Your meter is approaching its use-by date and needs to be replaced 24 February at 11:29AM edited 24 February at 11:32AM in Energy 67 replies 3.1K views

1socrates1

I received an email from Octopus Energy today informing me that my meter is approaching its use-by date and needs to be replaced. It seems that the only option of replacement is with smart meters. My concern with smart meters is how accurate their readings are, I enjoyed the control I had of reading my own meters and submitting readings. Am I forced to place my old meters with smart meters? Am I basically worrying about nothing and smart meters are the way to go? Thanks for any input. 

Mstty

You don't lose the option of reading your own meter and sending in reads whenever you want.

Personally nothing to worry about and not having a smart meter means missing out on potentially money saving tariffs and schemes such as the national grid ESO demand flexibility service. (Some have earned upwards of £300 on this already)

The_Green_Hornet

You may wish to read through the 22 pages of this similar thread.

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6425844/octopus-action-your-meter-is-approaching-its-use-by-date

Ayr_Rage

Smart meters are MORE accurate than anything they replace.

You can still read the meter yourself but they save you submitting manual readings if working normally.

There is nothing stopping you submitting manual readings if you wish to do so.

Move forward !

1socrates1

Thank you Mstty. 

pochase

The main difference between a dumb meter and a smart meter is that the smart meter communicates with the supplier and submits the readings like you do currently manually.

Both meter types need to be certified to ensure accuracy, no differense here at all. This certification seems to be end of life for your current meter, which is why the supplier wants to replace it. They are forced to do so by government regulations.

Yes they will replace with a smart meter for two reasons. First they are again forced to install smart meters, and second there are hardly any dumb meters available on the market.

The main issue with smart meters is that they sometimes lose connection, and will not submit the readings automatically. That would place you into exactly the same situation as your ar ein now. You read the emter and supply the reading manually.

The other horror stories are that you will be put automatically onto prepaid if you don't pay. You will also be put onto prepaid if you have a dumb meter. Diffeenc eis it will cost you more money, because you will have to pay for the cost of the warrant and the locksmith,

Last wild theory is that you will pay more expensive rates at peak time, reality will be more that those on dumb meter will not be rewarded but punished, and will pay the expensive rates 24/7, while smart meters will give access to time of use rates, making off peak use cheaper.

Raxiel

Once a meter passes its certification date it may be fine, it may not, but legally suppliers can't bill against a meter with an expired certificate, and have the legal right to change it. These rules predate smart meters, although the government have given suppliers permission to fit smart meters unilaterally in these cases.

Smart meters are just meters that have a radio module that can send their readings to the national network, and receive tariff information back. The meter part of it is the same as the digital meters that preceded them and is subject to the same certification requirements.

There have been examples of smart meters failing to record accurately, but there is no evidence it happens any more frequently than non smart meters.

Going off posts here, the most common* problem that people seem to get with smart meters is when they stop communicating with the supplier and revert to being 'dumb' meters that have to be manually read. Usually compounded by the supplier just estimating on bills and not actively informing the customer that there's a problem.

If that happens though, you're no worse off than you would have been had smart meters never been installed.

*as a proportion of problems, not meters installed.

Ayr_Rage

EDF and others have been running a trial of offering rebates for using less electricity in specified periods which they notify customers of by email.

You can only participate if you have a smart meter.

Remember where we are, a money saving forum.

Alnat1

Go for it. Smart meters are at least as good as whatever they replace and most likely will offer you more detailed information about your energy use. 

Up to you how much interest you take in the extra available data and what is shown on the In Home Display but many have found that seeing how much you are using encourages you to cut down. There are also plenty who shove the IHD in a drawer and take no interest at all.

2010

1socrates1 said:

I received an email from Octopus Energy today informing me that my meter is approaching its use-by date and needs to be replaced. It seems that the only option of replacement is with smart meters. My concern with smart meters is how accurate their readings are, I enjoyed the control I had of reading my own meters and submitting readings. Am I forced to place my old meters with smart meters? Am I basically worrying about nothing and smart meters are the way to go? Thanks for any input. 

This is happening all the time.

I had the same thing from Octopus last year, which I ignored and I haven`t heard anything since.

The fact is, energy providers have to fit a certain number of smart meters each year and if they fail to meet their target, the government can fine them.

I would say if you don`t want a SM just ignore the "advice" from your supplier because it`s no more than a ploy to get their numbers up.

Dolor

2010 said:

1socrates1 said:

I received an email from Octopus Energy today informing me that my meter is approaching its use-by date and needs to be replaced. It seems that the only option of replacement is with smart meters. My concern with smart meters is how accurate their readings are, I enjoyed the control I had of reading my own meters and submitting readings. Am I forced to place my old meters with smart meters? Am I basically worrying about nothing and smart meters are the way to go? Thanks for any input. 

This is happening all the time.

I had the same thing from Octopus last year, which I ignored and I haven`t heard anything since.

The fact is, energy providers have to fit a certain number of smart meters each year and if they fail to meet their target, the government can fine them.

I would say if you don`t want a SM just ignore the "advice" from your supplier because it`s no more than a ploy to get their numbers up.

Proof - have you spoken to Octopus about the certification date of your meter? 

You keep accusing Octopus of underhand business practices with absolutely no evidence to support your point of view.  It is worth remembering that forum usernames do not offer any legal protection to a poster against a claim for defamation. A well-known airline has taken forum posters to Court because it felt that it needed to protect its reputation.