The Government wants every home in Britain to have a smart meter by 2030 as part of a multi-billion-pound rollout that is changing the way we consume and pay for energy.
The devices, which replace traditional meters that have to be read manually, provide real-time readings that detail how much gas and electricity you are using, and how much it is costing you.
But the rollout has been controversial, with some customers left struggling with “dumb” devices, and plans afoot to use the meters to charge households more to use power at peak times.
Therefore, many have been left wanting to know, do you have to have a smart meter in the UK?
In this guide, Telegraph Money explains the following:
No, you don’t have to have a smart meter in the UK if your traditional meter doesn’t need replacing. Bill payers can refuse to have the devices installed, and you can do this indefinitely.
However, energy companies can force customers to replace their current meter if it is deemed a safety hazard or is no longer functioning correctly. Ofgem states on its website: “Unless there is a good reason not to, suppliers must install a smart meter if they are: a) replacing a meter, or b) installing a meter for the first time, such as in a new property.”
If you end up with a smart meter, you don’t have to use the “smart” settings if you don’t want to. You can request that it be placed into “dumb” mode so it functions as a traditional meter.
It is not against Ofgem’s rules for suppliers to only offer smart meters, and companies told The Telegraph that they no longer held any stock of older models.
If you refuse a smart meter, there is nothing legally your energy supplier can do to make you have one installed, except if your meter is deemed unsafe of faulty.
However, there are instances where providers may:
With the Radio Teleswitch (RTS) service having been shut down on the June 30 2025, if you were using an RTS meter, then you will have had it replaced with a smart meter already, although, as stated before, you can still use it in dumb mode.
Smart meters measure the amount of gas and electricity you use on an almost real-time basis, and send this information to both an “in-home display” device, and your energy supplier.
It does this automatically via a secure smart data network, with an aim to let households see how much their energy usage is costing them – and see how a change in behaviour can save money – while helping to ensure they’re paying the correct amount for their usage.
However, it has recently been reported that the technology used to send this information differs around the UK, with the Midlands, Wales and southern England using cellular technology to send data to providers, while northern England and Scotland use longer-range radio frequencies, which has been found to cause issues.
The biggest potential benefit to having a smart meter is getting to access cheaper energy deals. “Time of use” tariffs drop the price of electricity when demand is low and increase it in times of high usage, so you have the opportunity to run the washing machine or charge an electric car during the times when energy is at its cheapest. Whether these tariffs benefit you depends on how much electricity you typically use.
More useful for gas-reliant households is the demand flexibility service (DFS). This scheme, overseen by the Electricity System Operator and handled by individual providers, offers households money back on their energy bills if they avoid using electricity at times of high demand. Households must have a smart meter and consent to half-hourly data to participate.
Encouraging people to use electricity at non-peak times is also part of the Government’s net zero drive.
“By shifting some electricity use away from peak periods, this will ease pressure on the grid and reduce reliance on backup fossil fuel generation and the need for new infrastructure like pylons,” the Government said.
The table below details the biggest providers taking part in the Demand Flexibility Service.
Providers typically contact customers via email with an initial invitation to sign up. Their versions of the scheme will all have their own names and quirks.
If you have a smart meter and your provider is registered with the DFS, have a search through your inbox to see if you can find a sign-up link. However, the money saved isn’t going to blow your mind: typically participants save between £1 and £5, according to the Centre for Sustainable Energy.
Other benefits include the real-time energy use information, and the end to estimated bills – which has led to some people being massively overcharged.
While access to cheaper time of use tariffs can pave the way for energy savings, they’re not practical for everyone and critics fear they could penalise customers for consuming electricity when they need it most.
Separately, the smart meter rollout has been vastly expensive and repeatedly delayed. Every home was expected to have a smart meter installed by 2020, but the latest figures show that at the end of Q4 2025, just 71pc currently have one installed. Meanwhile, in 2019 the government estimated the total cost of the rollout until 2034 is expected to exceed £13.5bn.
Some owners of early models have also received a nasty shock when they switched energy provider and their modern meter turned “dumb” – rendering it no better than a traditional meter.
This is because some “first generation” smart meters became incompatible with the communications network and were unable to send their automatic meter readings.
In 2024, it emerged that four million households had been hit with shock energy bills because their smart meters were not working properly. The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) said that previous estimates for broken smart meters had been underestimated by suppliers.
Households with a “dumb” smart meter can ask their supplier to replace it with a modern one.
Though these issues should not affect new smart meter users, they are indicative of the problems that have plagued the rollout.
And while such stories are rare, smart meters have also been known to suffer glitches, resulting in comical instances of households told they should pay tens of thousands for power. In one case, a homeowner’s home display accidentally showed that he had used £40,000 worth of electricity in a single day. You should contact your provider immediately if you believe your smart meter to be faulty.
Another issue is that hardware associated with the devices will need to be upgraded in central and southern England, after the Government and mobile phone providers announced plans to phase out 2G and 3G mobile networks by 2033 at the latest.
The chief concern of smart meter critics, besides the cost of the rollout, is the potential privacy concerns that come with a household’s data being transmitted to a supplier.
Although smart meters send meter readings to your energy supplier, they do not store your name, address or bank details. Energy firms are adamant that only they can see your data and that information cannot be passed on to a third party without the customer’s explicit permission.
According to Octopus Energy, not even the network operator can read a customer’s electricity data as it is encrypted before it reaches them.
A Privacy Charter drawn up by the Energy UK trade body, however, states that organisations with which your supplier has a contract may be given access to the information collected from your meter.
It also stated that in certain circumstances the police or other organisations, including industry bodies involved in preventing and detecting theft or fraud, could be given access to your data in accordance with data protection law.
Direct debit customers who fall into energy debt also risk having their smart meters switched to prepayment mode – effectively cutting off their energy supply – without a provider needing to enter a home.
In the past, providers chasing customers who had failed to meet bill payments could secure a warrant to enter a home and “force-fit” a prepayment meter, which must be topped up before any energy can be used.
However, smart meters can be switched to a prepayment setting remotely, allowing energy companies to bypass the courts. That being said, suppliers can only configure a meter to prepayment mode remotely under strict licence rules and as a last resort, with strengthened protections in force until June 30 2027.
Like most things, smart meters come with benefits and drawbacks; some people love them, some people don’t. The main pros and cons are summed up below.
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