With global events affectingResearch that Smart Energy carried out with OnePoll in February 2024 shows that 30 per cent of small business owners sacrificed working a ‘normal’ 9-5 while setting up their business. Meanwhile, 27 per cent gave up all of their usual free time to work and 23 per cent sacrificed seeing friends and had a limited social life. wholesale energy prices, and despite limited government intervention to control costs, there’s never been a better time to adopt any measures you can to better manage your business energy usage and budget.
Smart meters, which are currently being rolled out across Great Britain, can help you just do that.
Using a secure smart data network, smart meters automatically send monthly gas and electricity readings directly to your energy provider. This means your bills are more accurate and there’s no longer a need for you to submit manual readings.
If your business has fewer than 10 employees, you may be eligible for a smart meter. But first, check out the three biggest smart meter benefits for business below.
Simplified and more accurate bills
As a small business owner, it’s easy to get bogged down in all those essential but menial day-to-day tasks, meaning you can struggle to find time to devote to your grander ambitions. That’s why anything that can reduce the burden of administrative tasks is such a godsend.
With a smart reader, readings are taken in near real-time and sent directly to your supplier once a month. That means your bills are more accurate, you’ll only pay for the energy you actually use, and with no need to take manual readings, you’ll have more time to spend on the most important task of all: growing your business.
Gain greater control over your energy usage
Understanding and gaining control over your business energy usage with a traditional meter can be challenging.
With a smart meter, it could be much easier. If you receive an In-Home Display (IHD), you can see exactly how much energy you’re using in pounds and pence by day, week, and month. This gives you greater control by helping you to identify when and why you’re using more energy and take steps to cut down and save money.
Help protect the environment
Every business needs to do their bit to reduce carbon emissions and help achieve Net Zero by 2050 at the latest. Almost a quarter of businesses agree. In the survey mentioned above, 23 per cent of small business owners have a goal for their companies to become more sustainableBut how can a smart meter help?
In two ways. Firstly, by having a smart meter installed on your business premises, you’re contributing to the creation of a smarter nationwide energy system. By providing suppliers with more accurate readings, they gain a much clearer picture of how energy demand changes throughout the day and year. This helps them to plan for peak times and prioritise the use of renewables over fossil fuels when meeting demand.
Secondly, if you are able to monitor your energy usage with an IHD, you can cut down on unnecessary usage and help to reduce carbon emissions.
Next steps
Any small business with fewer than 10 employees could be eligible for a smart meter. So, if you’re ready for more accurate billing and greater control of your energy usage, contact your supplier for more information about smart meter installation. It takes just two hours and can take place at a time that’s convenient for you.
If you run your business from a domestic premises, you should also be eligible for a smart meter – every home in Great Britain will be offered one by the end of 2025. And if you’re in a rented premises, as long as you pay the bills, you can request a smart meter.
Depending on your supplier and your tariff, you may even be able to get a smart meter at no extra cost. However, some businesses may still be charged for a part of the upgrade or for access to their energy data usage.
For more information about the benefits of installing a smart meter in your workplace, visit the Smart Energy GB at smartenergyGB.org.
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