Getting a smart meter installed

Before we visit

• We'll send you a confirmation of your appointment date and time and reminders that we are coming up until the day we visit. Your engineer will arrive to carry out the work anytime within the timeslot of your appointment.

• If you need to rearrange or cancel your appointment Log in to your account

• It will take around two hours to upgrade both your gas and electricity meters (or an hour and a half for just one)

• Try to locate your meters in your home. Make as much space around the area as possible so the engineer has space to work. If your meters are in a communal cupboard and need a key, do your best to access this for the engineer's visit.

• When we install the meter, your power will be off for a short time – so charge any essential equipment. If turning your power off will be an issue due to mains-powered medical equipment, get in touch

On the day

• The engineer will call you to let you know they’re on their way.

• Let the engineer know if you’re visually or hearing impaired. And if you think answering the door will take longer.

• Ensure there's someone over 18 at home throughout the visit.

• Occasionally, we use engineers from our trusted service partners Calisen, M Group Services or SMS Smarter Metering Services to carry out smart meter installations. If that is the case, the engineer will always show you their ID and explain the work that they have come to do.

• As well as fitting your new smart meters, our engineers will check your gas appliances are safe. If we discover any problems, we will notify you of the next steps that need to be taken. Don’t worry – we won’t leave you in an unsafe situation.

• As part of the installation, we'll also give you a smart energy monitor and show you how to use it. And if you have a smart prepayment meter, the engineer will explain all the new ways you can top up. Your smart card will arrive in the post a few days before your appointment.

• We follow the smart metering installation schedule. It's an industry-wide set of standards that ensure you have the best installation experience possible. Find out more about SMIS

• Please keep your pets in another room so the engineer can easily and safely install your smart meters without any distractions.

After the installation

Your in-home display can take up to 14 days to connect to your smart meters. Don’t worry if you can’t see your usage immediately - your meters are still working correctly.

Once we install your smart meters, how you pay for your energy will only change if you choose to. And you'll still be able to move to a different British Gas tariff quickly and easily – just like you can now. You'll also still be free to switch to a new energy supplier. Unless you're a prepayment customer, we'll use your meter readings to work out your bills. We'll also create a personalised breakdown of your energy use. It also helps us buy energy at the best rates to keep our prices low. We'll ask you how often we can collect your meter readings and you can change this whenever you like.

We won't use data from your smart meters for marketing purposes unless you've said we can. If you leave us, we won't have access to your smart meter data.