Smart Meter removal

andyproc

Does anyone know if its possible to get a smartmeter removed once installed. Scottish Power say they wont do this but I wonder can I insist on this?

System

Why? Consumers do not have the legal right to dictate what meter type should be installed. Suppliers retain the right to fit a meter without a working comms hub.

trickytree1963

They can disable the comms so its a dumb meter . Don't think any supplier will take out the meter and put a traditional one in though, well not without you paying for it!

tommysaky

Just push, remember the government resolution that by 2020, most households should have a smart meter. You may want to use that as a reference.

System

tommysaky wrote: »

Just push, remember the government resolution that by 2020, most households should have a smart meter. You may want to use that as a reference.

Push what? The OP wants his smart meter removed. The reason why suppliers are reluctant to take out smart meters is because they have a roll-out target to meet. Put one in and take one out is a lot of cost/effort for a zero gain.

It's a bit like buying a house with a water meter and then asking for it to be removed. It isn't going to happen on a large scale. That said, some suppliers are willing to replace a smart meter with a smart meter. Why they are doing this is a different question.

NineDeuce

Hengus wrote: »

Push what? The OP wants his smart meter removed. The reason why suppliers are reluctant to take out smart meters is because they have a roll-out target to meet. Put one in and take one out is a lot of cost/effort for a zero gain.

It's a bit like buying a house with a water meter and then asking for it to be removed. It isn't going to happen on a large scale. That said, some suppliers are willing to replace a smart meter with a smart meter. Why they are doing this is a different question.

No it isnt like this at all. It is not obligatory to a water meter if not there but people may not realise that once it is installed, you cant revert back.

And if there are targets in place, then so be it. This down to future legislative requirements. On the flipside, if the supplier did nothing and then came up short when the rules kick in, they would be fined and publicly criticised.

The issue over the OPs situation is over the meter ownership. The supplier owns the meter and if you have signed a supply contract, then they dont have to do anything. They may do so for a cost.

If the type of meter is of importance, then take this into account when your contract ends. You can bargain with your supplier or move to another supplier. However, I dont think that any suppliers would revert back to a traditional meter without charging.

System

NineDeuce wrote: »

No it isnt like this at all. It is not obligatory to a water meter if not there but people may not realise that once it is installed, you cant revert back.

And if there are targets in place, then so be it. This down to future legislative requirements. On the flipside, if the supplier did nothing and then came up short when the rules kick in, they would be fined and publicly criticised.

The issue over the OPs situation is over the meter ownership. The supplier owns the meter and if you have signed a supply contract, then they dont have to do anything. They may do so for a cost.

If the type of meter is of importance, then take this into account when your contract ends. You can bargain with your supplier or move to another supplier. However, I dont think that any suppliers would revert back to a traditional meter without charging.

All I am saying is that a supplier is under no obligation to remove a smart meter once it has been fitted. A smart meter without a working comms hub is to all intents and purposes a traditional meter which measures usage. As more time passes, the present generation of meters will be consigned to the scrap heap. Replacement end-of-life meters will all be of the smart type with/without the comms hub enabled. This was discussed in evidence to the HoC's Science and Technology Committee in 2015.. If a consumer does not want a smart meter, the supplier turns the comms hub off. If a new owner/tenant moves in and wants smart metering, the comms hub is re-instated remotely by the supplier.

I don't see the word ownership appear anywhere in the original post so I am not sure what point you are trying to make?

As suppliers are currently facing £700M extra in smart meter roll out costs for failing to meet BEIS targets, I suspect that every smart meter that they fit matters to suppliers.

NineDeuce

Hengus wrote: »

All I am saying is that a supplier is under no obligation to remove a smart meter once it has been fitted. A smart meter without a working comms hub is to all intents and purposes a traditional meter which measures usage. As more time passes, the present generation of meters will be consigned to the scrap heap. Replacement end-of-life meters will all be of the smart type with/without the comms hub enabled. This was discussed in evidence to the HoC's Science and Technology Committee in 2015.. If a consumer does not want a smart meter, the supplier turns the comms hub off. If a new owner/tenant moves in and wants smart metering, the comms hub is re-instated remotely by the supplier.

I don't see the word ownership appear anywhere in the original post so I am not sure what point you are trying to make?

As suppliers are currently facing £700M extra in smart meter roll out costs for failing to meet BEIS targets, I suspect that every smart meter that they fit matters to suppliers.

I am aware the word ownership is not in the OP. I put that it in. This is what it is about. You cant just change the meter without the supplier's permission, nor is the supplier obliged to change it just because one doesnt like it, particularly as different meters can come with different standing charges.

System

NineDeuce wrote: »

I am aware the word ownership is not in the OP. I put that it in. This is what it is about. You cant just change the meter without the supplier's permission, nor is the supplier obliged to change it just because one doesnt like it, particularly as different meters can come with different standing charges.

We must be reading the original post in different ways. The OP is asking whether he can insist that SP changes the smart meter. There is no suggestion from the OP that he wants to change the meter without the supplier’s permission - even if this was legal and possible. My guess is that the OP just doesn’t like smart meters.

Frozen_up_north

Suppliers won't even replace a dial electric meter with a digital one when requested due to the age/obsolete nature of the meter... So there is zero chance of them replacing a smart meter with a non smart one.

Robin9

Other than the ability to communicate a Smart Meter looks like an ordinary one - usually white in colour, digital meter.

You won't get a old style clock meter - even if they are made I don't think the meter installers buy them.