Your meter is approaching its use-by date and needs to be replaced

2010

Email dated last year which obviously I have kept.

Hi xxxx, 

 

Your meters are approaching the end of their certification period and need to be replaced to ensure absolute accuracy. Don't worry, the install's a breeze; our friendly engineer will be with you for about an hour per fuel and that's it - you're done! 

Book my appointment

Upgrading to smart meters can unlock unlock big savings:

• Get a chance to win a year's free energy every month 

• Get cheaper rates when energy’s greenest with a smart tariff

• Get an extra spin on the Wheel of Fortune every month

• Earn money by taking part in exclusive smart energy trials like Saving Sessions

PLUS: daily, weekly and monthly energy insights help you spot ways to cut down

Book my smart meter appointment

What is a certification period? 

Just like food, each electricity and gas meter is given a 'best before' date when it's manufactured. In the industry, it's called a certification date, and is set by the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS). It's our responsibility to let you know when your meters are approaching their certification date and get them replaced. 

 

Love and power,

The Smart Metering Team

 

P.S. Getting a smart meter won’t cost you any extra, just like the installation and maintenance of traditional meters - the costs are covered in everyone's energy bills. 

Unsubscribe

 

EssexHebridean

Ok 2010 - and the certification date for your meter is…? 

2010

There was a thread last week where someone had a letter/email from Octopus saying their old meters needed replacing.

Today there are two new threads about the same matter one from Scottish Power and the other from Octopus.

Each time,I merely pointed out that I had received the same message last year from Octopus and had ignored it and have heard nothing since.

That`s all folks!

[Deleted User]

2010 said:

There was a thread last week where someone had a letter/email from Octopus saying their old meters needed replacing.

Today there are two new threads about the same matter one from Scottish Power and the other from Octopus.

Each time,I merely pointed out that I had received the same message last year from Octopus and had ignored it and have heard nothing since.

That`s all folks!

That proves nothing. 

ariarnia

2010 said:

Each time,I merely pointed out that I had received the same message last year from Octopus and had ignored it and have heard nothing since.

actually each time you accused octopus of doing something sneaky or underhand. thats what you are being asked to provide proof of. 

2010

I`m stating facts regarding the email I received as I have proved.
If the meter is out dated and needs changing they`ll come and do it (eventually).
No ones stopping them!
If it`s a ploy to increase their quota of SM installations by by getting their consumer to request a SM it hasn`t worked in my case.

There does suddenly seems to be a lot of out dated meters, although this tactic is nothing new.

Robert Mitchell, 81, a retired IT contractor from Birmingham, was called by Sainsbury's Energy, part of British Gas, to say his meter was due for replacement, although it was just a few years old.

Also a few other tricks being used in this article.

https://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/bills/article-4922822/Power-giants-tricking-getting-smart-meters.html

An Ofgem spokeswoman says: 'It is not compulsory to have a smart meter installed — consumers have a right to decline them and suppliers must not mislead them.'

[Deleted User]

2010 said:

I`m stating facts regarding the email I received as I have proved.
If the meter is out dated and needs changing they`ll come and do it (eventually).
No ones stopping them!
If it`s a ploy to increase their quota of SM installations by by getting their consumer to request a SM it hasn`t worked in my case.

There does suddenly seems to be a lot of out dated meters, although this tactic is nothing new.

Robert Mitchell, 81, a retired IT contractor from Birmingham, was called by Sainsbury's Energy, part of British Gas, to say his meter was due for replacement, although it was just a few years old.

Also a few other tricks being used in this article.

https://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/bills/article-4922822/Power-giants-tricking-getting-smart-meters.html

An Ofgem spokeswoman says: 'It is not compulsory to have a smart meter installed — consumers have a right to decline them and suppliers must not mislead them.'

There are c.56M meters deployed in domestic properties and if each meter has a notional certificated life of 20 years, then 2.8M meters will reach the end of their certificated lives each year and will need to be replaced. Many meter certificates don’t last as long as 20 years.

I would respectfully suggest that 2.8M meters needing replacement is slightly more than one or two alleged - but not proven - misdeeds on social media.

FWiW, in situations such as you describe, I would guess that the supplier assumes that most consumers would responsibly respond to the invitation that has been sent. The fact that you ignored the invitation and no one has come knocking on your door is mostly likely due to a failure of supplier administration rather than a clever/devious plot to install more smart meters. 

Spoonie_Turtle

2010 said:

Robert Mitchell, 81, a retired IT contractor from Birmingham, was called by Sainsbury's Energy, part of British Gas, to say his meter was due for replacement, although it was just a few years old.

Also a few other tricks being used in this article.

https://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/bills/article-4922822/Power-giants-tricking-getting-smart-meters.html

An Ofgem spokeswoman says: 'It is not compulsory to have a smart meter installed — consumers have a right to decline them and suppliers must not mislead them.'

How does he know it didn't have a certification period of just 10 years and sat in a warehouse for several of those before being fitted?

Several other problems with that article:
It's actually from the Daily Mail.
That page was published in 2017 - the rules changed in (IIRC) 2019 to say that suppliers have to fit smart meters when they're replacing end-of-life meters unless there's a very good reason not to.  So the information about whether anything is compulsory or not is completely outdated.

This is basic information literacy, evaluate your sources.

EssexHebridean

And in any event, 2010 still hasn’t confirmed whether their meter is actually approaching out of certification or not, so far as I’ve seen? Might be a good plan to get that information in pace before going round thread-spoiling on every thread of this type on the forum! 

ariarnia

2010 said:

I`m stating facts regarding the email I received as I have proved.

you pasted the text of an email saying your meter was coming to end of life (nothing about when that end of life actually was). and you have said you didn't reply. not sure what you think you proved? 

only thing i can see you proved is that octopus out emails about meter certification and that they havent followed up. 

i no someone who asked for a smart meter installation more than a year ago and are still waiting.

i could say that proved bg didn't want to install smart meters. i'd be wrong because it doesn't prove that (could be that or could be shortage of meters/engineers in the area)