Octopus Energy want to replace my meters with Smart Meters.

redwhopper

Octopus Energy have emailed me to say that the certification period on my electricity meter is about to run out. They want to replace it with a smart meter because they say that traditional meters aren’t “readily” available anymore. I don’t want a smart meter and I understand that I am not legally required to have one. What are my rights.

jon81uk

Why don't you want more accurate bills?

Aylesbury_Duck

Octopus (or any other supplier) may not offer you their cheapest tariffs if you refuse to have a smart meter fitted.  The energy companies have targets to hit, and where a meter is due for replacement, they are compelled to replace them with smart meters.  You may find that once the certification runs out, you have no choice.  You'll have to find a supplier willing to permit you to stay on the old meter, and to do so might mean a more expensive tariff. 

macman

Traditional meters are not being installed any more.
If you object, get a smart meter and then wrap it in tinfoil. It will then operate as a dumb meter.
Job done.

The_Fat_Controller

It always amuses me that people upgrade their computers and smartphones every few years but are reluctant to ditch 20+ year old meters that are well past their best.

Those same people happily stick a phone in a pocket next to their genitals but worry about having a mobile/radio transmitter in a box on a wall many feet away.

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

The_Fat_Controller said:

It always amuses me that people upgrade their computers and smartphones every few years but are reluctant to ditch 20+ year old meters that are well past their best.

Those same people happily stick a phone in a pocket next to their genitals but worry about having a mobile/radio transmitter in a box on a wall many feet away.

That's because tech brings something to our lives in a visible manner, society has been happy to sell it's soul for comfort and convenience. 

In comparison a smart meter doesn't necessarily bring either but instead people are sceptical that they will be used to charge us more for our energy. 

OP my understanding is when it reaches end of life it may not record correctly and they have a right to replace, a post on the Energy board (or messaging the forum moderators to request the thread be moved) will give a definitive answer. 

The_Fat_Controller

I feel very comfortable and it is very convenient never having to open my meter boxes in the wind and rain.

p00hsticks

jon81uk said:

Why don't you want more accurate bills?

Don't start me on that topic..... OK, you already have......

it took us seven separate visits to finally get our smart meter installed last year. And then a further one to check the meter afterwards to establish that it really was working, it was just that for whatever reason British Gas weren't using / displaying the readings. I can no longer enter meter readings of my own onto the suppliers system, which I used to do like  clockwork on a monthly basis, and it would immediately show whether our payments were on track for our usage.
Since the meter was fitted we've had to have a meter reader round  to read the meter for the first time ever before we got a bill. That was over seven months ago.  There is no sign of any further bill, or evidence that the supplier is actually receiving or processing the readings - they're certainly not displaying them on my online account for me to see. 
I'm not prepared to wrestle with the supplier over the issue any longer. I'm continuing to take my own meter readings on a monthly basis, and monitoring our usage but IMHO the whole process has been a complete nightmare and hasn't achieved anything in terms of making either our usage or the cost more accurate or transparent. 

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

The_Fat_Controller said:

I feel very comfortable and it is very convenient never having to open my meter boxes in the wind and rain.

So you sold your soul for the comfort and convenience  

The_Fat_Controller

@the_lunatic_is_in_my_head you do come out with some absolute nonsense.

My meters reached their end of life point and were replaced with the latest technology, I moved to DD Whole Amount Monthly and pay in arrears for all my energy.

Reading meters from my second home 6000 miles away is obviously impossible so I didn't sell my soul for anything.

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

The_Fat_Controller said:

@the_lunatic_is_in_my_head you do come out with some absolute nonsense.

My meters reached their end of life point and were replaced with the latest technology, I moved to DD Whole Amount Monthly and pay in arrears for all my energy.

Reading meters from my second home 6000 miles away is obviously impossible so I didn't sell my soul for anything.

Currently some suppliers are creating tariffs where energy is cheaper at times of lower demand, we live in a capitalism society and the technology has the obvious downfall of allowing more to be charged for energy usage at it's peak, i.e when most us do certain things like cook or use more energy in the evenings during the winter and is very likely to be used to benefit everyone except the general population.

We are already paying for them to be installed through bills and an expectation that such a project would be untaken with the sole intention of giving the population cheaper energy is naive IMHO  

I've already sold my soul and got the smart meter on the promise of a cheaper tariff, only the meter doesn't work where we live..... 

On the last sentence, very little is impossible, it's merely much easier for you now.