How It Works

Our Solution

We provide the engineers installing your smart meter with our devices. They fit them alongside your smart meter if needed, to make sure no customer is left behind. Problem solved!

Hover over the illustration below to magnify the area you want to read.

The Smart Meter

Comms Hub + Electricity Meter = Smart Meter

COMING IN

EACH CUSTOMER’S ENERGY SUPPLIER UPLOADS THEIR LIVE TARIFF INFORMATION

GOING OUT

LIVE GAS AND ELECTRICITY METER READINGS ARE SENT TO THE CUSTOMERS ENERGY SUPPLIER

Gas Meter

Talks to Smart Meter

In Home Display

Gets data from Smart Meter

How smart meters help customers

A smart meter helps me understand my usage and therefore reduce my carbon emissions

Illustration of a person looking at a calendar and calculating costs on an abacus

I can now take advantage of innovative services such as smart pre pay

a man with a piggybank in front of him, holding up a sign with energy symbols

I can keep an eye on my spending and account balance in real time

a woman checking energy usage on a smart meter display next to an electric vehicle that's being charged

I can more easily take advantage of off peak tariffs, encouraging low carbon electric vehicle use

But what happens if signals don’t reach between devices?

We need devices to create an alternative home area network

THIS IS
Alt HAN

Sunil’s Experience

After booking a smart meter installation, an installer from Sunil’s energy supplier arrives.

The installer assesses if Alt HAN equipment is required to extend the home area network

In Sunil’s case Alt HAN equipment is required and fitted by the installer. All UK suppliers will be able to offer their customers Alt HAN equipment.

Finally, along with an in home device, the engineer provides an Alt HAN plug in device in Sunil’s home to complete the network.
Sunil can now enjoy the benefits of a smart meter.

Where It Is Needed?

The Alt HAN technology is designed to deal with the challenges posed by different building types. See the below to find out what the problem is in each type of the four building types.

EM-CH – Smart Electricity Meter & Communications Hub
GM – Smart Gas Meter
IHD – In-Home Display

A residential house and garage, with labels GM (Gas Meter) in the garage, EM-CH (Smart Electricity Meter & Communications Hub) near the front entrance of the house, and IHD (In-Home Display) in a room on the first floor

Large Single Premise

A large house might have an electricity meter installed in a garage or outbuilding, or on an outside wall. Too far away for the communication signal to reach the gas meter, or where residents want to use their In-Home Display

Illustration of a single low-rise residential building, with labels GM (Gas Meter) on the right side ground floor, EM-CH (Smart Electricity Meter & Communications Hub) at the other side of the building's ground floor, and IHD (In-Home Display) on the top floor

Single Low-rise Unit

A small set of units, for example a large house converted into flats, might have electricity meters in a basement or on an outside wall – resulting in the apartments on the upper floors being out of range.

Illustration of a low-rise residential apartment building, with labels GM (Gas Meter) on the right side ground floor, EM-CH (Smart Electricity Meter & Communications Hub) at the other side of the building's ground floor, and IHD (In-Home Display) on the top floor

Multi Low-rise Units

A small development of low-rise blocks might have a central meter room, or meter rooms in each block or on each floor. The distances between meters and premises, or electricity meters and gas meters, might consequently be too big.

Illustration of a high-rise residential apartment block building, with labels EM-CH (Smart Electricity Meter & Communications Hub) on the ground floor, GM (Gas Meter) several floors up, and IHD (In-Home Display) near the top floor

High-rise Apartment Block

A high-rise apartment block might have a meter room in the basement – or a meter cupboard on each floor. Resulting in apartments in higher floors, or further away from meter cupboard, being out of range.