Households must also be told whether they can own their meter or rent it. Photo credit: Bjoern Wylezich/Shutterstock
If you have a gas meter at home, you could soon be getting a new one, and the change could affect how you track your bills. Spain is introducing smart gas meters that will record your daily consumption remotely, helping you see how much gas you use and potentially avoid bills based on estimates. The rollout starts in earnest in 2029 and will continue until 2036, with around eight million homes and small businesses expected to be affected.
The plan covers around eight million gas meters in homes and small businesses, with the replacement programme approved by Environment Minister Sara Aagesen and published in Spain’s Official State Gazette (BOE) on Tuesday, October 27. The new rules come under Ministerial Order TED/1122/2026, which sets out the timetable, technical requirements and procedures for installing the devices.
When will Spanish households get smart gas meters?
The replacement will take place gradually rather than requiring every household to change its meter immediately. Gas distribution companies must meet a series of targets, measured across each corporate group.
The order comes into force on October 28, 2026, setting the following deadlines for replacing conventional meters used by customers consuming up to 50,000 kilowatt-hours of gas annually:
- By 2029: At least 20 per cent of the existing meters must have been replaced and connected to the remote management system.
- By 2031: The proportion must reach at least 50 per cent.
- By 2033: At least 80 per cent must have been replaced.
- By 2036: The replacement programme must be completed, although up to 2 per cent of meters may remain analogue where justified circumstances beyond the distributor’s control prevent replacement and the exception is approved by the regulator.
The programme also covers around 70,000 supply points consuming more than 50,000 kWh and up to five gigawatt-hours annually. These customers must receive remote-reading systems or, where appropriate, smart meters, following a separate timetable.
Will the new gas meters cost households money?
For most consumers, the meter replacement and installation will be free. However, the rules allow an exception where substantial modifications to the existing installation are needed to meet technical or safety requirements. Consumers must also be informed whether they can have the meter in their own name or rent it from the distributor, including the applicable rental price. More than 90 per cent of Spain’s existing gas meters are currently rented, according to the Ministry for the Ecological Transition.
The change is expected to benefit households by reducing the need for manual readings and eliminating estimated consumption readings where the new system provides actual data. Consumers will also be able to access their daily gas consumption through a free online platform provided by the distributor. The new meters can communicate with the distributor in both directions, transmit consumption information remotely and issue alerts when they detect possible tampering or abnormal operating conditions. They can also support remote disconnection of the supply where the equipment and installation permit it.
How much could consumers save?
The ministry estimates that smart meters could reduce gas consumption by between 1.8 and 5 per cent. Its cost-benefit assessment puts the potential overall economic benefit at more than €800 million over the new devices’ 25-year working life. That calculation uses an assumed average gas price of €34 per megawatt-hour, which the ministry says is less than half the price used in its comparison with current market conditions.
The figure is a projected benefit across the programme, not a guarantee that every household will save the same amount. Access to daily consumption figures should make it easier for households to identify when they use the most gas and adjust their habits accordingly. Remote readings could also reduce billing errors, help distributors identify faults and avoid unnecessary visits to properties to read meters.
What happens before the meter is replaced?
Households should receive advance notice rather than an unexpected visit from an installer. Distributors must provide an initial notification at least three months before the replacement and communicate the proposed installation date at least 15 days in advance. The rules also require distributors to publish information about their implementation plans and explain how customers can access their consumption data. Information about the replacement programme, potential energy savings, rental or ownership options and the handling of personal data must be made available to consumers.
The devices must meet minimum technical and security requirements, including secure communications, the storage of daily readings and the transmission of consumption data at least every three days. They must also be compatible with gas supplies containing at least 20 per cent hydrogen. For households, the immediate change is not a compulsory appointment in 2026, but a phased programme that will run until 2036. The first major milestone is in 2029, when distributors must have replaced at least a fifth of the conventional meters covered by the order
