How do I apply for a smart meter for my small business?

There is no central application form. You deal with your supplier: under the rollout rules it is the supplier that must offer microbusinesses a smart meter and arrange the installation visit around your needs.

Step by step

1. Find your numbers. You need your MPAN for electricity and MPRN for gas.
2. Ask the supplier. Use the contact route on your bill or online account. Say which fuels you want covered. Keep a record of the date and name.
3. Check whether you qualify now. Ask whether your site has the right signal coverage and what meter type is proposed.
4. Agree the visit. The installer will need access to the meter, and the power or gas will normally be off for a short time. Plan around opening hours, fridges and card machines.
5. Check afterwards. Confirm the meter is sending readings and that your next bill uses actual data.

If you rent your premises

Check your lease. Meters in shared buildings can be in a landlord's riser or cupboard, and you may need consent. Ask the landlord before booking.

Questions to ask the supplier

• Is there any charge, now or in the contract? For microbusinesses, suppliers must tell you about relevant charges before they are incurred.
• Will it be a smart or an advanced meter?
• Will my existing profile class or settlement type change?
• When will my bills start using actual readings?

How long it takes

We have not found any published standard lead time for business installs, so ask the supplier for a date in writing when you request one. If your site needs extra work first, such as a new meter position or a signal check, expect longer.

Why the timing matters

Government rules require new fixed-term business contracts from 1 September 2027 to include a smart or advanced meter term, so getting one now keeps your renewal options open. See whether you have to have one.

If the supplier doesn't respond, escalate with a written complaint, then to the Energy Ombudsman if it remains unresolved, as smart meters are among the issues it handles.

The wider picture is in business smart meters.

What to prepare before the visit

• Clear access to the meter, including keys to cupboards or risers.
• A note of the current readings; take a photo before the engineer arrives.
• A plan for the short outage: back up point-of-sale data, switch off sensitive equipment, tell customers if you can't trade.
• The name of whoever on site can sign off the work.

After installation: what to check

1. Take a photo of the new meter's opening reading and compare it with the one the engineer gives you.
2. Confirm the old meter's final reading appears on your next bill.
3. Check your next bill is marked actual, not estimated.
4. If readings stop, tell your supplier at once.

Example: the cost of waiting

If estimates run 15% too high on an annual spend of £6,000, you pay 0.15 × £6,000 = £900 more over the year than you used. You get it back once a correct reading arrives, but the money is tied up meanwhile, and the error can just as easily run the other way into a catch-up bill. Accurate readings are a good reason to ask even before the rules require it.