Should I get a Smart Meter Installed?

Magenta

Hi all,
My energy supplier has contacted me to let me know that they are currently installing smart meters in my area.
I have heard so many 'horror ' stories about them that I just don't know what to do. 
Are they a good thing to have or not? Advice please. 
Thanks all

Petriix

A smart meter would be useful if you want to switch to a time of use tariff (such as Octopus Agile or Go). Otherwise there's not much point. Smart meters are harder to manually read and can't save you any money. I wouldn't bother.

MikeE67

I had 2 SMETS2 meters fitted by OVO last July and they haven't been working properly for most of that time and I have to send regular meter readings which defeats the object of having a smart meter !

Personally I wish I hadn't bothered having them installed.

Robin9

On the other hand there are millions of Smart's out there which are working just fine - their purpose is to send the supplier regular readings.

brewerdave

Are you a serial switcher always looking for cheapest prices ? Then ,personally. no, I wouldn't go for smarts - still too many potential issues.
If you tend to stay with the same supplier then it might be worth installing smarts BUT be aware that some suppliers STILL seem incapable of obtaining meter readings remotely and use estimates !!

Zellah

Petriix said:

A smart meter would be useful if you want to switch to a time of use tariff (such as Octopus Agile or Go). Otherwise there's not much point. Smart meters are harder to manually read and can't save you any money. I wouldn't bother.

1) Smart meters DO save you money as the cheapest tariffs with the big 6 providers insist you have a smart meter fitted (or agree to get one fitted). I'm paying 2.05p/kWh for gas with EDF on a smart meter only tariff.
2) If a smart meter is working as it should, then you won't ever need to take manual readings.

Zellah

Magenta said:

Hi all,
My energy supplier has contacted me to let me know that they are currently installing smart meters in my area.
I have heard so many 'horror ' stories about them that I just don't know what to do. 
Are they a good thing to have or not? Advice please. 
Thanks all

The horror stories are mainly with the older gen (smets1) meters. The latest gen smets2 meters are more or less trouble free and you shouldn't have any trouble. I had smets2 meters fitted in Dec 2019 by E.ON, they work as they should and they retained full functionality even after I moved to EDF this Summer.

brewerdave

Zellah said:

Petriix said:

A smart meter would be useful if you want to switch to a time of use tariff (such as Octopus Agile or Go). Otherwise there's not much point. Smart meters are harder to manually read and can't save you any money. I wouldn't bother.

2) If a smart meter is working as it should, then you won't ever need to take manual readings.

And therein lies the rub !!!!

Magenta

Thanks all, I think I'll leave it for now. 😊

MarkFromCornwall

Zellah said:

2) If a smart meter is working as it should, then you won't ever need to take manual readings.

I've had a smart meter for a few months.  I had to take a manual reading for the company that buys the surplus from my solar panels.  I also had to show the meter reader how to take a manual reading as she wasn't familiar with the particular model of smart meter - no I don't know why my supplier sent her to read my smart meter!

mwt_2

Had them installed by BG a couple of years ago, I believe they are the latest? Anyway, they stopped being smart when we switched to a new supplier who didn't support them, had to go back to manual reads, which is done exactly the same way as a traditional meter.

In terms of problems, shortly after we switched to them BG started messing with our DD amount i.e. they kept reducing it, presumably based on our lower energy usage in the summer. I made them correct the DD amount and they did the same thing again a couple of times before strangely canceling the direct debit and not telling us, and then sending us a final demand a month or so later. After a complaint this all got resolved, we left and they paid us £30 compensation as a goodwill gesture. A year later I noticed a late payment marker on my credit report, I raised it with the ombudsman at this point, BG apologised again, removed the late payment marker and paid me another £30 as a goodwill gesture.

The moral of the story? I don't know if this was related to the way BG was using the smart meter readings, but if it was it caused us a lot of hassle, BUT we ended being £60 better off at the end of it all.

My honest opinion of them? The technology is shockingly poor. I don't understand why the supplier defines if the "smart" part should work or not. If they can't take the readings remotely, fine, but why should the smart receiver stop working? This means I can't use any of the energy usage features and I can't use the receiver to read the meter without needing to go physically open the meter cabinet.