Smart meters and the environment
The data provided by your smart meter puts you in control of your energy usage, meaning you can take energy-saving steps to reduce your CO2 emissions and play your part in Britain’s journey to Net Zero. Together, Britain’s smart meter users and the DCC network save over 1.1 million tonnes of CO2 emissions each year.
Understanding your energy use
Smart meters are accompanied by an in-home display (shown on the right), a portable touchscreen device that shows near real-time energy usage data. By using the in-home display and the data it shows, we can all understand how much energy we are consuming and what devices in our homes are using the most energy.
By using a smart meter to understand your energy use, you can begin to reduce it, saving you money, and saving energy supplied by the grid, which ultimately reduces your carbon footprint.
How DCC supports a smarter energy future
DCC operates the secure national network that connects smart meters across Great Britain. Through this network, smart meter data can be shared securely between authorised users, helping to support smart energy services and innovation across the energy sector.
By connecting millions of smart meters to a single national infrastructure, the DCC helps enable a range of technologies and services that support a smarter, more flexible energy system. This includes services that help consumers better manage their energy use and innovations that support Great Britain's transition to a lower-carbon future.
Decarbonisation and the energy system
Decarbonisation is the process of reducing greenhouse gas emissions to support the transition to a lower-carbon future. As more renewable energy generation, electric vehicles, heat pumps and other low-carbon technologies are connected to Great Britain's energy system, access to accurate and timely energy data becomes increasingly important.
Smart meters help provide that visibility, enabling consumers, energy suppliers and other organisations to better understand how energy is being used. This supports a more flexible and efficient energy system that can make greater use of renewable energy and help reduce overall carbon emissions.
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