Fixing problems with your smart meter’s in-home display

An in-home display (IHD) is a small portable screen that shows you how much energy you’re using. This is not the same as a smart meter. Your smart meter will be in a fixed position, usually in a cupboard inside or outside your home. 

We can help you find the digital user guide for your IHD - even if you don't know what model it is. Find the user guide for your in-home display.

You can try to deal with the problem yourself. If you can’t fix the problem, your supplier might agree to fix or replace your IHD - it depends on when you got it.

If your IHD stops showing your energy usage or prepayment balance

Wait for an hour and check if this information has come back.

If your usage or balance hasn’t come back after an hour, your IHD might be having trouble connecting to your smart meters.

You can try to fix this by moving your IHD so:

• it’s closer to your meters

• there are as few walls as possible between your IHD and your meters

• you can still look at it easily

If you have smart meters for both gas and electricity, it's usually best to make sure your IHD is closest to your electricity meter.

You might need to plug your IHD into a different socket and wait for it to restart.

After you move your IHD, it should connect to your meters within 24 hours and show your energy usage or balance. To make sure it has connected properly, you can check the meter readings on your in-home display and compare them with the readings on your smart meters. They should be the same or very similar.

If you’re not sure how to read your meters, you can:

• check how to read your smart electricity meter

• check how to read your smart gas meter

If you use your IHD to top up your prepayment meter

Tell your supplier as soon as possible if you can’t top up your prepayment meter because your IHD isn’t working. They should work quickly to fix your problem. They should give you other ways to top up your prepayment meter - you can top up online, in a local shop or post office.

If your IHD hasn’t connected to your meters after 24 hours

Contact your supplier and tell them. In many cases they can fix it by turning your communications hub off and on again - you won’t usually be able to do this yourself.

If they can’t help fix it or this hasn’t worked, it might be because your meters have stopped working in smart mode. This might happen if:

• you have an older type of smart meter and you switched supplier

• your supplier has gone bust

You can check if your meter is working in smart mode.

If your meter isn’t working in smart mode, you’ll need to send regular meter readings yourself.

You should still be able to use your online account or app to check your usage or prepayment balance. You can also contact your supplier to ask for this information.

If your IHD won’t turn on or the screen is blank

Check if your in-home display is:

• plugged in or has working batteries

• switched on - if it has an ‘on’ button

If your IHD still isn’t working, you might be able to use your online account or app to check your meter readings, usage, or prepayment balance. You can also contact your supplier to ask for this information.

If your IHD readings don’t match what your smart meters say

The readings on your IHD usually take a bit longer to update than the ones on your meters - this delay is normal.

If your supplier asks for meter readings, take them from your meters rather than your in-home display. You can:

• check how to read your smart electricity meter

• check how to read your smart gas meter

If your IHD starts working differently after you’ve switched suppliers

This can sometimes happen if your old supplier doesn’t give the right information to your new supplier.

If it’s been over 48 hours since your in-home display started working differently, contact your new supplier to check if there are any problems. If there are, your supplier should help fix them so your IHD starts working again.

Check if your IHD has started working properly again

You can check your IHD has started working properly again by:

• comparing the tariff information on your IHD with your bill or new contract - for example, the tariff name, unit rate and standing charge

• checking that the meter readings on your IHD are similar to the ones on your meters

If your supplier can’t help you fix any problems, it might be because you have older types of smart meters. This can mean that your meters are no longer working in smart mode. Check your meters are still working in smart mode. If your meters aren’t working in smart mode, you’ll need to send regular meter readings yourself.

You can:

• check how to read your smart electricity meter

• check how to read your smart gas meter

You can use your online account to check your meter readings, usage, or prepayment balance. You can also contact your supplier to ask for this information.

Asking your supplier to fix or replace your IHD

If your supplier gave you the IHD less than a year ago, they have to help you with any problems. They can repair or replace it for free. If they won’t help you, complain to your energy supplier.

If you’ve had your IHD for longer than a year

Suppliers only have to help you if your IHD is less than a year old. Some suppliers have agreed to help if you’ve had your IHD for longer than a year. 

Your supplier should help if they’re:

• E

• E.ON Next

• Good Energy

• Octopus Energy

• OVO Energy

• Scottish Power

• Utilita Energy

• Utility Warehouse

Tell your supplier as soon as possible if you can’t top up your prepayment meter because your IHD isn’t working. They should work quickly to fix your problem.

If your supplier can fix your IHD, they should do it for free.

If you need a new IHD, your supplier should tell you how to get one. They might:

• give you a new IHD for free

• offer you an IHD at a discount

• tell you where you can buy a new IHD

If your supplier isn’t listed above, it’s still worth contacting them and asking if they’ll help anyway.

If you’re on the Priority Services Register, tell your supplier. They might replace your IHD for free or offer you a discount. Check if you can join the Priority Services Register.

If your supplier repairs or replaces your IHD, they should check it works and connects to your smart meter.