Beyond installation: why Smart Meter Health is now critical for supplier success

Summary

Smart meters are only valuable if they remain connected and functional. SMS’s Smart Meter Health service gives energy suppliers the tools and expertise to monitor, diagnose, and fix problems across their smart meter portfolios, ensuring better performance, stronger compliance, and lower operational cost.

Why smart meters need active management

Installing a smart meter is only step one. For energy suppliers, the real challenge begins after installation, ensuring the meter continues to function properly, report usage data, and meet regulatory standards.

A smart meter is considered fully functional only when it maintains regular communication with the supplier’s central systems via the national smart metering network. If that communication breaks down – for example, if the meter loses its Wide Area Network (WAN) or Home Area Network (HAN) connection – it can no longer send accurate usage data. This creates serious problems for the supplier, including incorrect billing, missed regulatory targets, and increased support costs.

Under Ofgem’s smart metering framework, suppliers must not only install smart meters but also demonstrate that those meters retain smart functionality year after year. That means energy companies must actively monitor their portfolios and resolve issues quickly.

What is Smart Meter Health?

Smart Meter Health is a dedicated service from SMS that helps energy suppliers manage the ongoing performance of their smart meter estate. It focuses on two core areas: communication and firmware.

Through a combination of software, diagnostics, and consultancy, Smart Meter Health enables suppliers to detect meters that are not working as expected and take action to restore full functionality. This might involve remote fixes, firmware updates, or on-site interventions depending on the issue.

The service is designed to complement suppliers’ existing operations. SMS consultants can work alongside internal teams or take the lead on portfolio-wide recovery projects. Either way, the goal is the same: to ensure smart meters remain connected, compliant, and cost-effective.

How the service works

Smart Meter Health uses the n3rgy Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform to access live data from smart meters, regardless of the energy supplier, meter operator, or installation history. This data includes firmware version, meter age, and communication status.

SMS analysts use this data, combined with the test evidence data from their in house SMETS2 test Lab, to run full diagnostic reports, identifying meters that have lost connectivity or are running outdated firmware. Each meter is assigned a traffic-light status: green for healthy, amber for attention required, red for non-communicating or at-risk meters.

To resolve issues, SMS draws on in-house expertise and infrastructure, including the UK’s only dedicated SMETS2 Test Centre that spans all communication technologies, Single Band, Dual Band and Alt HAN. With over 200 test bays, the facility allows SMS to test meter performance under real conditions and recommend specific firmware upgrade paths for different meter types.
Suppliers also receive regular reports weekly or monthly that highlight portfolio health, improvement areas, and progress over time. Every recommendation is backed by your meter data and prioritised by business impact.

Maintaining your Smart Meter Health

When a smart meter stops communicating with the supplier’s systems, it can no longer provide accurate energy usage data. That leads to billing errors, increased complaints, and missed performance targets. It also limits the supplier’s ability to benefit from innovations like flexible tariffs and half-hourly settlement.

Smart Meter Health addresses these challenges head-on. It helps suppliers keep their meters online, compliant, and performing at their best, without draining internal resources or delaying rollout plans.

The service also supports readiness for Market-Wide Half-Hourly Settlement (MHHS), which will require every smart meter to deliver accurate, real-time usage data on a consistent basis. Suppliers that fail to maintain their smart estates may face financial penalties or competitive disadvantages.