Smart meters- for home use, not suppliers use.

[Miljah]

Can anyone recommend a smart meter that I can buy myself to monitor electricity use? I am keen to not get my energy supplier to set one up; I just want some easy indoor way of checking our consumption!

I'm willing to be corrected but I don't think what you're after is possible. A smart meter monitors the electricity entering the property - and thus your usage. This legally belongs to the energy supplier. The only way you're going to get that immediate 'as it enters the property' meterage is through the meter (smart or standard) which belongs to the supplier. Short of setting one up in series with it - which I don't think is possible - you're not going to able to do anything. Unless there is some other method of monitoring your usage electronically, but what smart meters are always going to belong to the supplier.

If you google “electricity usage monitor “ there’s a wide variety available.

I shall be avoiding the suppliers’ smart monitors for as long as possible!

I have used one made or called 'Owl'.
One part clips around the cable going from main fuse to meter and requires no tools or any contact with dangerous voltages.
It connects to a little 'transmitter' so that the display part can be in a convenient part of the house. You can 'program' the display to show how much per hour you are using. Others will be available.

What are the objections to using them? Just interested.

The man who fitted ours told me that it was partly to crack down on people who bypass the meter for illegal purposes such as cannabis farming.

What are the objections to using them? If you have one of the common meters, you can't swap suppliers.
Secondly, they will enable suppliers to bring in variable charging, so if there is high demand they can charge users who are using more power than average a higher rate.

I failed - I continued one but did look into it and it seemed like it doesn't stop you changing supplier but the meter won't work for the new supplier so it's more hassle.

You can definitely buy your own, Google should bring up loads

Yes, I'm avoiding getting a smart meter from my supplier for teh same reasons as Ifailed.

You can be sure that it's only a question of time before variable charging comes along, and you will be put on a tariff most advantageous to your supplier.

And once fitted, they can't be removed.

Why would that be, do you think?