EDF - Meter Readers - and question

I get a meter reader come to read my meters about once every couple of months. I tell them they were only done recently and they get a little bit arsey and demand to read them again. The gas meter is outside so they can help themselves to that but the electric meter is inside and dont want a strange man trapsing through my house every couple of months, I live alone. I thought they were only supposed to read the meters once a year or am I wrong?

I was thinking about getting key and card meters installed instead of paying on a bill but the meters are both in quite inaccessable areas, do you think EDF would put the key and card meters in better places or just replace what I have in the same places?

Liz

Comments

  • spiro
    spiro Posts: 6,403
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    Most suppliers try to read the meter every 3 months but they must read it every 2 years.
    If you want to change from a credit to ppm meter: (a) the supplier may charge you, (b) the meter will be in the same location and (c) it may be difficult to get rid of them in the future.
    If you are thinking of ppm rather than quarterly billing, why not read the meters every week, calculate what that has cost and put the money aside for when the bill comes in.
    IT Consultant in the utilities industry specialising in the retail electricity market.

    4 Credit Card and 1 Loan PPI claims settled for £26k, 1 rejected (Opus).
  • t0rt0ise
    t0rt0ise Posts: 4,258
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    Just to add also that changing to a key meter won't stop them coming to read it. They still do that. They also won't move it unless you are disabled or something and then they'll maybe move it for free.
  • The meter reading system has been a thorn in my side for years and I don't know why no one in authority has twigged on to the vast waste of energy and unannounced intrusion it is, not to mention the frightened elderly, the nervous single female,nursing mothers etc, these days it is often a person in a car who has driven to my house alone with no appointment or phone call to see if I'm at home, sometimes they call several times my security camera records them, I work so the odds of finding me in between 7am>7pm during the week are about 300 to one against, the companies then have the cheek to send me save the planet energy saving tips like quick kebab recipes while they waste gallons of fuel driving to empty houses, this must cost all of us a good few pounds each time added to our bills, last year I recorded 24 visits on my security camera, none of which found me at home, I give exact readings on-line, but remember the old days, a bloke trudged round on foot, called at every house even though he knew most were at work,he would leave a card to fill in and post, or phone or even leave it in a window and he might call back,these days there are no contact details to provide a reading to, just the leave it in a window option,not a good security idea, the simple truth is they get a commission for every reading collected, but not from me, my meter is situated in a basement and even if I were at home it is not convenient to just drop everything at 10 seconds notice and ask a total stranger to remove their shoes, lock my dogs away, lead them through my house down a trap door, and down a ladder, while telling them to mind their head, watch you don't slip etc.

    Who else would send someone out of the blue to try and enter your home without an appointment? this crazy waste continues while the government ban 100w light bulbs but not 3000w outdoor heaters!
    roll on the meter that can send in it's own reading, all we will need then is an occasional safety check, I bet they wont call without an appointment then, but who knows you might be asked to check it yourself and leave a card in your window,
    Mad Britain
  • cing0
    cing0 Posts: 428
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    edited 21 November 2010 at 11:25PM
    In nearly 2 years, SSE have read the meters once so I'd switch to them if you don't like strange men or women. Having 2 different energy suppliers my cut down on the visits due to economics. PPM's still get read, don't know how frequent. I don't know which suppliers warn you in advance of a visit, many online account management facilities offer meter reading reminders.
  • Pincher
    Pincher Posts: 6,552
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    Smart meters by 2020, so they say.

    They updated my electricity meter about two years ago, so it's 8 years before they are supposed to change it. The way things are dragging on, I'll probably be one of the first to get it.

    Or just miss it and still get a dumb one. :o
  • t0rt0ise
    t0rt0ise Posts: 4,258
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    Meter readers come to my house without the ladder that they need to read the meter. As I've been warned here that I might be liable if they fall off my ladder I won't be giving mine any more so we will see whether the meter ever gets read again.
  • prosaver
    prosaver Posts: 7,026
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    tell the meter man to stay outside then could you put you mobile on a stick press the record button lift it up to the meter and film the reading.
    then play it back through the window ..?
    “Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.”
    ― George Bernard Shaw
  • mac.d
    mac.d Posts: 1,344
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    If it's really such an issue for you, let them in once a year and any other time they come for a reading tell them to wait at the front door, read the meter yourself and give them the reading? Don't get a PPM just to cut down the number of times they visit as it's a more expensive way of paying for your gas/electricity.
    t0rt0ise wrote: »
    Meter readers come to my house without the ladder that they need to read the meter. As I've been warned here that I might be liable if they fall off my ladder I won't be giving mine any more so we will see whether the meter ever gets read again.
    I pity the poor sod who's spent all day traipsing around the streets reading meters and gets to your door!

    Meter reader: "Aye just wait 'till I get my ladder out my back pocket" :rotfl:
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