Shell Energy customers are being encouraged to get smart meters installed in a bid to reach more properties than ever before.
If you haven’t yet arranged a smart meter installation appointment then you may be considering your options and want to find out more. To help you, we’ve put together a guide that explains the process and answers the questions you may have – check it out now.
What Is a Smart Meter and How Does it Work?
A smart meter offers the same energy logging as a traditional meter, but it also connects to a central network that sends your meter readings directly to your supplier, saving you the stress of dealing with estimated bills. Smart meters have a digital display and are often far more compact that the traditional meter that is currently in your property. In a bid to reduce wasted energy consumption, all leading energy suppliers are offering smart meters and an accompanying home display to help reeducate users on their gas and electricity usage.
The Big Push for Smart Meter Installation
You may have noticed that Shell Energy are pushing their customers to move ahead with a smart meter installation, but this is because they have been given a quota of smart meters that they must install by a certain date. If they don’t achieve the number of installations required, then they will have to pay large fines.
It’s important to understand this as many consumers are reporting that they are being told that they have to have an installation organised, but this is not true. The decision to have a smart meter is entirely up to you as the property owner, and you can decide when you want to go ahead with one.
How Easy is it to Arrange a Smart Meter with Shell Energy?
Shell Energy are committed to making it easy for you to arrange a smart meter installation appointment by allowing you to call, email or pop online to book your appointment. When you do decide to proceed, you can expect to be given an installation date within 14 days of your request. Once your appointment is arranged there is nothing else that you need to do apart from waiting for the date to come around.
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How to Read Shell Energy Meters
Reading your Shell Energy smart meter is easy, and you can choose to get the reading direct from your home display or look at the meter menu if you prefer. If you choose to get the reading direct from your meter, all you need to do is press the green button twice and scroll through the menu until your get to ‘Total Act Import’ or ‘Rate 01 Act Imp’. This screen will also display your meter reading for you to log. If you have a two-rate tariff, simply scroll once more to see the second reading on the screen that says, ‘Total Act Import 2’ or ‘Rate 02 Act Imp’.
How to Top Up Shell Energy Meters
If you choose a prepayment smart meter, then you may be confused about how to top it up. Rather than taking your payment key to your local shop and loading it with credit, you can top up your new smart meter in a smartphone app instead – meaning no more stress when your credit runs out. If you don’t have a smartphone or don’t want to download the app, you can make your top-ups online or over the phone instead.
Knowing When a Smart Meter is Not Right for You
Smart meters are accessible for most Shell Energy customers, no matter where you live in the UK. However, if your meter is located up high or in an awkward position then you may need a longer installation visit to get your new meter in place.
It’s important to note that if you have Economy 7 or a poor network signal in your property then Shell Energy will not be able to proceed with your installation. Should your network improve in the future, then your supplier will then be able to return to install a smart meter for your energy.
Why a Smart Meter is a Good Idea
If you are not sure whether you want to get a smart meter or not, look through some of the main benefits to get an idea of whether they are a good idea for you:
- You Can Monitor Your Usage Closely – if you are struggling to understand how you are using so much energy, a smart meter can help you discover the points in the day when your usage is the highest, allowing you to discover what’s causing the increase in energy.
- You Can Check How Much You Have Spent – each home display can show your usage in units or in price, helping you to see how much you have spent each day.
- You Can Lower Your Energy Costs – once your smart meter is installed, you can use the home display to set a budget for the month or for each day, helping you to work on reducing your energy costs wherever possible.
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The Cost of Installing a New Smart Meter
The great thing about choosing to install a smart meter is that it will cost you nothing. Both the smart meter units and the installation fees are covered by the energy supplier, meaning that you can go ahead without any worries.
Questions About Smart Meters
If you are keen to get a smart meter but still have some questions that need answering, then we have the information you need below:
How Long Does Installation Take?
Most smart meter installations can be completed in just two hours for both gas and electricity meters. If you have a more complex installation then it could take slightly longer, but most installation engineers have lots of experience, making it easy for them to handle issues as they arise.
Can I Choose the Location of My New Smart Meter?
Your smart meter will be installed in the same location as your old meter unless the engineer recommends a different place for installation. However, if you are keen to move the location of your new meter for convenience or aesthetic purposes then you can request this if you are willing to pay for the work to complete the move.
How Often Will My Meter Readings Be Sent to Shell Energy?
Meter readings are sent at least once per month when you have a smart meter installed. However, you can choose to increase this to once a day or once every half an hour if that works better for you. Just let the engineer know which you want, and they will set this up when they install, or you can update it at a later date.
Can My Smart Meter Fail?
Smart meters are very robust and trustworthy; however they can experience problems just like traditional meters. If you are concerned about your meter, then just get in touch with Shell Energy and they will get an engineer to assess it for you.