We sometimes get questions from our Members about how smart meters work.
So we've put together this handy infographic which I hope you find helpful!
Your Smart meters, comms hub and In-Home Device (IHD) make up what's called your 'Home Area Network' (HAN).
The comms hub is a small box that sits on top of your electricity meter. It's the 'brain' of your HAN. It talks to your smart meters and IHD, then communicates data to the Data Communications Company (DCC). The DCC collect and securely store all smart data and are the core of the smart network.
Smart data is sent back and forth between your comms hub and the DCC. In the north, this is via long wave radio waves, and in the south, it's based on parts of the mobile telephone network.
Your energy supplier communicates with the DCC. That's how they collect readings from your meter. Your supplier can't communicate directly with your meter, it all goes through the DCC to keep it secure.
Your Network Operator also communicates with the DCC. They manage the infrastructure (the pipes and cables) of the energy network, and they can use smart data to detect problems or power cuts and fix them much more quickly.
