Having Smart Meters Removed - Advice Please

chris301up

I'll get my Son to have a look at changing the fonts and colour for me. My eyesight is no longer very good so need something slightly bigger and brighter. I do sometimes find it very difficult to read some of the responses in small dark fonts. An age thing I'm afraid!

Bark01

chris301up wrote: »

It's only so called company policy that prevents removal happening. I have read several articles relating to this. One quote simply says "Ofgem, the regulator for the energy industry, says no-one has to have a smart meter".

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This is a miss-understanding. Whilst you can refuse to have smart meter during the national roll out, you can not refuse one long term. If you refuse a smart meter and then your old meter either develops a fault or reaches the end of its life (10 years) then you will have to have it replaced with a smart meter, however you can request that it is set up in dumb mode. This legislation comes into force later this year

Many suppliers don’t currently offer smart ppm (but all will within the next 18 months), if you switch to one of these suppliers and make a fuss about wanting to stay on ppm then they will have to swap you to an old leagacy ppm meter. Although it’s likely this will be short lived, as there are no new meters. You will get a meter that’s near the end of its life and will need to swap back to a smart ppm when the legacy meter reaches the end of its life

Smart meters will significantly reduce the price of prepayment tariffs as they remove the cost and size limitations of the pay point companies needed to support the legacy prepayment network. This will become apparent over the next 12 months.

Flt._Lt._Biggles

Bark01 wrote: »

This is a miss-understanding. Whilst you can refuse to have smart meter during the national roll out, you can not refuse one long term. If you refuse a smart meter and then your old meter either develops a fault or reaches the end of its life (10 years) then you will have to have it replaced with a smart meter, however you can request that it is set up in dumb mode. This legislation comes into force later this year ...

Indeed, a huge "miss-understanding" it would appear.

For no other reason than looking at them first, at least one of the Big 6 suppliers doesn't even appear to understand this yet.

The big question: are Smart meters compulsory?

The simple answer is no.
There may be some companies who make it seem like every household in the UK must have a Smart meter installed.
While that may be the Government’s aim, the fact of the matter is you can refuse the installation if you’re firmly against it....

https://www.npower.com/blog/2018/08/29/are-smart-meters-compulsory/

and even the government appear to be perpetuating this myth

Myth 3: People are being forced to have smart meters installed

Fact: Not true. Those customers who want to benefit from having a smart meter can have one installed at no extra cost, but installing a smart meter is always the customer’s choice and people have the right to say no.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/smart-meters-the-smart-choice

:cool:


and this is what Ofgem actually say on the matter

Do I have to have a smart meter?

While we and the government think that all consumers will benefit from smart meters, they aren’t compulsory and you can choose not to have one.
Choosing not to have a smart meter may mean you don’t have access to all the available tariffs on the market, some of which could be cheaper.
If you don’t want to have a smart meter now, you will still be able to have one installed for free at a later date.

https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/consumers/household-gas-and-electricity-guide/understand-smart-prepayment-and-other-energy-meters/smart-meters-your-rights

Perhaps you could link to the legislation that you assert comes into force later this year, that will result in all the above becoming incorrect?

Even the link to this MSE site that was given in the OP of the thread you asserted similarly says

• Do I have to get smart meters?
  
  
  No. Whether you get one now, in the future or not at all is up to you.
  All suppliers will eventually be required to offer you them, 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 to ask.
  
  
  
  
  
  

  https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/utilities/smart-meters/

Richie-from-the-Boro

chris301up wrote: »

I'll get my Son to have a look at changing the fonts and colour for me. My eyesight is no longer very good so need something slightly bigger and brighter. I do sometimes find it very difficult to read some of the responses in small dark fonts. An age thing I'm afraid!

All advice given to the visually impaired has always included high contrast, heavy bold, type style of fonts. Please continue to use whatever you feel comfortable with. Thank you for your understanding, please continue to post and communicate.

Owain_Moneysaver

chris301up wrote: »

I'll get my Son to have a look at changing the fonts and colour for me. My eyesight is no longer very good so need something slightly bigger and brighter. I do sometimes find it very difficult to read some of the responses in small dark fonts. An age thing I'm afraid![/QUOTE

If you use the "Stylus" add-on to most web browsers you can override the website style settings with your own.

Most web browsers also have user accessibility settings, eg a minimum font size.

JJ_Egan

Or Stylish add on .

Richie-from-the-Boro

I'm sure Robin9 intended no offence. Nannytone for example (disability forum) has been posting on these boards for around 7 years, most posters on that forum are aware of visual needs and happily accommodate nannytone.

We all read and understood chris301up's post in the font s/he chose to be comfortable with. Help, support and opinion is why we are all here.

matelodave

The law does not compel you to have a smart meter but the supplier can insist that you have one if that's all he's got or it's a condition of his T&C's.

I suspect that most suppliers may not even posses any non-smart meters anymore and will be actively disposing of those that they remove during the smart-meter rollout programme.

They'd be very reluctant to install an old meter nowadays, especially with the penalties that some of them have had to pay because they aren't rolling them out fast enough

Flt._Lt._Biggles

matelodave wrote: »

The law does not compel you to have a smart meter but the supplier can insist that you have one if that's all he's got or it's a condition of his T&C's. ...

Source please?

As regards the suppliers T&Cs, I have only seen these relevent ones specific to certain tariffs. Most often only request you to register your interest. You can still say no cometh the hour, but you may then be kicked off that tariff if you refuse.

Michaelw

I tried to get my SMETS1 meters upgraded but British Gas wouldn't,at the end of the day a meter is a meter and theres not going to be any great difference,there are a few niggles with the SMETS1 E470 that would want someone to have it removed.The only company that did offer to remove smart meters were EDF but they went quite on the subject.

I can see why some people would want them removed altogether but many will not simply bother,a price check on EDF's website shows a prepayment smart meter as a credit smart meter.

You could try switching to them and switch back when the meters are removed then not allowing British Gas to reinstall smart meters.