Preparing for your smart meter installation
If you have already booked an appointment for a smart meter, you've made a great choice. To help make the installation go as smooth as possible, we’ve created a video and a handy checklist to help you prepare for the day.
Installation day checklist
Make a note of the day
We need someone to be there during the appointment so it's worth writing down or saving the date in your online calendar, or communicating it to whoever will be there on the day. We will also send you a reminder closer to the appointment in case you lose track of it.
Clear the way
Help us make the appointment as smooth as possible by removing anything that might be in the way of the engineer's access to the meter such as furniture, boxes, etc.
Get the key or passcode
Sometimes meters are found in a secured location or room. Please have the key or passcode handy on the day to grant access to the meter.
Remind your colleagues
It's highly likely that the appointment will affect more than just yourself. For example, if you work in an office, remind any colleagues that are around during the appointment that the energy will be turned off for up to an hour. Or if you have refrigeration appliances on site, remind them to keep the doors shut to preserve the temperature for the duration of the appointment.
Save your work
Before the meter installation starts, make sure to save any sensitive work on your computer or prepare other software-based equipment to be turned off without losing data. For example, the tills in a shop. And remind anyone else on site who is affected by the temporary power cut to do the same.
Turn off appliances
Finally, when everything else is ready and the engineer prompts you to do it, turn off all gas or electrical appliances (depending on which type of meter is installed). These should stay switched off until instructed by the engineer that it is safe to turn them back on.
Our promise to you
We have signed up to the Smart Metering Installation Code of Practice (SMICoP). This ensures our commitment to providing you with a great service, including:
- minimising disruption to your business when it comes to the installation appointment
- keeping you informed of who your engineer is and making sure they provide you with identification when they arrive
- explaining the benefits of smart meters
- showing you how to use your new smart metering equipment after installation
Whenever we make an appointment with you, we will always ensure that any Opus Energy representative who visits you has the correct skills, experience and resources to complete the job at hand.
If, for reasons outside of our control, we can no longer make the appointment and we need to rearrange, your rights are protected by our Standards of Performance.
Manage your booking
We understand that sometimes things get in the way and you might need to re-arrange the appointment. Simply contact us to let us know and we’ll help you re-arrange.
You can call our Smart Operations team on 0800 6681337 or send them an email.
Your smart data sharing
Previously, customers have been able to opt to share their smart data with us every day or month rather than every 30 minutes. From 3 November 2022, the Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (Ofgem) have made half hourly data sharing mandatory. This applies to all energy suppliers and is not specific to Opus Energy. You’ll retain the ability to opt out until you install a new smart meter, start a new contract with us, or switch to a new supplier. Once you start a new contract with us, or another supplier, or install a new smart meter you’ll switch to half hourly data sharing.
The Government has made this mandatory because half hourly data can allow the UK energy system to:
- Identify and respond to unplanned power outages more quickly
- Better balance supply and demand, which then helps to reduce waste and costs
- Make the most of renewable energy like wind and solar (you can find out more about how this works at smartenergygb.org if you're interested)
For suppliers, half hourly data can help us create relevant offers and tariffs based on what you actually use. And the more customer data we have access to, the better we can forecast energy use and reflect that in competitive prices.
You can reach us Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm.
Call: 0800 668 1337
Email: smart.operations@opusenergy.com
The more meter reads you allow us to collect, the more we can show in your online account in return.