The Department for the Economy announced in July 2023 that it is developing a "plan for the implementation of electricity smart meters and systems"1. Analysis accompanying the work recommends a six-year roll-out starting in 20271. The announcement covers electricity metering only; no decision on gas smart meters in Northern Ireland has been reported.
Smart meters measure gas and electricity use in the way traditional meters do, and send readings to the supplier automatically1. They are usually supplied with an in-home display showing real-time use and cost1. In Great Britain, more than two thirds of meters in homes and small businesses are now smart meters, according to government data published in August 2025, a figure of nearly 40 million1. Energy firms there have until the end of 2025 to fit smart meters in 75% of homes1.
The technology behind the roll-out varies by region. The smart meter network primarily uses long range radio in the north of Great Britain, including Scotland, and 2G/3G cellular in the central and south regions, with 4G cellular communications being introduced across all regions since July 20251. Most homes receive a standard single-band communications hub, which works in 70% of properties; dual-band hubs should work in an additional 26 to 28% of homes, and alt HAN hubs may help the final 2 to 4% by extending the range between a meter and the communications hub up to 50m1. The network covers 99.3% of homes across Britain, according to Smart DCC, which operates it1.
On obligations, energy companies must take "all reasonable steps" to install smart meters in their customers' homes under the conditions of their licences to supply gas and electricity, and firms have annual installation targets set by a government formula, with penalties for those that do not meet them1. In principle, householders do not have to accept a smart meter1. There is no upfront cost for a smart meter or its monitor, though suppliers should not describe them as "free" because the cost is recovered indirectly through energy bills1. No wi-fi or broadband connection is needed in the home1.
"In July 2023, the Department for the Economy announced that it is developing a 'plan for the implementation of electricity smart meters and systems'."
Why it matters for households
Northern Ireland is the part of the UK without a household smart meter roll-out in progress, so the plan sets out when homes there could expect the same automatic readings, in-home displays and time-of-use tariffs that smart meters in Northern Ireland would bring. Smart meters remove the need to send meter readings and reduce reliance on estimated bills1. They also open access to tariffs that charge less for off-peak use, and to Smart Export Guarantee payments for homes with solar panels that export surplus electricity1. For a household, that combination is what turns a meter from a billing device into a tool for energy independence: knowing what a home uses, and when, is the precondition for shifting load, sizing generation and cutting standing waste.
The practical limits are also documented. Smart meter monitors can stop working or become outdated, and early meters lost functionality on switching supplier, though the majority of those have now been reconnected to the network1. Faults can stop a meter sending readings, in which case the supplier should be told so it can fix or replace it1. It is technically possible to switch a meter to prepayment remotely, but the rules are the same as for traditional meters, and pay-as-you-go for debt collection should only be a last resort1.
What happens next
The roll-out analysis recommends a six-year programme beginning in 20271. No further dates, funding arrangements or delivery body for Northern Ireland have been reported. Questions such as whether installation will be mandatory, who will carry it out and how costs reach bills are not addressed in the published material.
Sources1 cited
- What is a smart meter? - Which?, which.co.uk