How do I get a smart meter for my business?
Ask your supplier — they arrange and normally fit it at no upfront charge, though the cost sits in your rates one way or another. Smaller sites get a SMETS2 smart meter; larger or half-hourly sites get an automated meter reading (AMR) meter instead. The real benefit is accurate billing and usable consumption data, not a lower unit rate.
Last reviewed 2 September 2026 by Utilities Made Simple · independent, whole-of-market, supplier-paid — how we are paid
Which type you will get
- Smart (SMETS2) — smaller non-half-hourly supplies. Sends reads automatically, works across suppliers, and usually comes with an in-premises display.
- AMR — larger supplies and anything half-hourly. A data logger sends half-hourly consumption to the supplier. This is what gives you genuinely useful data.
How to ask
Contact your supplier's business team, quote the MPAN or MPRN, and ask to be put on the installation programme. If you are about to sign a new contract, ask for the meter as part of the deal — that is the moment you have most leverage. Expect a wait; business installations are scheduled rather than immediate.
What it is genuinely worth
- No more estimates, which removes catch-up bills and reconciliation surprises.
- Consumption by half hour, which shows you what is running overnight and at weekends. On most sites this is where the first real savings are found — not in the tariff at all.
- Better quotes. Suppliers price known consumption more keenly than estimates.
What it is not
It is not a cheaper tariff, and it does not reduce your standing charge, currently around 45–65p a day. Anyone selling a smart meter as a saving in itself is selling you the data's potential, not a discount. The saving comes from acting on what it shows.
Ask an energy specialist
If your question is not answered above, send it to us. A specialist answers personally, normally within one working day. No sales call, no obligation — and if the answer is "your deal is fine", that is what you will get.
Want this checked against your own bill?
Email a recent bill to info@utilitiesms.co.uk and a specialist will check your rates, VAT, levies and contract end date against the live market — free, usually the same working day. If your deal is already good, we will tell you to keep it.