If you have questions about your Sense experience, smart meter, or utility bill, it can be hard to know who can help.
Sense works alongside your utility and your smart meter, but each has a different role—understanding who handles what can help you get to the right team faster.
Who Handles What?
Your smart meter is part of your utility’s electrical equipment. Sense provides the software that uses the meter’s data to give you insights into your home’s energy use.
Here’s the difference:
Your utility: Manages your electric service, meter hardware, rates, tariffs, billing, and requests to remove or replace your meter
The meter manufacturer: Builds the physical smart meter installed at your home
Sense: Provides the software and energy insights that help you understand your home’s energy use in the Sense mobile app (if you decide to sign up).
Sense doesn’t set your electricity rates, generate your utility bill, or manage the physical meter installed at your home.
Questions About Your Utility Bill?
Sense can help you understand your energy use, but we can’t change your utility bill or apply credits to your utility account.
You may see energy savings estimates in Sense or in information about your utility’s Sense partnership. These estimates describe potential savings that can result from using energy insights to identify opportunities to reduce energy use. They aren’t a guaranteed discount, rebate, or credit on your utility bill.
If you have questions about:
- A charge on your utility bill
- Your electricity rate
- A billing adjustment or credit
- A utility fee
- Your electric service
Please contact your utility directly. They’re the team that manages your utility account and billing.
Want To Remove Or Replace Your Smart Meter?
Your utility owns and manages the physical meter installed at your home. Sense can’t schedule a meter replacement, remove a meter, or waive fees associated with changing your meter.
If you’re interested in opting out of advanced metering or requesting a different meter, contact your utility to learn about your available options and any applicable fees.
Please Don’t Attempt To Remove Your Meter Yourself
Never open, remove, damage, or otherwise tamper with your electric meter.
Meters are connected to your home’s electrical service, and attempting to alter one can create serious electrical and fire hazards. It can also interrupt your electric service or damage utility equipment.
If you’re concerned about your meter, contact your utility and let them know what’s happening.
What If You’re Having Trouble With Sense?
If your smart meter is working and you’re having trouble connecting Sense, the Sense Support team can help with Sense-related issues such as:
- Setting up your Sense experience
- Connecting Sense to your Wi-Fi
- Pairing and connectivity issues
- Sense app issues
- Questions about Sense energy insights
If your issue involves the physical meter, your electric service, or your utility account, your utility may need to help.
Getting Different Information From Your Utility And Sense?
We know it can be frustrating to receive different answers from different support teams.
Sense is the software partner providing your energy insights. Your utility manages your electric service, billing, and physical meter, while the meter manufacturer builds the meter itself.
If you’ve received conflicting information, let us know what you were told. We’ll help clarify which team can address your question and, when appropriate, work with our utility partners to resolve the confusion.
The Bottom Line
Your utility, meter manufacturer, and Sense each have a different role:
Your utility manages your electric service and bill.
The meter manufacturer builds your physical smart meter.
Sense provides the software and energy insights that help you understand your home’s energy use.
If you’re not sure where to start, contact Sense Support. We’ll help point you in the right direction.