SMETS 2 upgrade?

wild666

My BG SMETS 1 smart electric meter is giving me 30 minutes readings with my supplier, Octopus, it has being doing so since Octopus took over the account from Avro in Sept. 2021. I would have thought that if Octopus can read the meter then other non BG suppliers would be able to read them as well, the gas meter isn't reading and I have to give monthly readings. 

Bark01

Replacing an enrolled S1 meter with a new S2 meter will not count towards the suppliers roll out target and will likely cost the supplier ~£200 to do. That is why they will be reluctant to do it. At the moment due to the price cap Suppliers are loosing money on most customers adding an extra £200 to the cost to supply you doesn't make any business when they have no obligation to do it.

As for the £200 cost - Suppliers don't own the meters they have installed, they rent them from Meter Asset Providers. The MAPs lease them out on the basis that they will be getting a rental charge from the suppliers over 10-15 years that will cover the initial cost of the meter and then earn them a bit of profit. If the S1 meter is removed early, the MAP won't get the return they were expecting and will fine the supplier for early removal of the meter. The amount fined reduces every year. The vast majority of meter that are removed are scrapped, this especially true for S1 meters. 

Not all suppliers have the same contracts in place and they will very by MAP, some pay higher up front rental charges and don't have removal fines. As its all very complex and i very much doubt customer service agents will have any idea what the MAP contacts are like on a meter by meter basis. I'd imagine they just assume the worst and put blanket bans on removals

The only course of action i can recommend is to raise a complaint, stating that Bulbs refusal to let you change meter type is costing you money.

[Deleted User]

Bark01 said:

Replacing an enrolled S1 meter with a new S2 meter will not count towards the suppliers roll out target and will likely cost the supplier ~£200 to do. That is why they will be reluctant to do it. At the moment due to the price cap Suppliers are loosing money on most customers adding an extra £200 to the cost to supply you doesn't make any business when they have no obligation to do it.

As for the £200 cost - Suppliers don't own the meters they have installed, they rent them from Meter Asset Providers. The MAPs lease them out on the basis that they will be getting a rental charge from the suppliers over 10-15 years that will cover the initial cost of the meter and then earn them a bit of profit. If the S1 meter is removed early, the MAP won't get the return they were expecting and will fine the supplier for early removal of the meter. The amount fined reduces every year. The vast majority of meter that are removed are scrapped, this especially true for S1 meters. 

Not all suppliers have the same contracts in place and they will very by MAP, some pay higher up front rental charges and don't have removal fines. As its all very complex and i very much doubt customer service agents will have any idea what the MAP contacts are like on a meter by meter basis. I'd imagine they just assume the worst and put blanket bans on removals

The only course of action i can recommend is to raise a complaint, stating that Bulbs refusal to let you change meter type is costing you money.

A complaint should fail on the basis that both the Law and the Standard Licence Conditions only require a supplier to provide a certified and working meter. Ofgem has acknowledged in the past that there are ongoing technical issues. For example, would a consumer in the north of Scotland have a similar claim because Arqiva the communications provider hasn't put in place a UHF relay mast?

Putting to one side who owns what, the smart meter rollout in 2019 was costed at £12.6Bn paid for by energy consumers - not suppliers. I suspect that figure has increased considerably which is why BEIS seems to be in no hurry to update its Cost Benefit Analysis:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/831716/smart-meter-roll-out-cost-benefit-analysis-2019.pdf

Chrysalis

Sympathy for you guys as dailies have got cheaper again whilst is no end in sight for high prices on dumb taiffs.