Smart Meter Installation: What Happens on the Day

A smart meter installation is a short, routine visit arranged through your energy supplier. Your first step is to contact your supplier, who will telephone or email you to agree a time to come and change over your meter, and the meter itself is provided free¹. The work usually takes approximately one hour per meter, so about two hours if you are having both gas and electricity done together, and you or another adult needs to be at home throughout³. Each supply is switched off while it is swapped, typically for around 30 minutes per meter³.

What happens during the appointment

On the day, the installer arrives within the agreed appointment window, and the visit follows a broadly standard pattern whichever supplier fits the meter. The government's statement of your rights and expectations says your smart meter should be installed with minimal disruption, that key safety checks should be carried out during the appointment, and that an in-home display should be offered and demonstrated before the installer leaves⁶. The physical swap itself is the shortest part: the installer isolates the supply, removes the old meter, fits the new one in its place, and reconnects and tests it.

Before the meter goes in, the installer will look at the meter position and the surrounding pipework and wiring, because the safety checks cover the condition of what is already there, not just the new equipment. This is one reason to tell your energy company in advance about anything unusual about your home or meter circumstances, ideally when you make the appointment or at least several days before the visit⁷. A meter in a awkward cupboard, behind a locked door or with damaged tails can turn a routine visit into a failed one if the installer is not expecting it.

Once the new meter is fitted and the supply is restored, the installer commissions it: the meter is connected to the national communications network, checked to confirm it is sending readings, and set up with your tariff details where applicable. After that comes the demonstration, when the installer shows you the meter itself and the in-home display, and explains how the readings work. Once the smart meter is installed, your meter readings are sent automatically to your supplier, which means you receive accurate bills rather than estimated ones³.

How long the visit takes

The consistent figure across independent guidance is approximately one hour to install each smart meter³. If you are having both an electricity and a gas smart meter installed at the same time, the whole process should take about two hours³. Smart DCC, which runs the national smart meter network, describes installation as taking a couple of hours, with each supply switched off during the changeover⁸.

One official source gives a slightly different figure: the Welsh Government's energy advice says installation typically takes about 90 minutes and is free of charge⁹. That sits between the one-hour single-meter figure and the two-hour both-meters figure, and the difference is best explained by what is being measured: an hour per meter is the fitting time, while a full visit including safety checks, commissioning and the demonstration runs longer. Households planning the day around the appointment should expect the visit to occupy the best part of a morning or afternoon if both fuels are being done.

The other time commitment is your own. Because you need to be present throughout, the appointment is not something that can happen while the house is empty, so it is worth agreeing a time when an adult can be on the property for the full duration¹.

What it costs: no separate fee

Smart meters are provided at no extra cost¹⁰. Ofgem's own consumer guidance is direct on the point: contact your supplier to get a smart meter for free². There is no installation charge, no charge for the meter and no charge for the in-home display that comes with it.

The costs of the national rollout have not vanished, but they are not billed to you on the day. The Welsh Government's guidance states the position plainly: there is no direct cost for a smart meter, and any expenses are recouped through your energy bills over time⁹. In other words, the programme is funded through the general costs of supply rather than through a fee to the household having the work done.

The rare exceptions come when the visit uncovers work beyond the meter swap itself. If the meter position, cupboard or connections need remedial work to make the installation safe, that is a separate matter between you and your supplier, and it is one of the things worth raising when you book rather than discovering mid-appointment. The meter and its fitting, though, carry no charge¹².

Who comes, and the rules they work to

The person who arrives is an installer working for or contracted to your energy supplier, since the roll-out is being implemented by energy suppliers across the country¹². Suppliers group appointments by location so they do not have to travel long distances between installations, which reduces the carbon emissions from their travel, so your appointment may be one of several in your area that day¹.

Installers do not work to their own house rules. The Smart Metering Installation Code of Practice, designated by Ofgem, sets out the rules suppliers must adhere to when conducting installations¹³. Different suppliers may install different makes and models of meter, but every smart meter installed as part of the national rollout must meet a common set of technical standards³.

The limits on what an installer can do are equally clear. There are no provisions in energy legislation that would allow anyone to enter a property by force to install a smart meter, and consumers retain the right to refuse installation¹⁴. An installer cannot talk their way past a refusal, and the appointment ends there if you withdraw consent.

Power off, safety checks and your wifi

Each supply must be switched off during the changeover, and the typical outage is 30 minutes per meter, gas and electricity³. Which? gives a more cautious figure of around an hour each for the electricity and gas to be off⁷. Either way, plan for the heating, cooking and anything else on those supplies to be unavailable for part of the visit, and for the clocks and timers on ovens and boilers to need resetting afterwards.

The safety checks are a defined part of the appointment, not a courtesy. The government's rights and expectations document says key safety checks should be carried out during the appointment⁶. Some providers may also offer a free energy efficiency inspection during the installation, which is a useful moment to ask about the home's general energy performance⁹.

Wifi is not part of the picture. A smart meter does not need your home wifi: it sends its readings through the purpose-built national network, not through your broadband, so the installation does not touch your router and your connection is unaffected⁵. If you want more detail, our page on whether smart meters need wifi covers it, and the power cut during installation page deals with the outage in full.

Arranging your fitting and who must attend

Booking starts with the supplier: once contacted, they telephone or email to agree a time¹. A confirmation of the appointment follows by email, message or phone⁷. The same route applies to homes with an old radio teleswitch meter, where the supplier arranges the fitting of a new smart meter².

The attendance rule is firm: you or someone else aged 18 or over will need to be home, and present throughout¹. You do not have to be in the same room as the installation, but you do need to be on the property³.

There are also standards the supplier must meet. Citizens Advice says your supplier should offer you an appointment within 30 working days of the day you ask for a smart meter¹⁵. Under the Guaranteed Standards of Performance, the supplier must offer a first-time installation appointment within six weeks of the request being made, or pay compensation; for microbusiness consumers the timeframe is 60 working days, or twelve weeks⁴. If compensation is owed and not paid within 10 working days, the supplier must pay you another £40¹⁵. Our page on the smart meter guaranteed standards explains the full set of obligations.

Renters, landlords and who can arrange it

Anyone who pays for the energy in a home, whether owning or renting, should be able to book a smart meter installation where the meter is expected to work in the property⁶. For private renters specifically, if the energy bills are in your name or you prepay for your energy, you can choose to have a smart meter; the Energy Ombudsman advises checking the tenancy agreement and letting the landlord know¹⁶.

If your landlord pays the bills, the position reverses: you can still get a smart meter, but the landlord, as the account holder, will need to organise it on your behalf¹⁰. The practical point is that the person whose name is on the energy account is the person the supplier will deal with, because the meter belongs to that supply relationship rather than to the property.

Renters and flat dwellers face some specific questions about access, meter cupboards in communal areas and what happens at the end of a tenancy, which our page on smart meters and monitoring in flats and rented homes covers in detail.

Siting the new meter and removing the old device

The new meters normally go exactly where your old meters were¹. There is no rewiring of the house and no new meter box in the ordinary case: the old meter comes out, the smart meter goes into the same position, and the tails and connections are remade and checked as part of the installation.

Once fitted, the meter's readings are automatically sent via the DCC's secure network to your energy supplier¹⁷. Smart meters differ from traditional meters in offering two-way communication, meaning they can wirelessly send and receive information¹⁶. That two-way link is what lets the supplier take readings remotely, and it is also what supports remote switching between credit and prepayment modes on the same meter.

The old meter is removed and taken away by the installer. If your previous meter was an early SMETS1 smart meter rather than a traditional one, the wider picture is that first-generation meters are being upgraded to SMETS2 in due course if they have not been already⁵, a process explained in our guide to SMETS1 and SMETS2 meters.

Your smart monitor and other equipment supplied

With every smart meter installation, the customer is provided with an in-home display⁵. This is not an optional extra or a paid add-on: everyone who gets a smart meter installed will be provided with one¹⁸. The government's rights and expectations document confirms that smart meters come with an in-home display so consumers can see and manage their energy use⁶, and Citizens Advice gives the householder's version: when you get a smart meter, you will also be given an in-home display¹⁵.

The display is a portable touchscreen device that shows near real-time energy usage data¹⁹. It shows you how much energy you are using during the day², which is what turns the meter from a billing device into something you can act on at the kettle or the thermostat. The installer should offer and demonstrate the display during the appointment⁶, so ask for that demonstration if it is not offered.

What the display does day to day, how to read its screens and what to do when it shows electricity but no gas are covered in our guide to in-home displays.

Dual fuel homes with separate suppliers

If you have separate suppliers for gas and electricity, you will need an appointment with each to change them to smart meters⁷. Smart DCC says the same: you will need to book individual appointments with both⁸.

There is also an ordering recommendation that recurs across the guidance. If your home's gas and electricity are supplied by different suppliers, the suggestion is to have your electricity smart meter installed before your gas smart meter³, and Smart DCC likewise recommends changing your electricity meters first⁸. The reason is practical: once the electricity meter is smart, the electricity supplier's readings and account are settled on actual data, which simplifies what happens at the second visit.

The two appointments are otherwise independent, and each follows the same pattern as a single-fuel visit: an hour or so of work, a supply interruption during the swap, and a demonstration of the display at the end.

Saying no: refusal and traditional mode

Refusal is a right, and it is stated by the bodies that handle complaints. The Energy Ombudsman is explicit: "While it is your right to refuse the installation of a smart meter, if your traditional meter needs to be replaced due to being faulty or unsafe, replacement options may be limited."¹⁶ The same source notes there is currently no requirement for suppliers to install a smart meter on request, but if you would like one you can contact your supplier¹⁶.

There is a middle option as well. You can ask your supplier to fit a smart meter that has its communications switched off so that it operates as a traditional meter⁷. Citizens Advice puts the basic position simply: you do not have to accept a smart meter if you do not want one¹⁵.

The practical caveat is stock. In theory you are not obliged to have smart meters, but most energy companies no longer hold traditional meters, so a meter that fails will usually be replaced with a smart one⁷. No one can force the issue: there are no provisions allowing entry by force to install a smart meter¹⁴. Our page on whether smart meters are compulsory covers the legal position in full.

How fitting affects a household's self reliance

A smart meter does not make a household independent of the grid or the supplier; it changes what information flows, and who holds it. On the benefit side, once the meter is installed your readings are sent automatically, so bills are accurate rather than estimated³, and energy suppliers must take all reasonable steps to ensure smart meters automatically send them your gas and electricity readings²⁰. The in-home display gives the household a live view of its own consumption that a traditional meter never did¹⁹.

That visibility is the foundation for everything else on this site: time-of-use tariffs, flexibility schemes and the sizing of solar and battery systems all rest on consumption data, and a smart meter is where that data begins. The meter also keeps working across suppliers, since current SMETS2 meters are cross-compatible and retain their smart functions after a switch¹⁶, and switching itself has become simpler than in the era before smart meters, when it could take up to three weeks and problems were commonplace²¹.

The dependence that remains is real and worth naming. The meter communicates through the DCC's national network rather than anything the household controls¹⁷, and the supplier remains the counterparty for the data. The programme itself is large and ongoing: at its peak around 19,000 installations were taking place each day²², and the Public Accounts Committee reported suppliers installing 80,000 to 85,000 smart meters each week²³. Ofgem describes the current period as a transition to a new phase in the programme²⁴, with the post-2025 policy framework proposing that suppliers take all reasonable steps to complete installation in remaining domestic premises by the end of 2030, and requiring pre-emptive replacement of smart metering assets so they continue to communicate when the older wide-area network services end²⁵. Communications hubs using 2G or 3G will need replacement with 4G-capable devices by the end of 2033, with the costs and benefits of that technological upgrade assessed separately from the original rollout²⁶. A household that fits a smart meter today is therefore joining infrastructure with a known replacement cycle, which our page on the 3G switch-off and our wider guide to smart meters and energy independence unpack further. The full background to the national programme is in our guide to smart meters and home energy management.