Smart meters

nigelrtaylor

I was encouraged by my electricity provider to have a smart meter fitted. Appointment was booked and a few days later I got a phone call to say that a smart meter wouldn't work at my village  location because the mobile signal wasn't good enough!
I'll just continue sending the readings manually 

Reed_Richards

It's the same where I live.  I did a little survey and two households had had smart meters installed that didn't work "smart" and two more applied but were turned down because of lack of signal.  

lohr500

Its very frustrating, especially as some of the best energy deals out there are conditional on having a working smart meter.
We tried to have one fitted 10 months ago but it wouldn't work due to the lack of a radio signal. Since then I gather the radio network has been improved. We have another appointment booked for 17th May so hopefully this time there will be a signal.

Swipe

These smart meter best deal tariffs still have to honour you as a customer if they determine you are unable to have a meter fitted. Read your T&Cs.

lohr500

Yes and no. According to Octopus:

Go is a smart tariff. This means that you need to have a SMETS2 or Secure SMETS1 smart meter installed before you can join the tariff. Trouble is, we're not allowed to book you an installation appointment until you've fully switched to us, which means you do need to sign up to Octopus on a standard tariff first in the interim.

All our tariffs have great, competitive rates, and you shouldn't have to wait too long for a smart meter.

In another section of their FAQs they say :

If we are not able to fit a smart meter for you, we will be in touch to let you know. You will be free to switch away from us at any time.

Yes they still need to honour you as a customer if they can't fit a working smart meter, but only on one of their tariffs that doesn't need the smart meter. And for my area, none of those tariffs are attractive. 

Swipe

lohr500 said:

Yes they still need to honour you as a customer if they can't fit a working smart meter, but only on one of their tariffs that doesn't need the smart meter. And for my area, none of those tariffs are attractive. 

Well that's a given because it's impossible otherwise.