smart meters: what you can expect from us - british gas · pdf filesmart meters: what you can...

Smart meters: what you can expect from us

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Date: 15.06.16Time: 11:04 GMT+01:00DI: Chris

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Lakeside House, 30 The Causeway, Staines, TW18 3BY | www.egplusww.com

Making your switch to smart meters as trouble-free as we canBefore you get your smart metersIt usually takes about an hour and a half to fit one meter and two and a half hours to fit two. And the upgrade to smart meters is free.

We’ll agree a time to fit your meters that suits you. You or another adult will need to be there, as we’ll have to turn the gas and electricity off while we do the work. If that will cause you problems, let us know when you book the appointment.

If you have your gas and electricity with us we’ll do our best to fit both your smart meters at the same time. If we can’t, we’ll tell you why and be clear about what happens next.



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We’re all about putting your needs first. That’s a big part of our industry’s Smart Meter Installation Code of Practice.

This guide shows you how we live up to that by:• Making your switch to smart meters as trouble-free as we can• Making sure you can still change tariffs and suppliers• Helping you understand your energy and save money• Protecting your personal data and your rights

Fitting your smart metersWhen they come to fit your meters, our engineers will let you know who they are, show you their photo ID and explain what they’ve come to do. We’ll try to let you know in advance if we need more than one person to do the work. They’ll also be in British Gas uniform. And they’ll leave your home exactly as they found it.

As part of installing your new meters, the engineers will check your gas appliances and disconnect them if there are any signs they’re not safe, like smoke damage to the boiler. They’ll do their best to do repairs on the spot so you’re not left without hot water or heating.

Our engineers will talk to you to find the best place for your smart energy monitor. They’ll show you how to use it and explain how the monitor and the smart meters work. They’ll also leave you a guide that explains this in more detail. If you have Smart Pay As You Go meters installed our engineers will also run through how to get credit so you know how to top up.

For extra support you can sign up for our free Priority Services Register. This could include getting your bills in an alternative format, such as large print or braille, and a password scheme so if we’re visiting, you’ll know it’s us at your door. You can find out more about the register by calling us on 0800 072 8625* (Textphone 18001 0800 072 8626).

Suggesting products and servicesWe won’t sell you anything. Our engineers might give you information about products and services that could save you money, but only if you’ve said we can when we fix the appointment. They’ll only suggest things they think you might need and they won’t put you under any pressure. We want you to have time to think about what our engineers suggest so you can ask for more information later if you need it. Also, you can end the conversation at any point.

Making sure you can still change tariffs and suppliersChanging tariffsOnce you’ve got smart meters, you’ll be able to change tariffs quickly and easily, just as you can now.

Changing suppliersYou’ll still be able to change suppliers, but not all suppliers are offering smart meters yet. If your

new supplier isn’t offering them, your smart meters will work like normal meters until the supplier can support them.

If you have Smart Pay As You Go meters installed and you leave British Gas, your new supplier might not be able to support them. They’ll tell you if you need new meters that let you top up as before.

You'll get a free smart

energy monitor with your smart

meters



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Helping you understand your energy and save moneyOur engineers will tell you how smart meters can show you more about how you’re using energy. They’ll show you how to use that knowledge to make your home more energy efficient. And they’ll give you advice on saving energy.

You’ll get a free smart energy monitor with your smart meters. The digital screen makes it easy to keep an eye on how much energy you’re using and where you might be able to make savings.

Get more tips and ideas at britishgas.co.uk/energysavingtips or call us free on 0800 980 6121*, textphone 1800 0800 072 8626. The Energy Saving Trust also has more information at energysavingtrust.org.uk To find out more about the smart meter roll out visit smartenergygb.org

Protecting your personal data and your rightsWhat we use your data forWe’ll use your meter readings to work out your bills, and to create a personalised breakdown of your energy use. It also helps us buy energy at the best rates so we can keep prices down.

The choices you have about your data

You choose how often your smart meters take meter readings – it can be half hourly, daily or monthly. Whichever option you choose, the readings will never be sent to us more than once a day. And you can change your preference at any time by calling free on 0800 980 6121*. The more meter readings we get, the more detailed breakdown of your usage we can give you.

We’ll confirm in writing how often we’ll take readings, along with what we’ll use the data for. We’ll do that once a year – and you can change your mind any time.

What rules are there about how we use your data?We stick to the energy industry Data Guide. You can see it at energy-uk.org.uk/policy/smart-meters These are some of the main points:

• We won’t use data from your smart meters for marketing products and services to you (unless you’ve said we can)

• We’ll take care of your data, and keep it secure to stop it being misused

• If you leave us, we won’t then have access to data from your smart meters

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*We record calls to help improve our service to you. Calls to 0800 numbers are free from mobiles and landlines. British Gas is a signatory to the Smart Metering Installation Code of Practice (SMICoP) which has been approved by OFGEM.

British Gas is the trading name of British Gas Trading Limited. Registered in England & Wales (Registered No. 03078711).Registered Office for British Gas Group companies is: Millstream, Maidenhead Road, Windsor, Berkshire SL4 5GD. britishgas.co.uk



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