Chameleon Technology launched a replacement in-home display (IHD) service on 5 April 2022, aimed at households whose smart meter display is missing, broken, faulty or out of warranty1. The company said the service supports the continuing smart meter rollout by ensuring consumers with a smart meter can still see their real-time energy consumption1.
The service uses direct fulfilment and remote pairing, which Chameleon says avoids the complication and expense of an engineer's home visit1. Consumers can buy the Wi-Fi enabled ivie Bud directly from ivie.co.uk, and Chameleon is offering energy retailers a dedicated link so they can refer qualifying customers to the replacement service1.
"The ivie Bud works with any energy supplier and can be ordered, installed and activated remotely by the user, no need for an engineer's visit."
The ivie Bud is described as compatible with most SMETS1 and SMETS2 smart meters that have been enrolled and adopted into the DCC, the national smart meter communications network1. A compatibility checker on the ivie site, available before checkout, shows whether a home's meter is enrolled with the DCC and flags meters outside it as incompatible1. Chameleon states the display includes a touchscreen, personalised budget setting and pre-payment options1.
Chameleon said the rollout had reached over 11.5 million homes, and that an inevitable cycle of lost or damaged devices had developed1. It said households without an IHD alongside their smart meter are unable to engage with their home energy consumption1. No price for the ivie Bud, no subscription terms and no delivery timescales are given in the announcement1.
| Item | Detail as stated |
|---|---|
| Launch date | 5 April 20221 |
| Product | ivie Bud, Wi-Fi enabled in-home display1 |
| Ordering | Direct from ivie.co.uk1 |
| Installation | Remote pairing by the user, no engineer visit1 |
| Meter compatibility | Most SMETS1 and SMETS2 meters enrolled and adopted into the DCC1 |
| Supplier compatibility | Works with any energy supplier1 |
Why it matters for households
An in-home display is often the only always-on way to see what a home is using in real time, so a lost or failed unit leaves a smart meter in place but its data out of sight. Until this service, replacing one out of warranty generally meant going back to the supplier, and in some cases an engineer visit. Remote pairing removes that step, which matters most for households in prepayment mode, where the display is a routine way to watch credit1.
The practical limit is compatibility. The ivie Bud works with meters enrolled and adopted into the DCC, so some older SMETS1 installations will not qualify, and the checker is the only stated way to confirm this before buying1. The announcement does not say whether suppliers will fund replacements, so the cost position for a household whose display has failed is not reported1. For a home's energy independence, the effect is narrower than a new meter: it restores visibility of consumption and budget, not the ability to switch supplier or tariff on its own.
What happens next
No dates for further phases, retailer sign-ups or pricing have been announced1. Households wanting to check eligibility can use the compatibility checker before checkout1.
Sources1 cited
- Chameleon Technology Launches IHD Replacement Service, chameleontechnology.co.uk