Six Things You Need to Know About Smart Meters
Smart meters bring clearer insights, more accurate billing, and greater control over your energy use. As of September 2025, more than two million smart meters have been installed in Ireland by ESB Networks, covering over four out of five households. Here’s what every household should know.
1. Smart meters can provide accurate, near-real-time information about your electricity use.
Smart meters are the next generation of electricity meters. Like a traditional meter, a smart meter measures how much electricity you use. Using digital technology, smart meters give you more accurate information on your energy usage - helping you to manage your bills and facilitate Ireland’s growing renewable generation.
With smart meter services, your electricity usage could be recorded every 30 minutes or every 2 months, depending on the smart meter services suitable for you. This will allow you to view and manage your usage more easily and identify ways to save on your energy usage
2. Installation is free and available to most homes
ESB Networks installs smart meters at no additional cost. The national rollout continues to expand and now includes upgrades for homes that require three-phase meters. When your home is scheduled for installation, ESB Networks will contact you directly.
3. Smart meters help you manage your energy usage more effectively
With a smart meter, you can choose from a range of Smart Plans that reward off-peak usage, tailored to how you use energy. These plans provide flexibility, accuracy, and opportunities to save by shifting usage.
When you choose a smart plan (also called a time of use tariff), your smart meter gives you access to accurate daily or half-hourly usage insights, making it easier to monitor and manage your electricity consumption. You can:
- View your electricity usage by day, week, month or time band
- Understand peak vs off-peak usage
- Track your busiest energy hour
- Compare your usage week-on-week or month-on-month
- Identify simple behavioural changes that reduce costs
Smart Insights is available to customers through My Account.
4. Smart meters reduce the need for manual readings
When activated for half-hourly readings, smart meters automatically send your usage information, when not activated your meter will be read automatically every six months. This means fewer manual readings are needed and your bills will be more accurate. They also help ESB Networks detect faults faster and plan network upgrades more effectively. If you haven’t activated your smart meter and want to submit readings in line with your billing cycle, you may find this article useful how to read your smart meter.
5. Smart meters support Ireland’s climate and renewable energy goals
Smart meters help households use electricity more efficiently and align their usage with lower carbon periods. They are central to Ireland’s transition to a fossil free electricity system by 2040. Smart meters also enable microgeneration. More than 140,000 customers with solar PV systems now receive payments for excess electricity exported to the grid.
6. You can still switch energy suppliers
Smart meters do not restrict your choice of energy supplier. Your usage data can help you choose the most suitable tariff. For installation queries, contact ESB Networks. To learn how to get the most from your smart meter, visit the SSE Airtricity Smart Hub.