Energy news in general

QrizB

michaels said:

MY parents smart meter has no comms because of filing sin the radio network used (they are in a mobile not spot too).  Will such people just get compensation paid every month forever?

The devil will be on the details, as always. I'd expect there to be exceptions for flats, for meters-in-basements, and for meters-in-notspots etc.

MeteredOut

Scot_39 said:

MeteredOut said:

Doc_N said:

Just a consultation document at the moment (https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/sites/default/files/2025-03/Smart Meter Guaranteed Standards of Performance-20250327120759.pdf) but it does include IHDs:

"Although a smart meter may still be sending automatic readings to their energy supplier, a consumer may still believe their smart metering system is faulty, such as the In-Home Display (IHD) not displaying correct tariff information, and

as such their overall experience of having a smart meter is negative. We consider consumers with issues with their IHD to be in scope of this standard and would expect that they are similarly supported."

That's going to be interesting when the makeup of someone's building can mean the only way of getting an IHD to work is to sit it right next to the meter (which could be in a basement outside of their actual home)

Alt HAN - supports comms over the mains wiring - to solve that problem.

You plug in a HAN module to a mains socket - and its like having the comms hub local.  

One user recently reported had one fitted to solve his gas meter to comms hub communications.

Yes, I know there are solutions around this, but they will be costly relative to a "standard" installation.

But, the suppliers won't mind - it'll just be added into the standing charge calculation.

And I suspect there will still be some that don't work. If it works the same as powerline, for example, then it wouldn't work in my house. Whoever wired the extension in this place before I bought it did something that means powerline adaptors in the new part of the house don't communicate with the older part of the house (we have a single meter but two Consumer Units).

mmmmikey

The cost of paying this £40 has to come from somewhere and it seems almost inevitable it will be through standing charges. Many of the issues will be outside the energy suppliers' control (for example, for meters that don't get a decent signal) so (a) you can't expect them to pay and (b) even if they do it will just be reflected in standing charges sooner or later anyway. Personally, I think it would be better if money was spent fixing the problems rather than creating a bureaucracy around what constitutes working, not working, etc. Having said that, I do think there is a case for giving people who have a smart meter that isn't submitting 30 minute data realiably access to a preferential tariff to offset the disadvantage of not being able to benefit from smart tariffs. What's the betting that ill-informed poplulism wins the day again and this goes ahead with a bucket load of complaints as the complexity and reality of the situation sinks in?

superkoopauk

mmmmikey said:

The cost of paying this £40 has to come from somewhere and it seems almost inevitable it will be through standing charges. Many of the issues will be outside the energy suppliers' control (for example, for meters that don't get a decent signal) so (a) you can't expect them to pay and (b) even if they do it will just be reflected in standing charges sooner or later anyway. Personally, I think it would be better if money was spent fixing the problems rather than creating a bureaucracy around what constitutes working, not working, etc. Having said that, I do think there is a case for giving people who have a smart meter that isn't submitting 30 minute data realiably access to a preferential tariff to offset the disadvantage of not being able to benefit from smart tariffs. What's the betting that ill-informed poplulism wins the day again and this goes ahead with a bucket load of complaints as the complexity and reality of the situation sinks in?

I don't believe there is anything in the price cap stack for guaranteed standards payments.  These are meant to be a penalty to the supplier for not providing a decent service and as such should directly hit their bottom line.

mmmmikey

superkoopauk said:

mmmmikey said:

The cost of paying this £40 has to come from somewhere and it seems almost inevitable it will be through standing charges. Many of the issues will be outside the energy suppliers' control (for example, for meters that don't get a decent signal) so (a) you can't expect them to pay and (b) even if they do it will just be reflected in standing charges sooner or later anyway. Personally, I think it would be better if money was spent fixing the problems rather than creating a bureaucracy around what constitutes working, not working, etc. Having said that, I do think there is a case for giving people who have a smart meter that isn't submitting 30 minute data realiably access to a preferential tariff to offset the disadvantage of not being able to benefit from smart tariffs. What's the betting that ill-informed poplulism wins the day again and this goes ahead with a bucket load of complaints as the complexity and reality of the situation sinks in?

I don't believe there is anything in the price cap stack for guaranteed standards payments.  These are meant to be a penalty to the supplier for not providing a decent service and as such should directly hit their bottom line.

That's a fair comment, but what about the smart meters that don't work through no fault of the supplier, such as those installed in an area where there is not an adequate signal? You couldn't reasonably expect that to hit the suppliers' bottom lines.  And what about the situation where they are expected to prioritise new installs over fixing old ones and penalised when they are not? Or the problems they can't fix because the kit / special meters etc. are not available? I certainly agree that where the suppliers are "genuinely crap" for want of a better way of putting it, it's fair enough for it to hit their bottom line, but there's a substantial number of instances where the issues aren't really down to the energy suppliers and in those cases inevitably any cost will work it's way through to the standing charges indirectly.

masonic

No doubt suppliers will make sure to point out such cases that would warrant an exception.

bristolleedsfan

Rebel Energy  Ceased Trading - 

https://news.sky.com/story/customers-protected-as-household-energy-supplier-exits-market-13339839

Ildhund

Ofgem protects customers of Rebel Energy | Ofgem

MattMattMattUK

Great, another cost that the rest of us will have to pick up, it really is about time that balances stopped being protected. 

victor2

MattMattMattUK said:

Great, another cost that the rest of us will have to pick up, it really is about time that balances stopped being protected. 

Didn't OFGEM change the licensing to require suppliers to ringfence customer credit balances?