What you can do if you can't get a smart meter in your home

With the cost of energy due to soar even further this month, many households have been installing smart meters in a bid to keep on top of their energy usage. And according to Ofgem, all energy suppliers must aim to install smart meters in every home in the UK.

The handy devices work by showing home owners and renters the cost and usage of energy in their house in almost real time by breaking down the day into hourly usage slots. Although they are seen as controversial by some, they are still a great comfort to people who would like to feel as though they have as much control as possible over the cost of their energy bills.

However, there are some people who don't have the option to install one at all. Those who live in flats or apartments where the electric meters are located in the basement with no Wi-Fi signal, will struggle to effectively install a smart meter. If this is the case for you there are other solutions available to help you keep an eye on the energy you are using, what you are using it on, and the cost.

Faced with the choice between using one appliance over the other, for example; cooking in the oven or the air fryer or even the microwave, bill payers can use an energy cost calculator to compare energy usage and costs.

It works by cross referencing the appliance's wattage (in either watts or kilowatts) with the time that is has been used for (in either minutes or hours) under the appropriate energy cap limit to work out the exact cost of the appliance, and help consumers to make informed decisions about the energy they use.

There are also options to figure out the exact usage of items such as kettles. All users need to do is click on the kettle icon, and record how long their kettle boils for using the