Smart Meters

hayley6896

No I don't have a restricted hours tariff. I pay the same for electricity both day and night.

[Deleted User]

Michaelw wrote: »

This is not surprising.The smart meter puts the supplier in complete control.

Smart meters are turning into debt collecting gadgets: Energy firms are making them 'pre-payment' remotely so customers have to buy credit before using electricity

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7504927/Smart-meters-turning-debt-collecting-gadgets-Energy-firms-making-pre-payment.html

Unbelievable little newspaper filler from a right wing rag which should know better..
I expect the Mail has not done research on how much debt is lost , and never recovered from both credit meter energy theft by non repayment of debts and prepayment meter energy bypassing .
I don t suppose many on here realise that once someone has been discovered thieving energy , all that the suppliers do in the UK is to add a weekly repayment of up to £16 a week on a prepayment meter to cover what they "guess " has been stolen..It will be a bad guess too because once someone starts nicking energy they nick a lot more than they ever need....Most of these debts, and they can be huge, never get repaid..
The most I have seen on debt screen on a prepay meter was £9000 , so not pin money , and £2k to £3k is commonplace.
Smart meters which can be remotely switched to prepay are a good thing for both the debtor and supplier.
The costs of the warrant and a locksmith , and a new meter for damaged prepayment meters are all added to the total debt to the occupier to pay and are not paid for by the supplier....So a remote switch is saving a minimum of £150 up to £500 to a bad debtor..whats not to like about them ? Dumb prepays have been collecting debts for approx 20 years , Smarts do it faster and cheaper avoiding middleman costs from courts and locksmiths.
I don t think I ve ever seen a newspaper article about smart meters where they have shown a photo of an actual smart meter , not a £5 gimmick In House Display monitor. The National Press don t have a clue about smart meters .Makes a good story though

MeterMan

Actually, the supplier doesnt have that much control.

Yes the meters can be switched between credit and prepay, but contact still needs to be made and having found out first hand that warrant officers and locksmiths along with a meter fitter still visit a site to force the switch (with a warrant for nonpayment) over to prepay. This could have been done over the phone if the person didnt avoid the call.

With the advent of Smet2 meters, the suppliers lose any control of the meters and control is passed over to the DCC (arquiva or telefonica)

Bark01

Gerry1 wrote: »

Ofgem confirms that smart meters are NOT becoming mandatory by the end of 2019.

However, some tariffs are only available to those who agree to have a smart meter installed. Read the written Ts & Cs very carefully because where they refer to smart meters it's often just an agreement to be contacted about them, not to have one installed.

The OFGEM site is correct in as such as customers can refuse to have a smart meter as part of the national roll out.But its customer facing and light on actual details. The op made reference to there meter being out of commission so i presume its past its re-certification date and is due to be replaced for age related safety reasons.

Stocks of traditional meters are very low so in all likelihood the OP will need to get a smart meter but can opt to have it set up in dumb.

The OP can't opt out of a meter exchange as the supplier has license obligation to exchange meters outside of the re-certification period. If there are no traditional meters being made anymore then customers have to at the very least accept a dumb smart meters.

Biscuit_Tin

MeterMan wrote: »

Actually, the supplier doesnt have that much control.

Yes the meters can be switched between credit and prepay, but contact still needs to be made and having found out first hand that warrant officers and locksmiths along with a meter fitter still visit a site to force the switch (with a warrant for nonpayment) over to prepay. This could have been done over the phone if the person didnt avoid the call.

...

Did you read the article?

However, if customers fall into debt suppliers often demand they switch to a pre-payment meter. Ordinarily, if an energy firm wants to forcibly install a prepayment meter, it has to go to court to get a warrant.

Only then can a supplier access the home and install a new meter, but smart meters can be altered without visiting.

But I agree with you that even those without smart meters can avoid court costs, bailiff & locksmith charges, etc by co-operating with the supplier.

Paying monthly by direct debit also usually allows suppliers more flexibility in agreeing re-payment plans with anyone who finds themselves in arrears, so avoiding prepayment meters (and their associated tariffs) altogether.

Biscuit_Tin

hayley6896 wrote: »

Without wanting to repeat a question previously asked.
I attempted to submit my meter reading with Scottish Power this morning and was told my electricity meter is out of commission and I must have a new meter fitted. They only offer smart meters and they are to become mandatory by the end of 2019 and I have to have one fitted or they won't accept my meter readings.
Does anyone know if this is correct or can I still refuse to have a smart meter fitted?
Thanks

Did you read the MSE article linked to in post#1 of this thread?

Smart meters are NOT mandatory

Whether you get one now, in future or not at all is up to you.

We've seen reports from users of their energy provider applying pressure on them to take a smart meter or failing to point out that they are not compulsory.

All suppliers will eventually be required to offer you one, but smart meters are NOT mandatory – you're free to say no. You can always change your mind if you decide you want one at a later date; simply contact your supplier and ask.

It's worth noting that there are some tariffs out there where smart meters are required in order to get the tariff at the advertised rates. When this is the case, the supplier has to make it clear in its T&C's. Failure to have one installed within the agreed timeframe could mean you'll be placed on another tariff which may be more expensive and you could be charged an exit fee.

Sparks1

Hey folks! Just to let you know, I cross checked the relative cost of energy supply this renewal period and found they had all increased significantly. I stuck with my current supplier, but questioned their experts about the general industry rise.
Reluctantly, they revealed to me that all our bills are suffering a levy for the cost of these dumb 'smart meters' whether you have one or not (I refuse to have 'failed technology' in my house, yet am obliged to pay for the govt/industry stupidity behind this badly programme managed roll out).
Many of these meters are not valid for their 'smart' parameter performance when you switch supply (which the govt is continually telling us to do!!!). I offer the analogy of diagnostic connection ports on vehicles; great efforts were put in to make the ports cross (manufacturer) compatible to international (ISO) standards at launch so the AA/RAC etc would not have to carry around a great confusing 'bundle' of connectors when diagnosing your vehicles. I am so angry that these meters were not designed to be universal at launch, and I am paying for their stupidity!:mad:#Monkeylikerushedlaunchstupidity!

Former_E.ON_Company_Representative:_Malc

JoByrne wrote: »

Eons Fix Online v31 tariff/deal states that We’ll contact you to offer a free smart meter installation if eligible. Does this mean i have to have a smart meter? Can i say no and stay on the tariff/deal? I don't want one. Thanks, Jo x

Hello JoByrne and welcome to the Forums.

You don't have to have smart meters with our Fix Online v31 tariff. You only agree to be contacted about these meters. Smart meters are optional and you can turn down our offers to fit them and stay on this tariff. The relevant T&C is section 11.1 which says the following.

With this tariff you agree to be contacted during the tariff term for the installation of a smart meter.

I've posted quite a bit of information about this subject on other threads including at the link below.

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/4415605/eon-energy-reviews-give-your-feedback&page=71

Hope this explains JoByrne. Let me know if you need any more details as happy to help.

Malc

JoByrne

Thanki you so much everyone :-) i have now switched :-) xx

Former_E.ON_Company_Representative:_Malc

JoByrne wrote: »

Eons Fix Online v31 tariff/deal states that We’ll contact you to offer a free smart meter installation if eligible. Does this mean i have to have a smart meter? Can i say no and stay on the tariff/deal? I don't want one. Thanks, Jo x

JoByrne wrote: »

Thanki you so much everyone :-) i have now switched :-) xx

Nice one JoByrne. Hope the switch went through okay.

Malc