Can Smart Meters Work with Solar Panels?

Smart meters have become a popular addition to households in recent years, with many energy suppliers providing free installation of smart meters in conjunction with Government initiatives to help reduce the carbon footprint of the nation.

What is a smart meter?

A smart meter is the modern upgrade on the traditional gas and electricity meters that we all grew up with. The government aimed for all households to have a smart meter installed by 2020 and this programme continues. Your exact energy usage is calculated in real-time and automatically sent to your energy provider. What this means, is that you will always have completely accurate meter readings and therefore completely accurate energy bills. When installed with a solar panel system, your household can reap the rewards of a renewable energy, low-carbon system that provides you with significant savings and a handle on your energy consumption.

How do smart meters monitor my energy consumption?

Smart meters are designed to show the real-time electricity consumption of your home. This means that you can become aware of the accuracy of your solar energy usage and can act to reduce it if necessary or increase it if needs be. Having this up-to-the-minute accurate data at your fingertips allows you to make real decisions based on real data, which is a far cry from the guestimates that we are all used to from traditional energy providers when it comes to meter readings and energy bills.

Can I install smart meters with a solar panel system?

Not all energy suppliers have smart meters that can read the exported energy from solar panels but many of them do. Therefore, you can have smart meters installed with your solar panel system. The good news is that the latest generation of smart meters, and any future generations of smart meters, have ironed out some minor issues that have been found in the past with solar panel systems and accurate reading of data by smart meters.