Bulb Energy and SMETS1 meter

Rettu

I moved to Bulb Energy in 2018 with a British Gas installed smart meter that immediately became a dumb meter upon moving to Bulb.

I've had huge problems with Bulb ever since and largely I think because the opening reading on the electricity meter "night" reading was incorrect.

Bulb has been unable to rectify the problem and this meant that I was unable to leave Bulb when prices were competitive and before the energy price rises.

The situation I'm in currently is that Bulb can't take accurate manual readings and Bulb has refused to install a SMETS2 meter - which would solve my problem. My meter hasn't been migrated and isn't due to be migrated onto the SMETS2 network until late 2022. When I joined Bulb they promised that new working meters would be installed on a rolling programme but that plan was cancelled before I could get a working meter.

Bulb has stated that there are Ofgem fines for companies that change SMETS1 meters for SMETS2 meters. I can't find any mention of these fines online. I'm also aware that other companies are willing to change meters to facilitate, for example, access to off-peak tariffs.

Is there anything I can do to prompt bulb to install a smart meter as a solution to nearly four years of inability to process correct meter readings?

400ixl

Slightly confused by Bulb can't take accurate manual readings. Do you mean you can't take the readings, there is no need for Bulb to be doing it as they will only have to do it very periodically and just estimate in between.

Or is this some other issue?

SMETS1 meters are being onboarded onto the new backend system over time which will allow them to become smart and cross supplier again, so the push to replace them does not exist as far as I am aware.

QrizB

I'm confused too. It looks like there might be two separate problems.

Rettu said:

I moved to Bulb Energy in 2018 with a British Gas installed smart meter that immediately became a dumb meter upon moving to Bulb.

I've had huge problems with Bulb ever since and largely I think because the opening reading on the electricity meter "night" reading was incorrect.

What exactly was the problem with your opening readings? Has it been resolved since 2018?

Is there anything I can do to prompt bulb to install a smart meter as a solution to nearly four years of inability to process correct meter readings?

You have a meter now? And you can read it? And you can provide those readings to Bulb?
What exactly is the problem?

Is this the problem we've seen once or twice on the forum with BG smart meters, where there's a second register that BG used for "free power" promotions and the confusion is over which meter reading to use when you switch?

See these threads:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6277550/eon-massive-bill

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6283496/smart-meter-actual-meter-mix-up

Rettu

Thank you.

Basically, there was an error in my opening night electricity reading with Bulb in 2018. 

It's been impossible to correct the error and every reading I provide to Bulb is rejected buy the online portal and has to be accompanied by photographic evidence. Even then Bulb often doesn't process my manually submitted readings. Despite the night electricity reading not changing, Bulb continues to overestimate my energy usage by estimating the static reading as being a changing reading despite the fact that I'm not on an Economy 7 tariff.

Bulb can't resolve the problem and so I can't rely upon my accurate manual readings being processed by Bulb. Even professional meter readers who have attended the property have had their readings labelled as "estimate" readings on the bill.

A SMETS2 meter would solve the problem but Bulb has refused to help and explained that there would be an Ofgem fine levied for changing a working meter.

Ideally I would like to leave Bulb and I regret the day I moved to them. So many broken customer service promises and cocky claims to be able to solve the problem. Nearly four years on there's no solution.

I've seen no mention in the press of Ofgem fines for changing a meter.

QrizB

OK, that sounds like a pretty straightforward problem.

• Have you raised a formal complaint with Bulb? How was that resolved?
• If the outcome to your complaint wasn't satisfactory, have you been to the Ombudsman?

wild666

QrizB said:

I'm confused too. It looks like there might be two separate problems.

Rettu said:

I moved to Bulb Energy in 2018 with a British Gas installed smart meter that immediately became a dumb meter upon moving to Bulb.

I've had huge problems with Bulb ever since and largely I think because the opening reading on the electricity meter "night" reading was incorrect.

What exactly was the problem with your opening readings? Has it been resolved since 2018?

Is there anything I can do to prompt bulb to install a smart meter as a solution to nearly four years of inability to process correct meter readings?

You have a meter now? And you can read it? And you can provide those readings to Bulb?
What exactly is the problem?

Is this the problem we've seen once or twice on the forum with BG smart meters, where there's a second register that BG used for "free power" promotions and the confusion is over which meter reading to use when you switch?

See these threads:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6277550/eon-massive-bill

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6283496/smart-meter-actual-meter-mix-up

I was one who used the free electric tariff from BG but when I left BG in Jan 2018, I paid the £40 cancellation fees,  the meter kept giving a "free time" reading on the day that the electric was used. This caused a problem with the new supplier but as the total electric used in the time to sort it out was less than £16 they increased my DD by £17 per month which is one of the reasons I left them in Dec. 2018 after only 11 months, my DD kept a small balance as my total monthly bill was under £50. Even when I changed suppliers, to Bulb, the meter still had a duel reading which I sorted out with Bulb within a few months and the DD didn't increase. The duel readings stopped around mid September 2019 and Bulb queried the second reading but I told them it had being the same since mid September. 

400ixl

I don't see how a SMETS2 unit will solve any problem for you. Bulb will still need to agree a reading to close off the old meter and then start the new. Doesn't sound like that agreed reading would be what you would want it to be. Better to get it sorted with what you have.

Go through the complaints process to the ombudsman if necessary. 

[Deleted User]

Rettu said:

Thank you.

Basically, there was an error in my opening night electricity reading with Bulb in 2018. 

It's been impossible to correct the error and every reading I provide to Bulb is rejected buy the online portal and has to be accompanied by photographic evidence. Even then Bulb often doesn't process my manually submitted readings. Despite the night electricity reading not changing, Bulb continues to overestimate my energy usage by estimating the static reading as being a changing reading despite the fact that I'm not on an Economy 7 tariff.

Bulb can't resolve the problem and so I can't rely upon my accurate manual readings being processed by Bulb. Even professional meter readers who have attended the property have had their readings labelled as "estimate" readings on the bill.

A SMETS2 meter would solve the problem but Bulb has refused to help and explained that there would be an Ofgem fine levied for changing a working meter.

Ideally I would like to leave Bulb and I regret the day I moved to them. So many broken customer service promises and cocky claims to be able to solve the problem. Nearly four years on there's no solution.

I've seen no mention in the press of Ofgem fines for changing a meter.

Energy suppliers can be fined by Ofgem if they fail to meet their smart meter rollout targets. Replacing a SMETS1 meter which is capable of being enrolled onto the DCC Network with a SMETS2 meter counts for nothing against a supplier’s target. 

I am not sure why you think that a new meter will solve all your issues? There is still the small matter of final R1 and R2 reads from your existing meter and your final billing for this meter. Under Standard Licence Conditions all suppliers are required to use the meter readings that you provide for billing. 

Quote: 21B.1 If a Customer provides a meter reading to the licensee that the licensee considers reasonably accurate, or if the Electricity Meter is read by the licensee, the licensee must take all reasonable steps to reflect the meter reading in the next Bill or statement of account sent to the Customer.

21B.2 If the licensee considers that a meter reading provided by a Customer is not reasonably accurate, the licensee must take all reasonable steps to contact the Customer to obtain a new meter reading from him. Unquote

A key point here is that all readings taken by meter readers are deemed to be industry-validated for billing purposes.

Why haven’t you escalated this issue to The Energy Ombudsman given that you suggest the problem has been going on since 2018? It is unlikely that anybody is going to adjust an opening reading after such a long period of time but retaining the existing meter gives you some leverage. If the meter is changed, then the old meter goes into a skip and all meter readings are then lost.

In sum, a meter change is not the answer to your problems. This is a billing issue that you have allowed to go on for too long imho.