Can a smart meter be forced?

katie4

Iv just had this email from Ovo

We need to let you know your electricity meter’s certification has expired.

The certification is a guarantee that your meter’s working as it should. So, right now, we can’t be certain it’s measuring your readings accurately, which could cause inaccurate bills. This means we need to replace your current meter as soon as possible.

Book your free smart meter appointment

Do I have to have it changed? It’s been fine ever since we’ve lived here is this just a way for them to try and force a smart meter on us?

Brie

I do believe they can insist.  But of course this should be done when it's convenient for you so they can't insist on doing it when you're already booked off on a holiday or when you're at work.  

I seem to have read somewhere that a meter has an expected life of about 15 years - though we all know that things can last much much longer.

EssexHebridean

It's pretty standard - all meters have a set period of certification, after which they aren't guaranteed for accuracy.  Yes, the replacement meter would be a smart meter - is there an issue with that? That is all they are fitting now as they are the most up to date technology wise.

[Deleted User]

katie4 said:

Iv just had this email from Ovo

We need to let you know your electricity meter’s certification has expired.

The certification is a guarantee that your meter’s working as it should. So, right now, we can’t be certain it’s measuring your readings accurately, which could cause inaccurate bills. This means we need to replace your current meter as soon as possible.

Book your free smart meter appointment

Do I have to have it changed? It’s been fine ever since we’ve lived here is this just a way for them to try and force a smart meter on us?

Suppliers now have a legal right to fit smart meters in the circumstances described WITHOUT the homeowner’s approval. This change was approved by BEIS in 2019. All meters have an initial certificated life which can be extended after further testing and looking at meter failures and meters withdrawn from use. The fact that your meter is working doesn’t necessarily mean that it is accurate.

Some of the bigger suppliers may still have a few analogue meters in their warehouse. If they agree to fit one, they are allowed to raise a meter change charge.

MattMattMattUK

katie4 said:

Iv just had this email from Ovo

We need to let you know your electricity meter’s certification has expired.

The certification is a guarantee that your meter’s working as it should. So, right now, we can’t be certain it’s measuring your readings accurately, which could cause inaccurate bills. This means we need to replace your current meter as soon as possible.

Book your free smart meter appointment

Do I have to have it changed? It’s been fine ever since we’ve lived here is this just a way for them to try and force a smart meter on us?

Why not have a smart meter fitted?

matelodave

Meters are type approved and certified to have a life anywhere between 10 and 25 years, sometimes more and sometimes less. Usually it's determined by the manufacturer or the perceived longevity of the components in the meter. Most gas meters with electronic displays only last around ten years because the batteries have a finite life. Likewise mechanical meters have parts that wear out affecting the accuracy.

However its also up to the supplier to decide when he feels that the meter should be changed and that could well be before or after the manufacture's designated certification period. If a certain meter type or manufacture has a history of early failure then it would be sensible to get them changed before they fail rather than have the aggro of trying sort out duff meters and irate customers who take a dim view of estimates.

Also you should take into account that the supplier will also have to schedule the changeover of meters based on the logistics of getting staff and materials to do the job and even geographical location. It's going to be much more efficient and cheaper to do a batch in an area or even a street with a local team than it is to be whizzing all over the countryside.

Just had a trawl of t'interweb and found this from an OFGEN fact sheet - I have highlighted the relevant sentence regarding longevity

"Ofgem allocated certification life is restricted to 10 years for newly approved induction meters and for periods of between 10 and 20 years for static meters. Certification periods greater than 10 years (for electronic meters) are subject to the submission and validation of a component reliability model based on the Siemens Norm SN29500. Subsequent in-service surveillance monitoring can result in either increase or decrease of this period. Up to date information regarding the status of any particular meter type can be gained by viewing the latest release of Schedule 4 to the Meter (Certification) Regulations which are listed on the Ofgem website"

alleycat`

I've just had mine done for the same reason (gone over 20 years and was now out of type certification approval). I had chosen to leave mine on the basis i knew it would have to go eventually and took the approach that I'd let others, of a more optimistic nature, be the guinea pigs for the shower of excrement the initial phase of the rollout was bound to be.

The installer will fit it "dumb" if you ask them to (or mine offered to anyway) but you'll struggle to avoid anything to do with them now.

EssexHebridean

alleycat` said:

I've just had mine done for the same reason (gone over 20 years and was now out of type certification approval). I had chosen to leave mine on the basis i knew it would have to go eventually and took the approach that I'd let others, of a more optimistic nature, be the guinea pigs for the shower of excrement the initial phase of the rollout was bound to be.

The installer will fit it "dumb" if you ask them to (or mine offered to anyway) but you'll struggle to avoid anything to do with them now.

Allowing that we're now 11 (?) years in, I think we can probably assume that most teething issues are probably now sorted? 

[Deleted User]

alleycat` said:

I've just had mine done for the same reason (gone over 20 years and was now out of type certification approval). I had chosen to leave mine on the basis i knew it would have to go eventually and took the approach that I'd let others, of a more optimistic nature, be the guinea pigs for the shower of excrement the initial phase of the rollout was bound to be.

The installer will fit it "dumb" if you ask them to (or mine offered to anyway) but you'll struggle to avoid anything to do with them now.

SMETS2 meters have been rolled out now for nearly 4 years, and 10s of millions of these smart meters are working with no problems whatsoever. Sadly, too many posters think that what is written on these forums by a few is indicative of widespread smart meter problems. 

When it comes to meters and end-of-life, suppliers have a statutory duty to provide consumers with a certificated meter under The Gas and Electricity Acts. 

SAC2334

EssexHebridean said:

alleycat` said:

I've just had mine done for the same reason (gone over 20 years and was now out of type certification approval). I had chosen to leave mine on the basis i knew it would have to go eventually and took the approach that I'd let others, of a more optimistic nature, be the guinea pigs for the shower of excrement the initial phase of the rollout was bound to be.

The installer will fit it "dumb" if you ask them to (or mine offered to anyway) but you'll struggle to avoid anything to do with them now.

Allowing that we're now 11 (?) years in, I think we can probably assume that most teething issues are probably now sorted? 

My next door neighbours daughter works for a company in Wales who buy gas meters and refurbish .Smart meters as well. She s a manager and tells me the smart gas meter if fitted unpaired gets through its Lithium Thionyl  Chloride battery in a very short time because its continually sending out a signal all the time until its paired with the electric meter 

Maybe that is the reason we are getting posters saying their gas smart meters are blank screen. These meters should shut supply off on a dead battery but many don t allowing free unregistered gas for an untold period .

alleycat`

EssexHebridean said:

alleycat` said:

I've just had mine done for the same reason (gone over 20 years and was now out of type certification approval). I had chosen to leave mine on the basis i knew it would have to go eventually and took the approach that I'd let others, of a more optimistic nature, be the guinea pigs for the shower of excrement the initial phase of the rollout was bound to be.

The installer will fit it "dumb" if you ask them to (or mine offered to anyway) but you'll struggle to avoid anything to do with them now.

Allowing that we're now 11 (?) years in, I think we can probably assume that most teething issues are probably now sorted?

I don't recall saying anything to the contrary. I chose to let others deal with the initial mess, and waste, as i didn't want the hassle for no benefit.

There isn't anything that my smets2 meters gives me that i didn't have previously. In the future maybe that will change.