Maureen, Lincolnshire

Maureen and her husband like using their in-home display to keep an eye on what they are spending each day. Having greater visibility around their energy use has helped them both to become more economical. Maureen is retired and lives in a bungalow in Sutton Bridge with her husband Viv.

We didn’t know much about smart meters but when our energy supplier offered us one and explained how it would help us manage our energy, we said yes straight away. The team answered all our questions ahead of the installation and on the day everything was amazingly quick and easy. The installer showed us how the in-home display works and left us with a leaflet to help us with any additional questions.

We’ve had our smart meter since February 2015 and we still pay by direct debit in the same way we did before. I keep the display in the kitchen and I check it all the time – it’s really interesting to see what we’re spending as we go along. On an average morning after we’ve had a few cups of tea, used the washing machine, and had the computer switched on, it’s often still only around 30p. Ours has a particularly useful function that predicts what we’re likely to spend during the rest of the day.

We definitely made savings during the colder months of this year, and I’m sure we’ll notice the same patterns next winter. I’m much more conscious about what I’m spending now because I tend to notice that our daily total goes up more than normal if I do a few extra washes or make a roast dinner.

Being more aware of what I’m using has encouraged me to be more careful around the house. I keep an eye on the central heating and if I’m cooking a meal in the oven, I try to roast everything at the same time rather than doubling up and using the microwave or hob for my vegetables. We’re much more economical than we used to be. If anyone asks, I always recommend having a smart meter – particularly because I don’t have to go outside in winter and contend with the spiders in order to take a meter reading.