Can't have a smart meter... apparently.

LADYXXMACBETH

My gas meter is in a tiny cupboard under the stairs, in not very accessible and on the BG website it claims if it is in the wall or in a narrow alley they won't fit one. 
I'm wondering how they work. 
I struggle to read the damn thing to take a reading as it's not easy to get to. I'd like a smart meter, mainly due to the annoyance of reading the meter. I don't want to get someone out to fit one and have them say they can't. 

sebtomato

LADYXXMACBETH said:

My gas meter is in a tiny cupboard under the stairs, in not very accessible and on the BG website it claims if it is in the wall or in a narrow alley they won't fit one. 
I'm wondering how they work. 
I struggle to read the damn thing to take a reading as it's not easy to get to. I'd like a smart meter, mainly due to the annoyance of reading the meter. I don't want to get someone out to fit one and have them say they can't. 

They can always reposition the meter if there is not enough space where the current one is. I live in a block of flat, and meters are very close to each other. I was told several times that I couldn't get a smart meter as they are bigger, but eventually, a good technician came on site and just moved the meter around.

macman

LADYXXMACBETH said:

My gas meter is in a tiny cupboard under the stairs, in not very accessible and on the BG website it claims if it is in the wall or in a narrow alley they won't fit one. 
I'm wondering how they work. 
I struggle to read the damn thing to take a reading as it's not easy to get to. I'd like a smart meter, mainly due to the annoyance of reading the meter. I don't want to get someone out to fit one and have them say they can't. 

Why? They're not going to charge you to do the survey, and so there is no downside.

Shedman

Do you have an electric smart meter as they can't fit gas one without an electric one being there already as gas smart meters communicate via the comms hub attached to the electric meter?  The electric smart meters are bigger than an old one because they have the additional comms hub on top, but they are not significantly bigger (maybe 6" taller) and certainly only a little (or not at all) wider.  The gas one is about same size as the old one.  

Ours were in meter housings (separate one for each) that are inset into the (formerly) external wall so they can most certainly be installed in a wall so not sure why BG site says they can't.  I would have thought that unless your understairs cupboard is minute then they should be able to fit one in there as well (clearly somebody managed to fit the old meter). 

However, one thing to be aware is that if your gas meter has plastic pipe as the supply pipe and this is internal it may need to be moved to an external location due to regulations (danger of plastic pipe melting in case of house-fire and no means of shutting off gas supply).  Ours had to be as the 'external' wall is now internal due to an extension but luckily at no cost to us as the extension was built before we moved in.