Yes. Smart Meters have an easy-to-read digital display instead of a series of dials. Once the communications systems are operational, you also will be able to track your daily usage on the internet.  Gas meters will continue to have dials, as they do today. Watch a video on how to read your advanced meter.

Our electric system is more than 100 years old and although it has served us well, it needs upgrading. The energy industry is poised for a dramatic change. In the face of expanding customer expectations, increasing environmental regulation, and new technology, the traditional approach of building new power plants to meet energy demand can no longer be the only option. We must find ways to improve our service and meet our customers’ energy needs in a smart, lower-carbon way. Renewable generation and energy efficiency must, and will, play a larger role.

And consumers want more information and control, too; they want reliable and affordable energy that’s clean, and this requires a unique balancing act. By deploying digital energy technologies and modernizing our power grid, we can bring the grid into the 21st century, empower consumers to make wiser energy decisions, and help create a cleaner, lower-carbon and more energy-efficient world.

Many power companies now offer products and services to help their customers take advantage of the smart home. For example, many power companies offer an online marketplace, an Amazon-like website that allows you to purchase smart home and energy-efficient products, often with a significant rebate or incentive applied. On ComEd Marketplace, a website for Illinois’ largest power company, customers can purchase a Google Nest Thermostat for only $69 after instant rebate. Some power companies may give you a free smart thermostat or significant rebate if you enroll in a program to move your energy use away from times of high electricity usage (for example, the early evening on a hot summer day). These programs help power companies avoid using costly energy, and those savings are passed along to all customers, as well as the extra bill savings if you participate.