Should I Get a Smart Meter Before or After Installing Solar Panels?

The right order matters. Get the smart meter first and you'll have baseline data and export capability from day one.

Smart Meter First. Always.

The short answer: get your smart meter installed before your plug-in solar panels arrive. Here's why the order matters.

Reason 1: Baseline Data

A smart meter records your half-hourly consumption. If you install it before solar, you get a clean record of what your household uses without solar. This baseline is invaluable for:

Measuring actual savings — compare pre-solar import to post-solar import (how to do this)
Calculating self-consumption — you need to know your typical daytime usage to estimate how much solar you'll use directly vs export
Choosing the right system size — if your baseline daytime usage is 400W average, an 800W system will export a lot; a 400W system might be more cost-effective without a battery

Even two weeks of baseline data is useful. A month is ideal.

Reason 2: Export Register Ready from Day One

If you install solar before getting a smart meter, any surplus you export to the grid goes unrecorded. You can't apply for SEG payments without a smart meter, and you're losing export data that you'll never get back.

With the smart meter in first and the export register enabled, every kWh you export from the moment you plug in is recorded and payable.

Reason 3: Avoiding the SMETS1 Confusion

If your property already has a SMETS1 meter and you install solar first, you might encounter odd readings or errors when your panels start exporting. This causes unnecessary worry and a phone call to your supplier. Better to upgrade to SMETS2 in advance and avoid the issue entirely.

The Practical Timeline

Here's the recommended sequence:

Week 1: Order your smart meter installation from your supplier. Typical wait: 2–4 weeks.

Week 2–3: While waiting, research and order your plug-in solar kit. Use the panel finder quiz to get a recommendation.

Week 3–4: Smart meter installed. Start collecting baseline data.

Week 5+: Plug-in solar kit arrives. Install it. Contact your supplier to enable the export register (if not already active) and apply for SEG.

Week 6: Notify your DNO (required within 28 days of installation).

This sequencing means everything is ready when your panels start generating. No lost data, no configuration scrambles.

What If Solar Is Already Installed?

If you've already got plug-in solar running on a non-smart or SMETS1 meter, it's not too late:

Request a SMETS2 installation immediately
Once installed, ask for the export register to be enabled
Apply for SEG — you can't claim for past un-metered exports, but future exports will be recorded
Start using the half-hourly data to optimise self-consumption

You've missed some export data and baseline comparison, but the ongoing benefits are the same.