EDF Smart Meter Harassment

ArbitraryRandom

MeteredOut said:

Dolor said:

I've also been getting harassed daily by EDF and they've paid zero attention to my requests not to be contacted about smart meters

This letter explains why you are being contacted by your supplier. Put simply, the Government through Ofgem wants a successful deployment of smart meting in the UK:

https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/sites/default/files/2023-04/Smart%20Meter%20Rollout%20Energy%20suppliers%20Rollout%20Delivery%20Open%20Letter%20April%202023.pdf

Not the use of the word ‘obligation’.

Come what may, you will get smart meters as your option to refuse does not apply to end-of-life meter replacements.

As I read that, that obligation is on the suppliers to meet their targets, not on consumers to accept the smart meter (other than in the end-of-life etc scenarios).

The obligation is on the supplier because the meter (smart or traditional) doesn't belong to the customer. 

A customer is free to not accept a smart meter... but if they wish to continue accessing the national grid after the deadline then they may have a problem. 

MeteredOut

ArbitraryRandom said:

MeteredOut said:

Dolor said:

I've also been getting harassed daily by EDF and they've paid zero attention to my requests not to be contacted about smart meters

This letter explains why you are being contacted by your supplier. Put simply, the Government through Ofgem wants a successful deployment of smart meting in the UK:

https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/sites/default/files/2023-04/Smart%20Meter%20Rollout%20Energy%20suppliers%20Rollout%20Delivery%20Open%20Letter%20April%202023.pdf

Not the use of the word ‘obligation’.

Come what may, you will get smart meters as your option to refuse does not apply to end-of-life meter replacements.

As I read that, that obligation is on the suppliers to meet their targets, not on consumers to accept the smart meter (other than in the end-of-life etc scenarios).

The obligation is on the supplier because the meter (smart or traditional) doesn't belong to the customer. 

A customer is free to not accept a smart meter... but if they wish to continue accessing the national grid after the deadline then they may have a problem. 

Interesting. Do the current regs. allow for that, for a customer to be disconnected if they refuse a smart meter?

ArbitraryRandom

MeteredOut said:

ArbitraryRandom said:

MeteredOut said:

Dolor said:

I've also been getting harassed daily by EDF and they've paid zero attention to my requests not to be contacted about smart meters

This letter explains why you are being contacted by your supplier. Put simply, the Government through Ofgem wants a successful deployment of smart meting in the UK:

https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/sites/default/files/2023-04/Smart%20Meter%20Rollout%20Energy%20suppliers%20Rollout%20Delivery%20Open%20Letter%20April%202023.pdf

Not the use of the word ‘obligation’.

Come what may, you will get smart meters as your option to refuse does not apply to end-of-life meter replacements.

As I read that, that obligation is on the suppliers to meet their targets, not on consumers to accept the smart meter (other than in the end-of-life etc scenarios).

The obligation is on the supplier because the meter (smart or traditional) doesn't belong to the customer. 

A customer is free to not accept a smart meter... but if they wish to continue accessing the national grid after the deadline then they may have a problem. 

Interesting. Do the current regs. allow for that, for a customer to be disconnected if they refuse a smart meter?

They currently allow energy companies to apply for warrants to install smart meters without the consent of the home owner when the existing meter is at end of life or in need of replacement. 

In practice, a customer can still refuse at this point - but then the existing meter will simply be removed and the supply disconnected (reconnection being at the customer's cost)... because you don't have to have a smart meter but you can't keep your old faulty/out of certification meter. 

We do not know how the Government/industry will handle any holdouts as the deadline gets closer (hence my use of 'may'), but if the approach is increasingly punitive fines for the supplier then the suppliers will be pushing for the right to replace without consent to be extended. 

Netexporter

You can't have a supply if you don't agree to have a meter. The "smart" is irrelevant.

[Deleted User]

Netexporter said:

You can't have a supply if you don't agree to have a meter. The "smart" is irrelevant.

As per this: (Read (5)). 

ArbitraryRandom

MeteredOut said:

ArbitraryRandom said:

xetchar said:

I've also been getting harassed daily by EDF and they've paid zero attention to my requests not to be contacted about smart meters, which is my right under GDPR. I've decided that since they won't stop, I'm going to book smart meter appointments every time they contact me and then not let the engineer in when they come to my property. If they have no respect for me, I have no respect for them.

<snip>

Energy suppliers are required (legally, via regulations) to roll out smart meters to all customers by 2025 - to comply with this legal requirement, they must be able to contact customers and arrange appointments, hence it not being considered 'marketing communications' for the purposes of GDPR and does not need your consent.

<snip>

What will suppliers do for customers who, for whatever reason, cannot have a smart meter installed? (eg, local comms issues, space limitations) 

@MeteredOut I'm sorry, I must have missed this post earlier. 

Right now it's not been something they've had to worry about as the demand for smart meters has outstripped the supply; meaning 'problematic' customers/locations have been left for later. As I said in my earlier post, we don't know what will happen as we get closer to the deadline - all we know right know it that there is a deadline and failing to meet that deadline costs suppliers (non-trivial amounts of) money. 

Space issues are unlikely to be a problem - a smart meter is roughly the same size or smaller than a traditional meter. Proximity could be an issue and I'm aware of someone who ended up having a smart electric meter fitted while retaining their traditional gas meter (as it was not faulty/end of life). They were advised to get a plumber to change some of the (non-standard) pipe work which would allow a smart gas meter to be installed and I believe they did so the next time they were having their boiler serviced. 

I can see how there could be some locations where the meter has to be installed externally/in an outbuilding, or some more extensive enabling building works need to take place - which the customer could always refuse... but then we get back to my earlier reply of there will be a point where the choice is smart meter or no meter.  

Comms issues are being resolved nationally - I forget what they're called, but communications hubs/towers are being built on a schedule so eventually the whole (or at least vast majority) of the UK will be sorted. Again, where the issue is the property rather than the signal in the area, it could be the meter is installed externally or a different solution is found. 

Does this regulation mean they have to be smart enabled, or does installing a smart meter in dumb mode (as has happened to many) count in the rollout figures?

This has been discussed on here recently - there's not really such a thing as 'dumb mode'... It has to be connected to the network to receive updates; it has to record and store energy use; DNOs still need to be able to pull voltage data etc. All that happens is that the supplier will not use the data for billing. 

If the reason someone is refusing is because they think the smart functionality will be used to 'disconnect them' or 'spy on them' then a dumb meter isn't the answer... 

Rif

They harass me all the time. I’ve blocked their calls but somehow they still manage to call from a different number. I’ve told them so many times that we don’t want a meter. They put a note on file but keep calling regardless 🤷🏻‍♀️

QrizB

Rif said:

They harass me all the time. I’ve blocked their calls but somehow they still manage to call from a different number. I’ve told them so many times that we don’t want a meter.

If you don't want a meter, can we presume that you don't have a supply?

Or do you have an unmetered supply, which would explain why you don't want one?

MultiFuelBurner

Rif said:

They harass me all the time. I’ve blocked their calls but somehow they still manage to call from a different number. I’ve told them so many times that we don’t want a meter. They put a note on file but keep calling regardless 🤷🏻‍♀️

I see you have been here sometime and reading your past comments on your profile you look like a money saving person.

Why wouldn't you want to save money on what is now a big expense to most people with a smart meter and all the extra tariffs that opens up to you to save in true money saving expert style?