Octopus: Action: Your meter is approaching its use-by date

[Deleted User]

Annemos said:

Dolor. The Gas Safety Notice card I was given by the National Grid/ Network Plus chap who knocked on my door, said that "The exchange is free of charge". It also stated "This will not be a smart meter". 

I let him in to fit the "dumb" refurbished meter. This was October 2022.

Am I safe from a charge? Can British Gas come back to me and impose one? (I never had any contact from them prior to the meter change.) 


(Deleted_User. I had ignored the safety warning cards for about 2 years before I let the chap in, because I noticed he was going to fit a non-smart meter! But I was never signed up for e-mails, so they could not contact me that way.)

Was this an arranged visit by your supplier? I was not aware that National Grid was still fitting meters. 

matt_drummer

I think it is quite unfortunate that they chose the term smart meter, it likens them to something like a smart phone that can be daunting for many people.

The reality is nothing like this, they are just a digital meter that can communicate with the supplier, there's nothing more to it.

Somebody should have thought a bit harder about what the term `smart' implies and how some customers would react.

The internet doesn't really help in many ways, most people go online to forums to complain about problems or ask for help resolving problems, that gives the impression that there are loads of issues with smart meters and hardly any problems with analogue meters. Its just because we have the internet and lots of people have had smart meters fitted whilst we have the internet to report and discuss issues.

They won't do it, but I bet they could come along in the middle of the night and swap your current meters for smart meters and you would never even notice!

[Deleted User]

Thanks, Mstty,  for the reassurance ("I suspect you are well within your rights not to book an appointment and you may well get another reminder. However I was under the impression there is a shortage of smart meters so ignoring booking yours may well mean no chase for some time").  

A huge thank you, also, to all of the many of you who have so generously taken time and effort to reply to my post - as in the past Spoonie_Turtle's valuable insight and contributions are also very much appreciated.

For now I'll do nothing and wait until I have no option.  When it comes to "The bit" and there is no realistic choice, I'll agree - and, by then in any case, I won't have any other choice.

Meantime I feel better not agreeing to have Smart Meters when I really don't feel happy or comfortable about having them.

As I mentioned earlier, I really am a very satisfied Octopus Energy customer.

pochase

I have not heard of it been enforced but the government regulations for electrcity meter certification clearly state

When certification is required meters must be removed from service when the certification period expires.

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/electricity-meter-certification.

This means the supplier is in (in theory) in trouble if they don't replace the meter.

Meters outside your property they could just replace. AGain I have not heard that this has been done, but legally they have to do it. I would assume they are hesitant about bad publicity, but that will chnage the moment they get into trouble for not replacing the meters they are required to replace.

Annemos

Dolor  No it was not pre-arranged. The card says something like.....we called at your home today to fit you with a new meter but you were not home, so please telephone us to book an appointment etc. (And I immediately spotted it was not a smart meter!) 

So I caught him as he was pushing the card through the letter box and he stopped there and then and fitted it. As I say this was October 2022. 

(I have another post on here from today. It is now all in a mess because British Gas had changed me to their new billing system three days before. So now it has all gone wrong and BG didn't know my meter had even been changed! I seem to have fallen into a black hole between the old and the new system.) 

[Deleted User]

Thanks pochase.   I can now understand if a meter really does need to be replaced.  I'm disappointed if, at the present time, the only realistic option seems to be by replacing a "Dumb" meter with a Smart meter.

Annemos

matt_drummer.   What I don't like is that once we have a smart meter, it seems to be that we are then pushed into managing our accounts on-line. 

I really dislike getting lots and lots of unnecessary mails. I always have a worry when I have to open them up, that they could be a security concern. Are they valid mails etc etc. And all these companies send LOTS of mails, once they have you! 

I have always been incredibly happy with a text massage that said send us your readings by text....and then getting my paper bills in the post twice a year. I LOVE that system. 

Also I have a niggling doubt that one day all of our Wi-fi systems will go down. Would the smart meters stop working and stop showing the readings? 

pochase

@crimson what is the type of the elictricity meter and what are the first 3 characters of the meter serial number? 

It should be a letter and two numbers, and for recent meters the two number show the date (year) of certification. Or maybe you just know when the meter was installed.

A list of the certification periods for the different meters can be found here.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1126202/schedule-4-december-2022.pdf

ariarnia

Annemos said:

matt_drummer.   What I don't like is that once we have a smart meter, it seems to be that we are then pushed into managing our accounts on-line. 

I really dislike getting lots and lots of unnecessary mails. I always have a worry when I have to open them up, that they could be a security concern. Are they valid mails etc etc. And all these companies send LOTS of mails, once they have you! 

I have always been incredibly happy with a text massage that said send us your readings by text....and then getting my paper bills in the post twice a year. I LOVE that system. 

Also I have a niggling doubt that one day all of our Wi-fi systems will go down. Would the smart meters stop working and stop showing the readings? 

if you ever switch supplier or sign up for a new fix (when they exist again) you will probably find its online by default smart meter or no. but with some suppliers you can ask them to send you paper bills (at a small cost). 

and about the wifi. that's not really a problem because if your smart meter stops sending info at any point all you have to do is exactly what you do now. take a reading from the display on the front of the meter and send it to your supplier. 

Annemos

Err I have never switched! (Mind you BG is testing me out at the moment!)