Old Electricity Board meter out of cert but works fine - so many questions

Scot_39

Worry this is another area in UK history - stuck between law and guidance.

Even in their Apr 23 roll out review - Ofgem were still acknowledging in fact insisting on a records path for monitoring and subsequent follow up on smart meter offer refusals.

And fairly scathing over roll out inothet areas - like staffing and meter supply levels - alt-han for more awkward installs to ihd etc etc.

A supplier can say easily refuse you a non standard tariff like a fix without agreeing to go Smart. 

But for a general supply might be caught between a commercial and even legal need to achieve roll out targets e.g. as old meters run out of supply and ultimately in end the need for a legally enforcable endpoint.

France has crossed the divide into mandatory.

Germany has announced same for 2025 iirc.

Britain I suspect caught in a mess between legal rights, mandatory fitting and ever tougher guidance statements to suppliers via Ofgem and BEIS itself re missed roll out targets. 

Is the BEIS position on end of life legally enforcable or just  guidance - serious question - I don't actually know.

I have no objection to smart metering, but their have been pages of arguments on it here.  And some clearly remain unconvinced legally enforcable.

And even in media - I seem to remember a Telegraph article few months back - telling people to avoid going Smart. Can only see the headline now due to payeall though - so not sure how or when applicable..

CSI_Yorkshire

Electricity Act 1989 - Schedule 7

Supply shall be through an appropriate meter.

The authorised supplier may require the replacement of any meter if necessary to comply with the schedule or any regulation or requirements.

If the customer refuses an appropriate meter, the supplier may disconnect the supply.

Only certified meters can be considered appropriate.

That's likely enough legal backing to either install a smart meter or disconnect the customer.  There's nothing in the Act about customer choice, in fact it says that the customer doesn't have the choice, the authorised supplier does.

[Deleted User]

Is the BEIS position on end of life legally enforcable or just  guidance - serious question - I don't actually know.

Ofgem is a non-Ministerial Government Department as well as a gas and electricity markets Regulator. The requirement to fit smart meters is contained in the Supply Licences - paraphrased here:

The use of the word REQUIRE places an obligation on suppliers. Non-compliance can result in a fine as is the case when suppliers fail to meet their Ofgem-mandated smart meter rollout targets.

TriangleClose

Apologies for tardy thanks for all these responses - as a newbie I didn't know how notifications, if any, would arise. Thank you, FreeBear, for forward thinking re: isolation switch. I'm already planning ahead for EV cabling during roofworks this summer. 

My BT battery backup 'unreliability' is that when the power goes off, so does the backup (beeps a few times and then the green LED indicators power down). The sparky, generally a fairly clever one, is confounded by this.

It was never my intention to refuse a new meter, just to delay entering the inevitable the fray. I'm currently on the SVT so do not qualify for smart tariffs.

If I do not respond to their emails and texts do I wait for them to knock on the door or send letters threatening to cut off my supply?

When EDF fits the SMETS2 digital meter, can it be configured so I still read it myself and send my own readings or MUST it be configured to ?

[Deleted User]

When EDF fits the SMETS2 digital meter, can it be configured so I still read it myself and send my own readings or MUST it be configured to ?

All smart meters can be read by the homeowner: however, with up to 4 registers and different meter models it can be confusing to get into the Tariff Matrix to access the readings on some meters. Why would you want to read your own meter when it is very easy to see on a bill when smart meter readings have been used for billing?

The supplier has to change your meter. If you keep refusing,  they will ask your DNO to call to carry out the work. If your meters are located in an outside box, no Warrant of Entry is required. 

If you are thinking of getting an EV then to get the cheapest tariff you need a smart meter that works and is set to a 30 minute usage profile.