Error message title
Error message title
Searching great energy plans for you
Learn about smart meters
Smart meters
How do smart meters differ from a ‘regular’ or basic meter, and how do you know if you’ve got one already?
We’ve compiled some FAQs to help you understand smart meters and outline the benefits of having one installed at your home, including costs (hint: there are none), installation timeframes and more.
What is a smart meter?
A smart meter measures your electricity usage digitally every 30 minutes and sends that information directly to your energy retailer daily. As it's read digitally, there's no need for a meter reader to visit your property and no more estimated reads.
Smart meters also measure the power quality of your electricity and notify your distributor if your power goes out.
What are the benefits of having a smart meter?
A smart meter can help you take control of your electricity bill by providing information about when and how much electricity you use, including:
- ENGIE's Tracker receives data from your smart meter and sends you detailed information about your energy use, which can help you understand and adjust your usage or find the best energy deal. Learn more about Tracker.
- Smart meters allow electricity distributors to detect outages quickly and monitor the quality of your electricity supply, helping to minimise the number and length of electricity supply outages.
- Smart meters give you access to a broader range of services, including battery storage and solar systems.
- The option of adding an in-home display which can help you understand your energy use even further down to individual appliances.
How do I know if I have a smart meter already?
Smart meters generally have a digital face with numbers or digits that represent your current read data and electricity consumption. In Victoria, smart meters are in place in all homes and they’re increasingly being rolled-out across Australia.
Basic or analogue meters generally have a dial that spins around, recording your consumption in kWh.
Find out more on the different types of meters and how to read them.
Who are Intellihub?
Intellihub is our authorised smart meter installation partner. Intellihub, coordinates your meter installation, and they’ll provide SMS updates along the way. You can track the installation process through the Intellihub Tech Tacker service.
Watch the video, which explains the Intellihub Tech Tracker service.
Are smart meters safe?
All smart and digital meters are manufactured and installed according to Australian standards and regulated by the Australian Communications and Media Authority. Smart meters produce less radio frequency than most household items, including baby monitors and mobile phones.
Health authorities worldwide, including ARPANSA and the World Health Organisation (WHO), have examined the scientific evidence regarding the possible health effects of smart meters. Current research indicates that there are no established health effects from smart meters.
For more information on smart meter safety, visit the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA) website.
Is smart meter data private?
Yes. Your usage, data and personal information are protected under the National Electricity Law, the Privacy Act 1988 and our Privacy Policy.
Do I need to have a smart meter?
It depends on your circumstances. You may need to upgrade to a smart meter to accommodate solar panels or additional heating. We have outlined many other benefits of having a smart meter in these FAQs.
Do I need to be home for the installation? How long does it take?
The good news is you don’t have to be home when your smart meter is being installed, but we will need you to ensure we have clear access to your current meter so we can carry out the work.
The installation takes between 30 – 60 minutes. Your power will need to be off during this time.
What is the cost of installing a smart meter?
If you’re an ENGIE customer, upgrading to a smart meter comes at no cost to you. However, there may be additional costs if we find asbestos or extra work is required when we attempt to change your meter. We’ll advise if there are issues before carrying out any work.
Smart meters and solar panels.
If you’re considering installing a solar system, you’ll need a smart meter installed too. You won’t have to pay for a new meter as part of your solar installation.
What’s the connection between smart meters and electricity tariffs?
Your energy distributor will initially set your electricity tariff. A smart meter may enable you to access other tariffs that charge lower rates at particular times of day. You can read more on electricity tariffs here.
What is Tracker and how does it work with a smart meter?
Tracker works with your smart meter to help you monitor and manage your energy usage, track how much electricity your household uses daily and sends you weekly updates. Getting Tracker is easy. All you need is an ENGIE electricity account, smart meter and email address. Find out more here.
Didn’t find what you were looking for?
Enter your search topic here