Your smart meter in-home display explained

Most displays show what you are using right now, today’s and this week’s use and an approximate cost, and the signal strength between the meter and the display. The cost is an estimate based on the prices loaded into the display, so treat your bill and the app as the record.

Work through these first:

• Check the plug and that the display is close enough to the meter.
• Look for recent readings in your Octopus account. If they are there, the meter is communicating.
• Use the app for usage instead, which Octopus suggests is the most accurate view.
• Ask Octopus for a replacement if you moved into a home with a smart meter but no display.

Not to be billed correctly. The display is a convenience, and the app shows the same half-hourly usage in more detail. Some people find a display on the kitchen counter helps them spot heavy use, though.

• How to submit a meter reading to Octopus EnergyWhere to send an Octopus meter reading, how often to do it, how to read each type of meter and what to do when a reading looks wrong.
• Can you refuse a smart meter?Whether you can say no to a smart meter, what changes when an old meter must be replaced, and what you give up without one.
• What happens to your smart meter when you switch to OctopusWhether your smart meter keeps working when you switch to Octopus, why some older meters go dumb, and what to do about it.
• Does Octopus do a credit check?How Octopus uses your credit data when you join, what it shares with TransUnion, and how paying on time or late affects your credit file.
• Octopus can’t find your address: what to doWhy an Octopus quote sometimes cannot find your address, how your MPAN helps, and the form Octopus provides for missing addresses.
• What is Octopus Energy? Tariffs and how it differsA plain-English introduction to Octopus Energy: who it is, the kinds of tariff it offers, and how to find the right one for your home and region.