The benefits of smart meters have been a source of scepticism, with some businesses not at all keen on having one installed. Some of the rumours going around are that: smart meters cause cancer, that your smart meter spies on you and that your data isn’t safe, and that the device doesn’t actually save you money.

So, is any of this true?

A blog published by British Gas busts all the aforementioned myths’ – in a nutshell, smart meters have to pass safety tests, information can’t be passed to anyone without your permission and as for money saving: smart meters might not directly save your business money but the data supplied by the device will help you to better understand your company’s energy use, which can result in money saving if you alter your energy strategy to be the most cost efficient possible.

As for the practicalities…

Smart meters are free. It takes about 60-90 minutes to install a smart meter and you’ll have to switch your electricity off while the engineer installs the meter. You won’t have to manually send your meter readings any more, which saves time and effort.

One of the reasons that many businesses have chosen to install a smart meter is that bills are more accurate as your company will only be charged for the energy it has actually used.

The best advice if you’re thinking about a smart meter is to do your research and when in doubt, as a professional!

(And in case you’re not in the loop: a smart meter is a gas or electricity device that works by sending meter readings to us via a SIM card in the meter, just like a mobile phone. With your smart readings your bills will be more accurate as you’ll only be charged for the energy you’ve used.)

For all your energy related questions, feel free to contact the CH Systems team on 0208 302 8149 or info@chsystems.cc.