Smart Meter

Elysa

Hi
Can anyone advise me please.
My Electric supplier (Scottish Power) keeps asking me to have a Smart meter fitted.  I don’t want one.  Now they have sent me a letter saying my Electric meter is over 15 years old and is dangerous.  My electric meter is only just 11 years old and is fine.
Does anyone please have any ideas what I can do.  (If I look at switching supplier, I believe most want you to have a smart meter, I could be wrong?).
Many thanks in advance..

[Deleted User]

Elysa said:

Hi
Can anyone advise me please.
My Electric supplier (Scottish Power) keeps asking me to have a Smart meter fitted.  I don’t want one.  Now they have sent me a letter saying my Electric meter is over 15 years old and is dangerous.  My electric meter is only just 11 years old and is fine.
Does anyone please have any ideas what I can do.  (If I look at switching supplier, I believe most want you to have a smart meter, I could be wrong?).
Many thanks in advance..

A supplier has a legal right to replace an end-of-life meter with a smart meter WITHOUT the consumer’s consent.

The certificated life starts from the date that meter was manufactured not when it was fitted so it is possible it could have spent 4 years in a warehouse. 

Your meter isn’t dangerous but it may may not be recording your usage accurately. Suppliers cannot legally bill you if your meter has passed its certificated life.

Mstty

Elysa said:

Hi
Can anyone advise me please.
My Electric supplier (Scottish Power) keeps asking me to have a Smart meter fitted.  I don’t want one.  Now they have sent me a letter saying my Electric meter is over 15 years old and is dangerous.  My electric meter is only just 11 years old and is fine.
Does anyone please have any ideas what I can do.  (If I look at switching supplier, I believe most want you to have a smart meter, I could be wrong?).
Many thanks in advance..

Hello and welcome to the forum

What are your issues with having a smart meter fitted?

Also you can check if your meter is end of certification. Just to check they have their facts right.

Personally I like my smart meter but I also don't like companies threatening people especially if they haven't got all their facts correct. Always worth checking.

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

Spoonie_Turtle

[Deleted User] said:

Elysa said:

Hi
Can anyone advise me please.
My Electric supplier (Scottish Power) keeps asking me to have a Smart meter fitted.  I don’t want one.  Now they have sent me a letter saying my Electric meter is over 15 years old and is dangerous.  My electric meter is only just 11 years old and is fine.
Does anyone please have any ideas what I can do.  (If I look at switching supplier, I believe most want you to have a smart meter, I could be wrong?).
Many thanks in advance..

A supplier has a legal right to replace an end-of-life meter with a smart meter WITHOUT the consumer’s consent.

The certificated life starts from the date that meter was manufactured not when it was fitted so it is possible it could have spent 4 years in a warehouse. 

Your meter isn’t dangerous but it may may not be recording your usage accurately. Suppliers cannot legally bill you if your meter has passed its certificated life.

Almost certainly to be the case for ours - fitted in 2019 but clearly says 'certified 2015' on the front.  (It started at 0 so pretty sure it wasn't a refurbished one.)

Elysa said:

Does anyone please have any ideas what I can do. 

For further information you can ask your supplier exactly when your meter's certification period expires.  But if it is indeed soon, it will need to be replaced regardless of who your supplier is.

MikeyPGT

Don't worry Scottish Power is so unbelievably inefficient they will never get round to fitting your smart meter or - if by some miracle they actually do - it won't work.  My reccomendation would be to move to a supplier htat actually cares about its customers

EssexHebridean

You can check what the certification date is for your meter:
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1126202/schedule-4-december-2022.pdf

As said though, if you let us know what your concerns are about smart meters someone will hopefully be able to set your mind at rest with some facts - after all, we’re all going to have them eventually! 

[Deleted User]

In what is becoming an almost daily debate on meter certification and end-of-life, I am surprised that nobody has mentioned that consumers have a legal right to buy their own meter.

’ Yes you can own your own gas and/or electricity meters as long as the meter is of an approved type. It can only be installed with your suppliers knowledge and must be installed by a qualified person. In electrcity this means the party your supplier has appointed as the Meter Operator to your meter point. Once installed the meters become part of the fixtures of the house and would have to be left in place when you move.’ 

Credit @spiro 2008

I doubt that in practice it is simple to arrange. 

EssexHebridean

It would be interesting to know whether this is just a theoretical right, or if anyone has actually managed to do this. 

macman

I can't imagine that anyone in their right mind would want to spend the money to find out. 

Elysa

Thank you for your comments, I have only heard negative things about the smart meters and just don’t like the idea of them. I also heard you get charged different rates for the electricity which includes industrial rates…🤷‍♀️

Qyburn

[Deleted User] said:

In what is becoming an almost daily debate on meter certification and end-of-life, I am surprised that nobody has mentioned that consumers have a legal right to buy their own meter.

It requires the Supplier's permission, not just with their knowledge. See the Electricity Act 1989 Schedule 7 (2) and note the clause starts "If the authorised supplier agrees, the meter may be provided by the customer"

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1989/29/schedule/7