Smart meters in Great Britain - statistics & facts
As of early 2025, approximately 60 percent of households in Great Britain have been equipped with smart meters, with the current government aiming to offer them to all homes by 2025. Smart meters are part of an advanced metering infrastructure meant to ease monitoring of energy consumption and enable two-way communication with the supplier. The meter may be connected to the network via fixed cabling or wireless options. They are most commonly used as an electricity meter in the deployment of smart grids, although gas and water meters are also available.
Further smart meter rollout across England, Wales, and Scotland is meant to improve consumer flexibility within the market. By monitoring real-time energy consumption, households would no longer have to rely on estimated billing and could use energy more efficiently, helping Great Britain move towards a lower-carbon economy. Eventually, all energy suppliers will be required to offer smart meters to their customers.
Disparities in smart meter adoption
The uptake of smart meters varies considerably across different regions of the United Kingdom. A 2024 survey revealed that the North East leads in smart meter usage, with 71 percent of respondents having one installed. In contrast, only 22 percent of respondents in Northern Ireland reported using a smart meter, indicating significant regional differences in adoption rates. In 2024, there were roughly 30 million domestic smart meters in operation in the country, the majority of which were installed by large energy suppliers. That same year, small suppliers installed almost 40,000 domestic smart meters units. Meanwhile, the number of non-domestic smart and advanced meters in operation in Great Britain almost over 1.8 million in 2023, a figure which has increased year-on-year since 2014.Further smart meter rollout across England, Wales, and Scotland is meant to improve consumer flexibility within the market. By monitoring real-time energy consumption, households would no longer have to rely on estimated billing and could use energy more efficiently, helping Great Britain move towards a lower-carbon economy. Eventually, all energy suppliers will be required to offer smart meters to their customers.
