Can a Smart Meter Help or Cut You Off?

A smart meter does help during a power cut, but not in the way most people expect. It will not keep your lights on, and its in-home display goes blank along with everything else. What it does is let your electricity network operator know automatically that your power has gone off, without you having to contact them, so they can get the right help to you more quickly¹. If you have a smart meter, you may not need to report the outage at all.

If you do need to report a cut, or you want updates on when power will return, call 105. It is free of charge, available 24 hours a day, and puts you through to your local electricity network operator, who can give you help and advice². The service covers Scotland, England and Wales³. You can also report a cut directly through your network operator's website⁴.

The other half of the question is whether a smart meter can be used to cut you off. It can: if you have a smart meter, your supplier could potentially disconnect your supply remotely without needing access to your meter⁵. That is not a reason to fear the meter, but it is a reason to deal with any payment or account problem early. This page sets out what a smart meter does in an outage, what it cannot do, and how to get help either way.

How a smart meter helps the network respond to a power cut

The main benefit of a smart meter in an outage is invisible to the household. Because the meter communicates with the network, the operator automatically knows when your power has gone off without you having to contact them¹. That means a street or a cluster of homes can be identified as out even before anyone picks up a phone, and engineers can be sent to the right place.

The same connection is used to tell when supply has been restored. During Storm Gerrit, SSEN Distribution reported that smart meter data could provide a useful indicator if someone's supply had been reconnected⁷. For a household, that translates into fewer calls and faster confirmation that the problem is being dealt with.

There is a wider point about information. The Welsh Government's resilience statement notes that understanding how to receive information during a power cut can help reduce disruption when incidents occur⁸. A smart meter is one channel by which the network knows about your situation; a phone and a radio are the channels by which you know about theirs. Neither replaces the other.

Smart meters also help in ordinary, non-emergency ways that matter when the power is on. They give you real time information on your energy use, allowing you to better manage your usage, so you can save money and reduce emissions¹. They can help detect unusual usage patterns and voltage anomalies⁹. And they can end estimated billing, give greater control over personal energy use, and make payment for pay as you go energy much more convenient⁶.

Report a power cut: call 105

If your power goes off and you want to report it, or you simply want updates, the number to know is 105. It is free of charge and available with help and advice 24 hours a day². You will be put through to your local electricity network operator, who can give you help and advice¹⁰. The service covers Scotland, England and Wales³.

You can also report a cut online. Ofgem advises that if your electricity or gas supply is cut off because of an unplanned power cut, you can report it directly to your local network operator using their website, or call 105 for free⁴. Scottish guidance points to the same online route³.

Before you call, it is worth a quick check of whether the problem is yours alone. If your power goes off unexpectedly, check to see if your neighbours still have electricity¹¹. If they have power, your trip switch may have activated¹². If they are off too, it is a wider cut, and 105 is the right call.

If you spot damage to electricity power lines or substations, call 105 as well¹⁴. Do not approach damaged equipment. For more on what to do in that situation, see Fallen Overhead Lines: Keep Away and Ring 105.

What a smart meter tracks, and why it matters in an outage

A smart meter records how much energy you are using, and the in-home display shows it to you in real time. Network operators describe smart meters as helping you track how much energy you're using daily, weekly and monthly, helping you manage household budgets, and as able to help the network respond more quickly if you have a power cut¹⁵. The display can help you understand your energy use and estimated costs¹⁶.

That daily, weekly and monthly record has a practical use when the power returns. If you have been without electricity for a stretch, the meter's history shows what your normal consumption looks like, which helps you spot anything that is drawing more than it should after a restart. The meter will have accurately measured the consumption of your electrical appliances even at low voltages, because the energy is used at a lower rate over a longer period⁹.

If you want a simple household habit, take regular photographs of your meter so that you know how much energy you are using per week or month¹⁷. It costs nothing and gives you a record that does not depend on the display working.

What a smart meter cannot do when the power is off

The single most important limit is power. A smart meter and its in-home display need mains electricity to work, so in a cut the display goes blank and the meter cannot show you anything. The meter may still communicate with the network on its own connection, which is why the operator can see your outage, but that is not something you can use from the kitchen.

The second limit is that the meter cannot protect your appliances. Planned interruptions guidance advises householders to disconnect smart equipment before the power goes off and comes back on, such as boiler controls, TVs and similar items¹⁸. That is because the surge when supply returns can damage sensitive electronics. For more, see When the Supply Returns: What to Check and Switch Back On.

The third limit concerns anything that depends on a phone line or a mobile signal. Digital and cordless phones may not work during a power cut, so have one you can plug in directly to stay in contact with others¹⁹. A smart meter does not change that.

If you rely on personal alarms, telecare devices or connected health equipment such as diabetes sensors, speak to your device provider or manufacturer to understand how they will function during a power cut²⁰. Some equipment may stop working during a power cut, for example ventilators, oxygen concentrators, electric wheelchairs, hoists, communication devices and feeding pumps²¹. The Priority Services Register is the route to extra help for households in that position.

Can a smart meter cut off your supply?

Yes, potentially. If you have a smart energy meter in your home, your supplier could potentially disconnect your supply remotely without needing access to your meter⁵. That is a factual statement about capability, not a prediction. It matters because it removes the old physical barrier of needing to reach the meter, so any account problem is better sorted out early.

If you have been told your supply will be disconnected, Citizens Advice has guidance on what to do⁵. If your supply is cut off because of a faulty energy meter, contact your energy supplier instead of the network operator⁴. And if your supplier goes out of business, Ofgem explains what happens to your supply and your account²².

A power cut is a different matter entirely. It is a failure of the network, not a disconnection of your account, and it is reported through 105 or your operator's website⁴. If you are owed compensation after an outage, the network operator may pay you through your energy supplier, and the money will be added to your energy account or prepayment meter if you have one⁴.

The Radio Teleswitch switch-off: a dated risk for older meters

Some households have an older meter that receives switching signals by radio, known as a Radio Teleswitch Service or RTS meter. The service ends on 30 June 2026⁶. The switch-off affects households with an RTS meter, and could mean that their heating and hot water supply stops functioning as normal⁶. The switch-off will affect energy customers who have an RTS meter in their home²³.

The reason given is that the equipment producing the radio signal can no longer be adequately maintained⁶. If you are not sure whether you have one, contact your supplier. If you had a radio teleswitch or dynamically teleswitched meter replaced with a smart meter, you might find some problems with appliances on timers, and you should contact your supplier for advice¹³.

Checking whether a cut is local, and getting help

The first check is the neighbours. If your power goes off unexpectedly, check to see if your neighbours still have electricity¹¹. If they have power, your trip switch may have activated¹². If they are off too, it is a wider cut. For a step by step guide, see How to Check Whether It Is Just Your Trip Switches.

While you are out, check on others. Community emergency planning guidance advises checking up on relatives or neighbours who might need help during a power cut²⁴. The Priority Services Register gives extra help to households that need it, including during long outages²⁵. You can read more about what operators offer in Extra Help From Network Operators During Long Outages.

If your electricity is cut off during a storm, follow the advice on staying safe in a power cut²⁶. Keep a phone you can plug in directly, because digital and cordless phones may not work¹⁹. And if you have a smart meter, remember that the network may already know about your outage, so you can save the call for updates or for a fault you think is yours alone.