can opt out by contacting ESB Networks directly.
However, it's important to consider that future energy systems may increasingly rely on smart meter technology, potentially limiting options for those who choose to retain traditional meters.
To date, ESB Networks have already installed over 1.9 million smart meters in Irish homes and businesses.
To get an ESB smart meter installed, contact the distributor directly or your energy supplier. You can reach ESB Networks on 1800 928 123 or 01 698 5005.
ESB does the smart meter installation for free and will contact you before carrying out the work.
Learn More About Energy SavingOur energy guide articles contain lots of useful information on saving energy, the electricity market and how to have a more positive impact on the environment.
Cormac is Selectra.ie's energy expert along with being the chief content and editorial manager for the website. His aim is to help find the best deal for you and your home energy needs so that you save money on your annual bills. His knowledge and experience of the Irish energy market allows him to offer the best advice and insight into current prices, emerging trends and overall energy saving tips.
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