Which energy suppliers are actively installing smart meters?

Spies

Currently with Sainsburys Energy and I enquired about a Smart Meter, even though they share all British Gas systems they are not currently rolling out Smart Meters.

I'm due to change energy supplier in September and I wondered which suppliers are giving customers a smart meter as in incentive to switch?

Thanks

System

Why would you consider a smart meter to be an incentive? Most of the suppliers appear to be holding back until the Data Communications Company (DCC) goes live in August. The Big 6 then have only to install 1500 meters each in the following year to test out the connectivity links with the DCC. Once all the issues have been resolved, then suppliers will provide you with a smart meter that will continue to be smart should you wish to change suppliers. A smart meter supplied today is likely to 'speak' only to the supplier that supplies it.

[Deleted User]

Sainsburys Energy is 100% British Gas in every way.Its their no frills white label supplier which has currently the cheapest dual fuel in the UK which you can move to exit free if you are with British Gas. BG have been installing smart meters for over 8 years. I can t understand why you cannot register interest in obtaining a smart meter but I don t think they usually fit one on demand.
I have smart meters installed by BG and they transferred over smart on the two occasions I have been with Sainsburys Energy. I have had my smart meters a few years now and personally I m not bothered if they operate as dumb meters with other suppliers because I usually stick with either Sainsburys or BG and switch between the two whenever a good tariff appears.
I m going back to Sainsburys again now this week on their new June 2017 dual fuel tariff . Electric is down to only 7.87 p/kwh ! on that tariff.
I don`t need a SMETS 2 compliant meter. My smart only took 20 minutes to install and personally I would`nt be bothered if a fitter had to return to either fit another meter or upgrade the meter module a year or two later. I think it would just be the electric meter which has to SMET 2 upgraded not the gas meter. Smart gas meter just sends the reading a short distance to the electric meter which then does the business and transmits both reads to the supplier.

misterbarlow

I work for one of the big six.
Smart meters are a looming disaster according to the local smart & tech managers I speak to.
The company isn't ready, the tech isn't ready, and hardly anybody wants them.
We send out hundreds of letters to an area offering them, and literally DOZENS reply for an appointment..
When I visit a house to recert and old meter like for like, I am usually hit with.....
"That's not one of those smart meters now is it??"
"No i'm not fitting them yet in this area, its just a like for like swap"
"Good, I don't want one of them &%$££@ things"

[Deleted User]

misterbarlow wrote: »

I work for one of the big six.
Smart meters are a looming disaster according to the local smart & tech managers I speak to.
The company isn't ready, the tech isn't ready, and hardly anybody wants them.
We send out hundreds of letters to an area offering them, and literally DOZENS reply for an appointment..
When I visit a house to recert and old meter like for like, I am usually hit with.....
"That's not one of those smart meters now is it??"
"No i'm not fitting them yet in this area, its just a like for like swap"
"Good, I don't want one of them &%$££@ things"

it was an absolute disaster when the MPs gave people the choice to reject a smart meter. Its time for another vote to end this stupidity.Npower are offering a smart meter arrangement where the meter is programmed to take only one reading a month and Npower say they do not need permission for this but they would need consent for once a day or the half hourly reads. No one could raise an objection to a meter sending a reading once a month and this would be the perfect solution to the paranoia built up over smart meters. A reading a month is all that is needed for very accurate billing.

misterbarlow

I agree half hourly reads for domestic is total overkill!!
Also all we do lately is remove Ovo keypad prepay meters.
Customers switch to them, have one forced on them, hate them, so switch back to get rid of it!!

NittyGritty

Eon are one, they have asked me to install a smart meter, I have so far declined


whats not broke don't fix I say

[Deleted User]

NittyGritty wrote: »

Eon are one, they have asked me to install a smart meter, I have so far declined


whats not broke don't fix I say

But why have you declined when your supplier, who knows better than you, thinks you should have one ? The old meters are broke in that they cannot send your reading in every month,and have a greater security built into them to prevent fraud.
My old Ford Anglia from 1960 was nt broke but I don t want a car like that again.

Norman_Castle

sacsquacco wrote: »

But why have you declined when your supplier, who presumes they knows better than you, thinks you should have one ? The old meters are broke in that they cannot send your reading in every month,and have a greater security built into them to prevent fraud.
My old Ford Anglia from 1960 was nt broke but I don t want a car like that again.

I don't need the meter to send a reading every month. I can do that. I'm not defrauding anyone so changing my meters wouldn't prevent fraud.

If smart meters were offered at cost, about £200? how many people would choose one? Would you?. Many homes cannot have them. Presumably the overall cost will be added to everyone's bill without explaining this to customers.

[Deleted User]

Norman_Castle wrote: »

I don't need the meter to send a reading every month. I can do that. I'm not defrauding anyone so changing my meters wouldn't prevent fraud.

If smart meters were offered at cost, about £200? how many people would choose one? Would you?. Many homes cannot have them. Presumably the overall cost will be added to everyone's bill without explaining this to customers.

But you might be a good customer but your neighbour is a !!!!less idle fellow who s got his direct debit set at £30 a month and in his head he thinks that is what his monthly bill is.Two years down the line when a reading of his actual usage is finally gathered by a brave meter reader getting by his two rottweilers guarding his kingdom and this starts a debt retrieval process to recover £2k which never gets paid and results in the suppliers having a loss which transfers to us all in higher costs.
Smart prepayment meters (Liberty Secure Smart Keypad ) are proving to be a big success over in Northern Ireland where Budget Energy offer a tariff of 12.5 p/kwh and no standing charges , which is cheaper than any supplier over here. Budget Energy are the Ryanair of the energy market and they are supposed to starting up over here.British Gas is 13.20 p/kwhr and £92 a year S. C. Prepayment customers can be the poorest in the UK and Northern Ireland has proved that smart meters operate at much lower costs and can offer much cheaper tariffs. Sooner the better that smart prepayment meters get going and suppliers see how much cheaper they are to run than the obsolete old key/card meters.
You will run the risk of getting billed extra yearly "metering costs " if you stick to your Ford Anglia meter. Florida and California charge refusers yearly billing costs and what the USA do one year we follow the next year.

System

sacsquacco wrote: »

.
You will run the risk of getting billed extra yearly "metering costs " if you stick to your Ford Anglia meter. Florida and California charge refusers yearly billing costs and what the USA do one year we follow the next year.

IMHO, we are some years away from punitive charges which would require a change to the extant Statutory Instrument.

Quote:

The Smart Metering Programme aims to roll-out over 50 million smart gas and electricity meters to all domestic properties and smart or advanced meters to smaller non-domestic sites in Great Britain by the end of 2020 - impacting approximately 30 million premises.

As at 31 December 2015, there were 2.32 million smart meters operating in smart mode across domestic properties in Great Britain, by both large (1.88 million) and small (0.44 million) suppliers.

Source DECC March 2016

Reports suggest that 60% of the smart meters already rolled out may have to be replaced. I think those consumers who are happy with their old meters are probably safe to hang on to them for some years to come. Not everybody wants to be an early adopter of unproven technology.