Some of the top deals now require you to have smart meters installed if you don't have them already, in order to get the tariff.

If you had smart meters installed before 2019, they aren't always compatible with different providers, which means if you switch to another supplier, your smart meter could lose some of its 'smart' functionality. However, all this means is that you'd have to go back to manually providing meter readings to your new supplier. Other 'smart' functions, such as in-home display of energy use, should still work.

The Government is planning to make all smart meters compatible between different providers by the end of 2025.

For more information, see our Smart Meters guide.