Smart meters being installed in Donegal as part of national rollout

With the huge escalation of electricity prices in the county, there has never been a greater need to find out where your money is being gobbled up when it come to those crazy bills that most of us are now receiving.

But now Households in Donegal will soon be able to see how they use electricity with the installation of new Smart meters, but it won't happen overnight, as with most things like this. 

As part of the Climate Action Plan, ESB Networks will be replacing every electricity meter with a smart meter.

Smart meters are an upgrade to the analogue meters in homes and use the latest digital technology to give up-to-date details on a household’s electricity usage.

Smart meters mean that there is no need for time-consuming meter readings or estimated bills.

Over 750,000 smart meters have already been installed in homes across Ireland, with that number predicted to rise to one million by the end of this summer. 

By the end of 2024, it is expected that all two million households in Ireland will have a smart meter in their home. Smart Meters have already been installed in some areas of the county and will be installed in other regions over the coming two-year period.

The Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU), which is Ireland’s independent energy and water regulator, is advising households who have had a smart meter installed in their home to contact their electricity supplier about the smart services they offer, in order to access smart services.

Smart services give electricity users more choice and allow you to move your electricity use to times of the day that make sense for you and your household’s electricity needs.

According to the CRU, all electricity suppliers must offer Smart Price Plans to customers to with a Smart Meter. 

A Smart Price Plan is a tailored offering that gives smart meter users the option to use energy at times that suit your usage.

A Smart Price Plan will give customers different rates for electricity used at different time during the day to allow customers to find the best plan to suit their lifestyle.

Households in Donegal that have had Smart Meters installed should contact their electricity supplier 30 days after installation to learn more about how they can make smart choices with their smart meter. 

Once installed it takes 30 days for your smart meter to establish its connection to ESB Networks secure communications network.

One thing that won't change though, is the huge energy costs that Donegal customers will still have to fork out on, sadly!