Smart meter
Customer resources
With a smart meter, you can now see your detailed consumption data in the My Drax Energy portal. By default, we will show your consumption for 30-minute intervals. You can then use this data to make informed choices and control when you use the most energy.
Use energy more efficiently
Now that you have a smart meter, you can more accurately understand the impact of energy efficiency efforts as you can see the peaks and troughs of detailed usage in your smart app. We've also answered some frequently asked smart meter questions - you can access them by clicking the button below.
Your first bill with a smart meter
It's quite likely that part of your first bill will still be based on estimated reads. The reason for this is that you probably won't have your meter installed the same day as your most recent bill is generated. So we will still need to estimate your consumption up to the point of when the smart meter is connected to our systems. It should all be automated from then onwards.
You should also know that your first bill with smart meter may be higher than expected. The reason is that an accurate read has caused an initial spike between what we were previously estimating your consumption to be and what it really was. If you hadn’t provided us with a recent or regular read before the installation, the estimations were likely incorrect. This should not be a problem going forward as your bills will be based on accurate reads from now on.
How to use your smart meter
If you ever need to check your energy use or browse the options, the steps you need to take depend on the meter you have. Select one of the guides below:
Landis and Gyr E470 Series 3
Landis and Gyr E470 Series 3 User manual and functional description
Aclara SGM1430-B
Aclara SGM1430-B Polyphase Smart Electricity Meter User manual and product guide
Your smart data sharing
Previously, customers have been able to opt to share their smart data with us every day or month rather than every 30 minutes. From 3rd November 2022, the Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (Ofgem) have made half hourly data sharing mandatory. This applies to all energy suppliers and is not specific to Drax. You’ll retain the ability to opt out until you install a new smart meter, start a new contract with us, or switch to a new supplier. Once you start a new contract with us, or another supplier, or install a new smart meter you'll switch to half hourly data sharing.
The Government has made this mandatory because half hourly data can allow the UK energy system to:
- Identify and respond to unplanned power outages more quickly
- Better balance supply and demand, which then helps to reduce waste and costs
- Make the most of renewable energy like wind and solar (you can find out more about how this works at smartenergygb.org if you're interested)
For suppliers, half hourly data can help us create relevant offers and tariffs based on what you actually use. And the more customer data we have access to, the better we can forecast energy use and reflect that in competitive prices.
Choosing the right smart meter for your business
Read our handy guide to the types of smart meters available.
If your meter isn't working as expected
Smart meters, just like our computers, mobile phones or any other modern devices, may not always work as expected. If you suspect there is a problem with your meter, please get in touch with our metering teams. Their in-depth knowledge will be best-placed to ensure any issues are fixed as fast as possible. Don't worry, if we need to replace your smart meter with a new one, we won't charge you for it.
Our teams are available Monday to Friday - call 01473 277556 or email smart@drax.com.
If you have a power cut please refer to our emergency contact page for a list of contacts who can help in your area.