Codes of practice
Smart meters are the next generation of digital electricity meters and are expected to be rolled out to all applicable small businesses in Ireland by 2024. Smart meters can provide detailed information about your electricity usage, giving you more control. You’ll also be able to avail of the new generation of Smart Services.
Our Code of Practice on Smart Services outlines our commitments to our customers with smart meters and explains the functionality and benefits of smart meters in a way that is clear and easy to understand.
As smart meters can record a customer’s usage at 30-minute intervals, they enable SSE Airtricity to offer Time-of-Use (ToU) tariffs. A ToU tariff has different unit rates for electricity used at different times of the day. They are designed to encourage customers to move their electricity usage to off-peak times when demand on the electricity network is lower. Customers can benefit from lower unit prices at these off-peak times.
The simplest form of Time-of-Use tariff will have the below time bands: Time-of-Use tariff example Day 8am to 11pm (excluding ‘Peak’ 5pm to 7pm) Night 11pm to 8am Peak 5pm to 7pm
Time-of-Use tariffs have been designed to help customers move their electricity usage away from peak times and avail of cheaper electricity prices during the Day and Night time bands. Using more of your electricity at these cheaper times can help lead to a meaningful reduction in your energy bill.
Interval Smart Services means your electricity usage is recorded every 30 minutes. This will allow you to view your usage the next day and identify ways to save on your energy usage. This will improve your bill accuracy as bills will always be based on actual usage.
Non – Interval Smart Services means we’ll receive your meter reads from ESB Networks six times a year or every 2 months. This is an increase from the current meter reading frequency, which aims to read meters up to four times a year. This will increase the accuracy of your bills but will not provide the same level of accuracy as Interval Smart Services.
If you wish, you can change this preference at any time by contacting our Customer Service Team. The range of Smart Services that you can avail of will be determined by the choice that you make.
From May 2021, we’ll contact our customers who have already had a smart meter installed to explain the benefits of Smart Services and Time-of-Use Tariffs. Any customer who has a smart meter installed after May 2021, will receive a similar communication from us within 3 months of their installation.
Customers who haven’t availed of Smart Services will be reminded of the benefits of Smart Services and of TOU tariffs on an annual basis. We’ll make sure this information is clear and easy to understand.
If you choose 30-minute Interval Smart Services, you will be able to access your detailed usage data via your Business Online account. We will provide this data as a downloadable file. You’ll be able to analyse or share your usage data with other suppliers or a third-party (e.g. energy broker/third party intermediary). This file will include your Meter Point Reference Number (MPRN) and Meter Serial Number and will show your usage for each half-hourly period by date (i.e. 48 periods per day). We will provide a minimum of 24 months historical usage data in this file where available. For customers with Microgeneration (e.g. solar) capability, your export data will be accessible through this file when it becomes available.
For information on how we manage your data you can refer to our privacy notice which is available at www.sseairtricity.com.
You’ll be able to access this information by signing into your Business Online account through a range of devices including smartphone, desktop, laptop and tablet. You will also be able to view your usage information on your SSE Airtricity bill.
If you choose 30-minute Interval Smart Services, you’ll be able to access ‘at a glance’ information. This will show you your electricity usage patterns in an easy to understand format, as well as providing insights on your usage habits and general energy saving tips. This will help you make more informed choices including the possibility of moving your usage to different times of the day, when you can avail of lower unit prices.
Smart meters and services will help Ireland to become more energy efficient and environmentally friendly. Reducing energy consumption during peak hours will reduce Ireland’s reliance on fossil fuels overall. By choosing and using a smart meter, you’re contributing to a cleaner, greener Ireland for everyone.
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