Posted on April 25, 2025
Understanding Smart Meters
The Future is Smart
Ireland’s smart meter upgrade programme will guarantee that residential and commercial Flogas customers are provided with the next generation of electricity meters that are being rolled out across Europe and internationally.
This new technology will replace older meters and will allow you to avail of new products and services which will benefit Irish consumers, the environment and the economy.
You can find out more in our Smart Meter Brochure.
How to Read Your Smart Meter
What is a smart meter?
Smart meters are the next generation of electricity meters. Using digital technology and the 2G mobile phone network, the smart meter will give you access to accurate information on your energy usage throughout the day.
Smart meters will make the supplier switching process easier and empower consumers to make a more informed choice for their energy needs. Smart metering will also enable the development of the smart grid and facilitate more flexible, reliable and better network planning.
What to expect when your meter is being replaced?
- You will receive a letter from ESB networks before your meter replacement.
- If your electricity meter is outside and can be easily accessed, you don’t need to be at home for ESB networks technician to complete the meter replacement.
- If your meter is inside your home, they will arrange an appointment with you.
- An ESB Networks network technician or an electrical contractor working on their behalf will come to your property to remove your existing meter and replace it with the new smart meter. All our installers carry photo ID badges identifying them.
- Once your smart meter is installed, ESB Networks will connect your meter to the communications network. This will allow ESB Networks to communicate securely with your meter. This may take 30 days from the date your smart meter is installed. This means that some smart tariffs and benefits may not be available to you until after the 30-day period has elapsed.
Benefits
As part of the National Climate Action Plan, ESB Networks is upgrading every electricity meter between now and 2024. Every home, farm and business will receive a new smart meter free of charge which, from 2021, will bring benefits to customers, the environment and the economy. Currently, your electricity meter is manually read by ESB Networks up to four times per year. Smart Meters are able to record your consumption more frequently and automatically send your meter readings to ESB Networks.
A Greener, More Sustainable Ireland
Every smart meter will help us all become more energy efficient and environmentally friendly as we work towards a low-carbon future. Smart meters will support the migration towards a carbon free electricity network and will enable smart grids, e-cars, local renewable generation and microgeneration.
Better Information
Smart meters will provide you with greater access to accurate information on your energy usage, giving you greater control over your energy consumption. In trials, consumers reduced consumption by up to 3% and peak demand by 8%.
Reduced Need for Estimated Bills
Smart meters will enable more accurate billing, significantly reducing the need for manual meter readings and estimated bills.
- Time-Of-Use (TOU) tariffs
New TOU tariffs, from Flogas, will provide you with flexibility to use your electricity consumption at times when electricity usage is cheaper. - New bill
Your new Flogas bill will provide you with key information upfront, a graph comparing your energy usage year-on-year and helpful hints and tips to help you manage your electricity.
Improved Customer Service
The new smart meters will allow ESB Networks to find faults quicker and manage the network more efficiently. It will also enable you to switch electricity supplier and move premises more easily.
Smart Services
Electricity supply companies will begin to offer new smart products and services, giving you more choice and enabling you to move some of your consumption to times of the day when electricity is cheaper. We anticipate that by 2021 new products and services will enable you to shift some of your consumption to off peak times of day when electricity is cheaper. In the future, functionality within the meter will allow ESB Networks to find faults quicker and manage the safety of your meter more efficiently. If you are moving to a Smart Electricity tariff for the first time, please note that once your meter is reconfigured this cannot be reversed.
How to download your HDF File:
- Go to the ESB Networks website Click Here: My Smart Data Register or log in.
- Navigate to My Energy Consumption.
- Click on Downloads.
- Locate 30 Minute Readings in Calculated kWh and click download (CSV).
Frequestly Asked Questions About Smart Electricity Meters
Your Flogas Natural Gas account is billed bi-monthly. Flogas Natural Gas arrange for your meter to be read three times a year and therefore many bills you receive will be based on an estimated reading. Estimated meter readings are based on previous consumption, any necessary adjustment will be made when an actual reading is obtained which would usually be on your next bill. However if you are unhappy with an estimated bill you can take the reading yourself.
Taking your own Reading
On the front of your meter, you will see a panel with a number sequence on black and red. Note down the numbers that are on black.
View a video on How to Read Your Gas Meter
You can now either:
- Submit your meter reading online here.
- Phone it in to our customer support team on 041 214 9500. Please be sure to confirm your address and meter number.
- Alternatively you can download and complete the METER READING FORM and return it to us at Flogas Head Office, Building 2, 3rd & 4th Floor, The Green, Dublin Airport Central, Dublin Airport, Swords, Co. Dublin, K67 E2H3
All data collected from the meter will be securely stored in a central Meter Data Management System (MDMS) operated by ESB Networks. Flogas is committed to ensuring that we are compliant with GDPR and that all personal customer data is safe and secure.
ESB Networks confirm this information on their own website here.
Please contact Flogas on 041 214 9500 and one of our Customer Service agents will provide the details to you.
- Smart meters are the next generation electricity meters and will replace older mechanical meters. When fully operational, smart meters will bring benefits to the consumer, the environment and the economy.
- With smart meters, there will be no need for estimated bills. You will be able to access the information you need to make more informed choices about your consumption and tariffs. Accurate information about energy usage across the day will allow you to manage your bills with greater accuracy.
- The environment will benefit because smart metering will encourage energy efficiency and support an increase in renewable power on the electricity system. The upgrade programme will help to cut CO2 emissions and lower Ireland’s costly reliance on fossil fuel imports.
- The economy will benefit because using smart meters will help us to manage energy flow more efficiently at times of high demand. They will also enhance competition and improve consumer experience, customer choice and the range of products and services available.
- The programme started in autumn 2019 and will continue until the end of 2024. Work has begun in parts of Dublin, Cork, Laois, Kildare, Meath and Wicklow. The roll out will continue on a phased area by area basis and a detailed rollout plan is currently being developed by ESB Networks.
- ESB Networks will give you plenty of notice about when they are coming to your area.
ESB Networks will contact all customers who have previously registered as requiring special assistance in order to make a suitable appointment for the replacement of their meter.
To register as requiring special assistance contact your electricity supply company with your MPRN details.
- When smart meters are fully operational, you will have a choice to be provided with more accurate information about energy usage across the day to allow you to better manage your bills with greater accuracy than at present. This information can also help you to make more informed choices about your consumption and tariff.
- Currently, your electricity meter is manually read by ESB Networks up to four times per year. Smart Meters are able to automatically send your meter readings to ESB Networks. So with smart meters, there will be no need for estimated bills.
- ESB anticipate that by 2021 new products and services will enable you to shift some of your consumption to off peak times of the day when electricity is cheaper.
Unlike traditional meters which record your electricity consumption and read every two months, when fully operational your smart meter will send details of your electricity consumption every day and reduce the need for estimated bills.
Each day, normally around midnight and via a secure 2G mobile network, your meter will send ESB Networks the total amount of electricity consumed over the previous 24 hour period. This reading will be used to provide information to support customer billing, customers switching suppliers and moving premises.
The meter will also records a more detailed breakdown of the electricity consumed in up to 30 minute periods. Please note this information will only leave your home if you request this from Flogas or if you're not a Flogas customer, through your own supplier.
In order to ensure the meter is working properly, the meter will also occasionally send ESB Networks diagnostic information about the meter itself.
- The replacement of over 2 million electricity meters with the next generation electricity meter over a six-year period will cost some €1.2bn.
- Like other infrastructure upgrades, the cost of the meter upgrade will be recouped over time in charges paid for use of the electricity network and so there is no upfront charge to have a smart meter installed.
- The Commission for Regulation of Utilities has done extensive analysis of the plan and is satisfied that the investment involved represents value for money.
ESB Networks have a total commitment to your health and safety. The upgraded smart meters will be safe and will comply with all necessary requirements and international standards.
Health authorities around the world, including the World Health Organization (WHO), have assessed the scientific evidence and there are no established health effects from smart meters which use similar technology to that used in your mobile phone.
Your smart meter will record details of your consumption of electricity. Each day, ESB Networks will collect data on the total amount of electricity consumed over the previous 24-hour period. This information will be used to provide information to support customer billing, customers switching suppliers and customers moving premises. The meter will also collect more detailed breakdown of your electricity consumed e.g. usage every 30 minutes. However, this information will only leave your home if you request this through your electricity supply company, as they develop and offer new smart services which require this data. In order to ensure the meter is working properly, ESB Networks will also collect non personal data about the meter itself.
While the initial focus will be on areas with the oldest meters, customers can apply to ESB Networks or their electricity supplier for a prioritised installation of a smart meter. When contacting us you’ll need your 11-digit MPRN number to hand. This can be found on your electricity supply bill and always starts with '10'.
There will be no upfront charge to have a smart meter installed. Like other meter upgrades, the cost of the meter will be recouped over time in charges paid for use of the electricity network infrastructure.
The programme is being delivered on a phased regional basis and will complete in 2024. Installations began in autumn 2019 and by January 2021 approximately 245,000 smart meters were installed.
The meter replacement will be carried out by ESB Networks or a company working on behalf of ESB Networks.
ESB Networks Online Account
If you have created an account previously, you can visit the login page here and click on “Forgot your password?”.
Creating an online account is easy. You can register here using your email address and creating a password to login. You will need to submit your name and mobile number. It is important that you use the name and mobile number that you registered with your current electricity supplier.
For a number of services, you must register the MPRN for your property. You can add your MPRN at the point of registration or find it later via our ‘Find my MPRN’ service. Your MPRN can be found on your electricity bill – for more details click here. We will verify the MPRN via a two-factor authentication process via an SMS to the mobile phone registered to that MPRN.
A number of the services offered via the ESB Networks Online Account do not require an MPRN (Meter Point Reference Number) to be registered e.g., Find My MPRN, New Connection applications.
Your MPRN is available on your electricity bill. Please ensure that the name and mobile number you register with on your ESB Networks Online Account matches the detail on your bill that you shared with your current electricity supplier. If you do not have your electricity bill to hand, you can avail of our Find My MPRN service once you create an ESB Networks Online Account. You may also need access to the meter in your home for the RM number and meter serial number to assist in locating your MPRN details. For more information on how to locate the RM and Meter Serial number, please click here.
You can delete your ESB Networks Online Account by contacting ESB Networks via esbnetworks@esb.ie. It is recommended that customers who have an open New Connection application do not cancel their account until that application is complete.
Your MPRN may be removed from your ESB Networks Online Account if you have previously indicated on the website that you wish to remove the MPRN.
The other potential reason is that a change of legal ownership has taken place and you are no longer the registered customer of that MPRN e.g., you no longer reside at that property. If that is incorrect, please contact please contact ESB Networks by calling 1800 372757. If phoning from outside the Republic of Ireland, call 021 238 6555.
Once you submit a meter read, it can take a number of days to appear on your ESB Networks Online Account. All meter reads received are verified and reviewed by ESB Networks. If your meter read is not visible after a few days, contact ESB Networks by calling 1800 372757. If phoning from outside the Republic of Ireland, call 021 238 6555.
“Import data” describes the electricity consumption recorded by the meter in your home or business. Some households or organisations are “Microgen” customers i.e., producing electricity via solar panels and are connected to the electricity grid. The electricity generated and shared via the electricity grid is your “export data”, for any queries on Microgen data, please contact ESB Networks via the following email address MRSO@esb.ie.
You can view a graphical representation of your usage and export data, which you also can download in a Harmonised Downloadable File (HDF). The graph can show you your electricity usage from over the last 24 hours up to the previous seven days. Over the coming months we plan to upgrade the graphical representation to provide an expanded view of your usage.
Smart Meter customers: The electricity meter readings on your ESB Networks Online Account are passed on to your supplier to calculate your electricity usage and to issue a bill. If communication with your smart meter fails for any reason, an estimate meter read is used. For any queries, please contact your electricity supplier.
Non-Smart Meters customers: ESB Networks will try to read your meter four times per year. For the other two billing periods we will create estimated reads. These meter readings are passed on to your supplier to calculate your electricity usage and to issue a bill. For any queries, please contact your electricity supplier.
Your smart meter data for a maximum of the past two years is available to access on your ESB Networks Online Account. Via your account, you can view a graphical representation of your usage and download your HDF. Please note, you must be the registered customer of the MPRN to access your smart meter data.
Your ESB Networks Online Account can accept meter reads for most meters available in homes across the country. If you look to submit a meter read and your meter is not supported, you will be presented with a separate webpage to submit your read.
As part of the national smart metering programme, there is a process to make electricity usage data available to all customers who have a smart meter installed. This service is currently being rolled out and may take a number of months to complete.
A Harmonised Downloadable File (HDF) is a record of all the meter read electricity consumption data (30-minute interval reads only) collected by the smart meter in your home. A maximum of two years’ worth of data is recorded, and you can download this file from your ESB Networks Online Account to review.
Please note, ESB Networks does not have access to a customer’s electricity tariff data, just the consumption data recorded by the smart meter in your home. For queries relating to your electricity bill, please contact your supplier.
There may be a number of reasons why this is the case.
- You must be the registered customer of the MPRN to view the energy consumption data. If you have recently moved into the property, you will only see data from the day you became the registered customer of the MPRN.
- As part of the smart metering project, ESB Networks are currently working on making electricity usage data available to all customers who have a smart meter installed. This service is being rolled out starting October 2022 and will take a number of months to complete.
- As part of this rollout, you will only be able to view data from the day the update occurred on your meter.
ESB Networks requires you to verify that you are the registered customer of that MPRN to allow access many of the services available on your ESB Networks Online Account. This is achieved by sending an SMS to the mobile phone associated with that MPRN. This is based on the mobile number shared by your electricity supplier to ESB Networks. When you attempt to link the MPRN, the last three digits of the mobile number the SMS will be issued to is displayed on the screen.
However, the mobile number and the name you register on your account MUST match the details shared by your electricity supplier or no SMS will issue. Please ensure you register with the details displayed on your electricity bill.
You must be the registered customer of the MPRN in order to link it with your ESB Networks Online Account. If you have just moved into a property and have not fully registered with an energy supplier, you will be unable to link the MPRN. However, once you are the registered customer of the MPRN, you can return to your ESB Networks Online Account and link the MPRN to your account.
If you do not have smart meter installed in your home, you will not have access to a HDF file.
Please note that as part of the smart metering project, ESB Networks are currently working on making electricity consumption data available to all customers who have a smart meter installed. This service is being rolled out starting October 2022 and will take a number of months to complete. As part of this rollout, some customers may only be able to view data from the day the update occurred on your meter.
Smart meters record energy consumption in your home every 30 minutes. The 30-minute interval data shows usage for every 30 minutes allowing you to understand how your electricity usage fluctuates across the day.
If you are no longer the registered customer of an MPRN, you will not be able to download the HDF file containing smart meter data. Only the current registered customer of an MPRN can access this data and only the smart data recorded since the change in ownership will be available.
The verification code is only valid for five minutes. If you tried to use the verification code after 5 minutes, it will not be accepted. You can request a new verification code on your ESB Networks Online Account once the previous code has expired i.e., after the initial five-minute window.
If you attempt to log in your ESB Networks Online Account a number of times with an incorrect password, you may be locked out and unable to login for five minutes.
Yes, if you need to update your password you can do via the process via the Forgot Password link on the login page. Customers who have included a mobile number in their online account profile can update their password using either their email address or their mobile number.
To protect your data, ESB Networks will verify the email registered on your ESB Networks Online Account. If you have not received the verification email, please check your Spam or Junk folder.
No. You can only create an account with one email address (we will ask to verify that it is correct).
Your password must include an upper-case character, lower case character, special character and a number and must be a minimum of 12 characters in length.
Yes. When you create your account online, you will be able to link all the MPRNs where you are the registered customer. We will require you to complete a two- factor authentication process via an SMS to the mobile phone linked to the MPRNs. Please note that the mobile number and the name you register on your account MUST match the details registered with your electricity supplier. You should be able to view those details on your electricity bill.