SMETS1 and SMETS2 are the two generations of UK smart meters. SMETS stands for Smart Metering Equipment Technical Specifications. In plain terms, SMETS1 meters were the first wave; SMETS2 meters are the later standard that communicates over the national Data Communications Company (DCC) network.
Smart Energy GB explains the switching difference: some older SMETS1 meters can lose smart functionality for a time if you change supplier, while that situation is temporary and the meter still measures energy use. DCC's 2026 annual report states that the SMETS1 Enrolment and Adoption Programme concluded in December 2025, after migrating over 11 million first-generation meters onto the DCC network. Second-generation SMETS2 meters keep full smart functionality after a switch. Your supplier can tell you which generation you have.
What it means for a home battery
Almost every Habo savings example assumes a working smart meter on a time-of-use tariff. Smart Energy GB's time-of-use page states that smart meters are needed to access most time-of-use tariffs, including off-peak and electric vehicle tariffs, because of the half-hourly readings they provide. That is why a dumb or estimated meter quietly removes the cheap overnight window a battery is meant to charge into, including on Octopus Go for households that charge an EV at home under Go terms 2.1.3.
For Smart Export Guarantee payments, GOV.UK says you must have a meter capable of providing half-hourly export readings, and that this would typically be a smart meter. Speak to your supplier or SEG licensee about whether your current meter qualifies; do not assume every SMETS1 or SMETS2 meter is accepted for every export tariff.
If your meter is faulty, delayed or stuck without smart functionality, see Habo's smart meter compensation guide for the Ofgem Guaranteed Standards that apply from February 2026. Habo's offer is an electrician-wired EcoFlow STREAM from £2,499. Join the waitlist.
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Frequently asked questions
SMETS stands for Smart Metering Equipment Technical Specifications. SMETS1 is the first generation of UK smart meters; SMETS2 is the second generation.
Smart Energy GB says smart meters are needed to access most time-of-use tariffs, because they provide half-hourly readings. Ask your supplier which meter type you have before you switch tariff.
GOV.UK says you need a meter capable of providing half-hourly export readings, which would typically be a smart meter. Your supplier or SEG licensee can confirm whether your current meter is suitable.
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