Smart Meters - Are they only good if you stick with the same supplier?

rjmachin

Hi,

I keep seeing adverts and news about the new smart meters to help save you money and to automatically send meter readings to energy companies to reduce the amount of estimated bills.

I had a smart meter around 5 years ago in my old house before I moved when they were being trialed by some energy companies. I was addicted to using the monitor (I even tried turning off the freezer to see how much it reduced the £ per hour temporarily)

Now that the roll out is in progress to be completed by 2020, although I have not been offered one yet, I like to switch energy companies as I am a high user and want to get the cheapest possible rates.

Do you know if it is still the case that the smart energy meters are linked to a specific supplier and once you switch to another supplier, it just turns to a standard meter with an energy monitor? (i.e. it no longer submits meter readings but you can still see what your hourly rate is etc.)

If this is the case, is there any benefit to getting one, as you can get energy monitors quite cheap (£50ish)?

Browntoa

Suppliers specific , no standard unit yet

House_Martin

BG are installing smart meters now which are future proof, with upgradeable over the air gas and electric meters. Landis and Gyr meters currently being installed are SMETS2 compliant..Also the popular Secure Liberty meters only need a communications hub upgrade when the new system is implemented..
At the moment though some suppliers are still fitting meters which need exchanging if you switch around. Maybe best to hang on for a while before accepting a smart meter.
I m sure you can pick up an energy monitor for less than a tenner.Ebay will have plenty on, if not I ve got an EON one you can have for £10 ! inc postage

Firemunchkin

I've just had the BG smart meter installed - it was free and I couldn't find any drawbacks to having it done.

Now I want to switch to get a better rate, but it's to a different company (Coop).

There's nothing on the BG Smart Meter site or FAQs about switching to a different provider. I had a web chat with them and they told me that you can switch provider but the smart meter won't be 'smart' anymore and you'll just have to do your meter readings manually.

Shame, kind of wish they'd make that clear before I agreed to have it installed. Then again, it doesn't make much of a difference overall. I don't think I'm going to let it make me stay with BG if there are better tarrifs out there.

slinga

My missus said a bloke on the rajo this morning said that fully supplier switchable meters will only be available next year.

footyguy

rjmachin wrote: »

Hi,

I keep seeing adverts and news about the new smart meters to help save you money and to automatically send meter readings to energy companies to reduce the amount of estimated bills.

I had a smart meter around 5 years ago in my old house before I moved when they were being trialed by some energy companies. I was addicted to using the monitor (I even tried turning off the freezer to see how much it reduced the £ per hour temporarily)

Now that the roll out is in progress to be completed by 2020, although I have not been offered one yet, I like to switch energy companies as I am a high user and want to get the cheapest possible rates.

Do you know if it is still the case that the smart energy meters are linked to a specific supplier and once you switch to another supplier, it just turns to a standard meter with an energy monitor? (i.e. it no longer submits meter readings but you can still see what your hourly rate is etc.)

If this is the case, is there any benefit to getting one, as you can get energy monitors quite cheap (£50ish)?

I'm sure that date has slipped again

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/queens-speech-2017-what-it-means-for-you/queens-speech-2017-what-it-means-for-you#other-measures

I think it's now 2023 as it was originally 2018

There is no obligation for anyone to have a smart meter. If you have one and switch supplier, it should still work (but probably not in smart mode)

The whole smart metering project is dying a long, slow, lingering death.
The costs to install such meters is way over the original budget (partly because of the delays occurring, and even if the new date is to be achieved, installations will need to double in rate to achieve this) but also the anticipated savings are not being achieved. The tendancy is that people watch the IHD's for a short while while the novalty amuses them, then throw them in a back of a cupboard, out of sight.

But if you are one that is 'addicted' to an IHD, why pay £50 for one when you can get one for free - there's no charge for a smart meter. :money:
(And I don't know of any energy monitor available for £50 that covers gas too)