Smart Meters

I've been using the Loop app to monitor my energy usage via my smart meter, although I've recently switched to Octopus which gives you the half-hourly data in the app. I've switched onto their Octopus Go tariff where the electricity is cheaper for 4 hours during the night as we've bought a PHEV recently, and are getting solar panels and a battery system installed in a couple of weeks.

You need to provide the meter reference and bank card info as a form of ID registration at setup (I think there was another ID option too, but can't recall what it was now, other than it would take a bit longer to set up). You don't get charged anything to use it, and I've not had any issues from doing so.

You can then get half hourly usage stats from the app, which is strangely addictive to monitor, especially now that prices are stupidly high.

The IHD from the smart meter installation has never got beyond a 'trying to connect' message, so has been less than useless, but the phone app information is very useful.

https://www.loophome.app/

 

This is correct. If the meter is SMETS2, it's easy to switch suppliers. I've just moved from So Energy (who installed our smart meter) to Octopus and the process was straightforward. Older SMETS1 meters are linked to the installing supplier, but they're being phased out and all new installations are SMETS2.

 

It's not necessary if you're getting equivalent data from Octopus, but not all suppliers provide access to half hourly data, so Loop was the way for me to access this while with So Energy, who were one such supplier.

Since 1st October, most people will be on the standard price-capped tariffs, or will move onto them when fixed rate deals expire. It will be relevant pricing info for those people.