Smart Meters in Ireland: All About ESB Smart Meters

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 cyber security and complies with all applicable data privacy and protection laws.

Smart meters use the same wireless technology as mobile phones. It does not pose any higher dangers than any mobile phone.

According to the CRU, “Health authorities around the world confirm that there are no health effects from smart meters. Smart meters are safe and follow all requirements and international standards”.

A standard electricity meter will keep count of how much electricity you use each day. You need to submit a meter reading to your energy provider regularly to pay your bill accurately.

In contrast, a smart meter can track when you use your electricity and not just how much. This gives you more control as to when to use larger appliances and benefit from lower electricity tariffs. A smart meter will also automatically relay your meter readings to your supplier, saving you time and effort. Usually, the different prices are divided into three daily prices. For example, the Electric Ireland smart meter plan is divided as follows:

• Smart meter periods
• Peak time: From 5 to 7 pm.
• Night time: From 11 pm to 8 am.
• Day time: From 8 am to 5 pm & 7 to 11 pm.

Usually, night time rates are the most economical, and peak time is the most expensive rate. Special smart meter tariffs are also available for electric vehicle owners.

No! If you do not want to have your meter upgraded to a smart meter, you have the legal right to refuse one. To opt-out of getting a smart meter in Ireland, contact ESB Networks to let them know. You will need to provide your MPRN. You can find this 11-digit number on your electricity bill.

Keep in mind, you would miss out on the benefits a smart meter offers. There is also no guarantee that future smart meter installation requests will be free of cost, as is currently the case.

Customers who don’t wish to have a smart meter installed can opt-out but should know over time the only meters offered in Ireland will be smart meters. It will no longer be possible to swap out an existing meter for a traditional credit meter.

To date, ESB Networks have already installed over 250,000 smart meters in Irish homes, businesses and farms. The company aims to complete all 2.4 million smart meter installations by the end of 2024.

ESB Networks is conducting the installation of smart meters on an area-by-area basis. The company will advise you in advance when they are in your area and commencing smart meter installation.

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. They are managing the installation of smart meters in Ireland.

The meter exchange requires a power outage of up to 45 minutes. ESB does the smart meter installation for free and will contact you before carrying out the work.

ESB Networks does not have an app for smart meters. The individual energy suppliers are the ones left with the development of their own app to work with the new ESB smart meters.

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:

1. Shows the cumulative kWh usage for a 24-hour period
2. Current Time-Of-Use tariff (i.e. T1, T2, T3) for day, night, or peak tariff
3. Meter signal strength
4. Voltage and the direction of feed (import or export for those selling back energy produced from their solar panels, windmill, or another source).

To learn more about the other smart meter functionalities, watch this short video on ESB Networks smart meters:

Warning! This question only applies to customers using their ESB smart meters on Pay As You Go (PAYG) function.

How to get the emergency credit activated on your smart meter will depend on your energy supplier. As an example, Prepay Power allows you to enable emergency credit from their app. The emergency credit activation button is on the home screen.

Let's hope your home has not already run out of credit on the meter and that your phone battery is dead!

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. It doesn't have to be in the same location as the meter.

While you wait for your ESB smart meter installation, you could try out the Owl, Minim+ electricity appliance monitors, or consider smart thermostats. These will allow you to benefit from some of the smart meter features by assisting you to monitor your energy consumption.

Ireland is not the only country installing smart meters to help with the fight against climate change. In fact, many countries have done so much earlier. Italy and Sweden were the first European countries to pioneer the nationwide deployment of smart meters, and Spain soon joined in with their efforts.

Our neighbours in the UK began their smart meter rollout in 2011, while the patent for this technology dates all the way back to 1974 in the US!

Ireland is fortunate to have learned from the mistakes of these other countries. This is helping make this transition to smart meters rather smooth by comparison. Having also learned from its own failures with the 2011 attempt to install water smart meters, as am sure some of you will recall.

Globally, every year there are approximately 131 million smart meters installed. Experts expect the number to rise to 188 million units yearly by 2025.

In Europe alone, over 34.8 million units were installed by the end of 2021 - that is a mind-boggling 18% of all the EU’s households in a single year.

A smart meter can also measure water consumption or gas. Smart water meters are currently being trialled by different water companies in the UK.

Newly installed gas meters in Ireland could easily be converted to a gas smart meter in the future, but the present rollout consists only of the electricity ESB smart meters.

You can read the latest Irish Examiner article for more smart meter reviews and opinions. When you consider the benefits of automatic meter readings, accurate billing and the ability to keep track of your energy spend and consumption in near-real-time, we'd say it's worth getting an ESB smart meter.