Can I be forced to have a smart meter?

EssexHebridean

ok -so you have checked and you know that your current meter has almost certainly reached end of life, so it needs replacing. With that in mind the chances of the supplier installing anything but the most up to date technology available for the replacement is pretty slim, to none. If your cooker brke you wouldn’t replace with an old coal-fired range, would uou? This is much the same!

For elderly people modern meters are often an absolute godsend - frequently meters aren’t in the most convenient locations, and it can be a blessing not to have to crawl into a cupboard for monthly readings!

Maybe explain why you’re unhappy with the idea of having the up to date tech installed - often those fears are based on the misinformation that is sadly spread by those who want nothing better than to frighten people they see as vulnerable, personally I think that sort of behaviour is pretty despicable, that is the real bullying going on here, to be honest. If you explain your worries though there is a good chance we can correct any misinformation and set your mind at rest.

While theoretically you could pay for your own meter and have it installed with permission, I’m not sure we’ve ever heard of anyone being successful in gaining that permission. Allowing that this is a money saving forum it really also should be underlined that there is nothing “money saving” about paying for something that someone will give you for free, either - I’m sure your pension could be spent far better than that!

powerful_Rogue

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81872298#Comment_81872298

Where is the bullying? The meter belongs to the energy company and it's past it's certification date so needs replacing.

CAB give awaful advice when it comes to smart meters. Yours has reached the end of it's life, so legally needs replacing. If needed, a warrant could be obtained to force entry and replace it if required. People often forget that it's not their meter.

What are the actual issues you think you might have?

Heedtheadvice

1. Their Info is badly written. It is the meter on the supply to you. It is definately not your meter as it belongs to the meter company and is the responsibility of your supplier.
2. The way it is written it can be read as if the meter is yours so you might be under the impression that you can replace it/pay for a new meter of your choice. You cannot. If you try to do so it could be called tampering ( it has a security seal) and it would be illegal.
3. I theory you can refuse to have your meter replaced by a smart one in that you do not have to accept an upgrade.
4. As has been posted though, in practice if a meter needs replacing ( for whatever valid reason) then your power supplier will only have new smart meters that they can offer you so in that case of need your option is pointless.
5. Very old meter, probably is not reading correctly and can no longer be recalibrated to ensure you are charged correctly for your electricity ( or gas). Perhaps you are happy if you are paying over the odds...of course you might be being charged less than you ought to be and happy to have your supplier cheated?

SAC2334

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81848172#Comment_81848172

Disabling its smart funcionality will not affect the meters inbuilt safety and security anti tamper functions its posseses with sensors which record removing the lower cover in an effort to bi -pass the meter or sensors in the smart gas meters which records it being removed and replaced by a dumb meter .

SAC2334

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81850791#Comment_81850791

That is illegal and tantamount to tampering with the meter .The occupier does not have permission to tamper with the meter or any part of it

Qyburn

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81872298#Comment_81872298

If I choose to buy a new meter and have it installed, that has the CE MID mark (which means that it's certification does not run out), can I do that?

I don't think the MID approval in itself is sufficient, it would need to be a model specifically listed.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/register-of-approved-electricity-meters

However since you need the supplier's prior approval you could confirm at that stage.

molerat

I was anti smart meter for quite a while. Nothing to do with actual smart metering in principle but more to do with the complete train wreck that the smart meter roll out had turned into - poor specifications, poor implementation, poor system management and even worse oversight. I could read my old dumb meters from 6ft away - could you do that with smart meters, no, you had to press buttons in certain sequence, some you still do. What is wrong with a meter that shows the meter index alone - do you really need information such as the date and time scrolling through the screen ? Since installation my meter has worked fine but my daughter's supplier for some reason is now unable to get a meter reading although half hourly data is available from the third party apps. But that is no big deal, she has to submit monthly reads but no need to go out to the spider infested meter cupboard in the rain or dig into the cupboard under the stairs, she simply switches the IHD on (its only use once month) and gets the reads from there in the warm and dry without broomsticks falling on her head. I still think the overall system is absolutely appalling though - I kept getting bugged by my supplier to get them installed, clicked the link and got a "no slots available" message - this went on for the best part of a year.

EssexHebridean

@molerat being anti smart meter in itself is fine - your option. it’s when people start peddling false information about them to other people in a simple attempt to scare them that annoys me. Even worse when those people are elderly and vulnerable. It’s the internet equivalent of mugging an old lady for her purse, and then giving her a black eye for good measure in spite of the fact that they could simply have snatched the purse and run.

SAC2334

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81873046#Comment_81873046

Me too Molerat , as I was first in line to start trying to read these new meters and was appalled at how many suppliers were using them , even Eon and Scottish Power had bought Secure Liberty SMETS 1 s without giving a hoot the problems they give and constant misreads as the meter scrolled through quite quickly 8 or 9 screens with its 8 digits and a hard to see important decimal point after digit 7 .You could not get a worse meter if you tried to design one .The thing even also gave the KVAh reading giving away the fact that its main design was for Indian Small businesses where it was made .

Many a time I d knocked on a door to read the meter and given up on getting to see the meters behind fridges , TV s , etc and gave up defeated.

One thing about these new meters Secure Liberty meters, they were cheap to buy at just £40 each and that was the main thing ..

BG were the first to install smart meters in 2012 onwards and they were quite ok to read , just simple 5 digit read which is all what is needed

Ildhund

@SAC2334 wrote:

You could not get a worse meter if you tried to design one .

You obviously have more experience that me, but I'd just point out that the Secure Liberty 110 meter I had installed just as soon as it was offered to me in 2016 worked absolutely faultlessly until it was exchanged for a SMETS2 model in 2023. The only problem I had with it arose after its enrolment and adoption on to the DCC SMWAN: DCC wouldn't accept that the meter's Tier 1 register was for offpeak, Tier 2 for peak. I don't recognize the difficulties you describe.