SMART Meter has stopped working - electricity only home

[Deleted User]

Looking at SMETS2, an optical port does not appear in the minimum requirements list: that is not to say that there isn’t one. Waiting 18 months for a meter replacement is about 12 months longer than I would have waited. Suppliers have a Licence obligation to provide you with a functioning meter. I know that some suppliers have been hiding behind COVID: my SMETS2 meters were replaced last December.

Jalma

I think there is an optical port, at least there is a hole on the front of the case....

Bulb have not covered themselves with glory. They said they couldn't repair the meter because of covid, although at the same time they were fitting smart meters for other customers. They claimed that ofgem wouldn't let them fit a new meter as the house already had a smart meter. It was only when I raised a complaint that they started to become interested.

[Deleted User]

If you have pestered Bulb for the last 18 months and they have done nothing, then you should suggest to Bulb that you will expect them to apply the BackBilling regulations to any estimate of charges that they come up with.

Jalma

They've been reminded every time they've asked for a meter reading.

I'll mention the BackBilling regulations in my next email to them.

I'd actually be quite happy if they'd just read the meter.

A club I'm a member of used the BackBilling regulations very successfully with eon a couple of years ago when they hadn't been reading one of our 3 phase meters for 5 years. For months they claimed the meter number wasn't ours but belonged to an apartment 10 miles away, even when we sent them photographs. When they eventually realised their mistake they wanted £5k.....

Unicorn79

Just to reply to this, Bulb never replaced my meter. I switched to eOn who finally fitted a meter! The reading on the Bulb meter was blank as the meter broke during an unplanned power cut. eOn now have exact meter readings, but have based the time when I switched until having the new meter fitted as estimates. The estimate are too high compared to my usage, but I am in a long process trying to get this amended. Which is not straight forward at all. 

Keep_pedalling

Jalma said:

Excuse me reviving this old thread.

Got the same issue with Bulb and a blank display.

After almost 18 months they've finally agreed to replace the meter.

I've told them they must make every effort to obtain a reading via the optical port, and if they can't I want the opportunity to have it read independently before it's disposed of. They say they will 'try' to read it it but if they don't manage they will estimate a bill based on previous usage. I'm not at all happy with this plan as I believe the usage since lock-downs started has been lower than previous years.

Assuming they don't get a reading and I manage to get hold of the meter before they bin it, does anyone know of a company that could read it for me?

Just curious, why would home usage have dropped because of lock- down? Spending more time at home for most of us means higher bills, unless your are running an EV.