Supplier says they don’t make old meters anymore?

reikiboy66

We discovered our traditional gas meter was broken a few months ago & I told them i didn’t want a smart meter. They said they would only install a smart meter. After various calls, during our last conversation with Cust Service they are now saying they don’t manufacture the traditional meters anymore!  I am unsure what to do, I really would prefer not to get one, but we have used gas during that time & i’m worried about incurring a large bill. 

So i am looking for advice please? Do I need to accept a smart meter & how much can they charge us for the gas during the time it’s not been working? Thank you 🙏 

ArbitraryRandom

Ofgem have said they can install a smart meter (without your agreement if needed), so I think your choices are really seeing if you can buy a refurbished/recertified traditional meter privately and asking your supplier if that can be installed (it would be at your cost and they don't have to/are unlikely to say yes); accepting the smart meter; refusing the smart meter and no longer having access to mains gas when they remove the broken meter... 

To anticipate the questions that are sure to follow - can we ask why you don't want a smart meter? 

Re your usage, it will be estimated based on either the average of homes similar to yours/in your area or based on your historical pattern of use (if you've been with them longer than a year). If you disagree with the estimate you can dispute it but have to provide a suggested alternative with a reason why your method is likely to be more accurate. 

brook_heather

Do you have a smart electric meter?  If not then the gas meter won't be smart as it won't be able to communicate.

QrizB

reikiboy66 said:

So i am looking for advice please? Do I need to accept a smart meter & how much can they charge us for the gas during the time it’s not been working? Thank you 🙏 

If you want to continue having a gas supply, you'll have to agree to a smart meter.

Your supplier will estimate your consumption for the period where the meter has been broken.

ArbitraryRandom

brook_heather said:

Do you have a smart electric meter?  If not then the gas meter won't be smart as it won't be able to communicate.

It's uncommon, but the communications hubs can be installed on gas meters if the installation requires it. More than likely they'll suggest doing both at the same time. 

Brie

QrizB said:

reikiboy66 said:

So i am looking for advice please? Do I need to accept a smart meter & how much can they charge us for the gas during the time it’s not been working? Thank you 🙏 

If you want to continue having a gas supply, you'll have to agree to a smart meter.

Your supplier will estimate your consumption for the period where the meter has been broken.

And if/when they do estimate your consumption check it against what you have used the last couple of years (use, not price) to see if it's reasonable.  Not that I'm suggesting they will use made up figures of course as that would not be a good thing for them to do.......

Spoonie_Turtle

Or if you haven't been with them long enough to establish a historical usage pattern, agree a length of forthcoming time on which to base an estimate.  Not all that helpful that you've refused a smart meter over the part of the year you'd have been using less, but there we are.

luvchocolate

I had a leak on my gas meter found upon annual service. 
I informed Shell and at my request got an ordinary meter 

[Deleted User]

luvchocolate said:

I had a leak on my gas meter found upon annual service. 
I informed Shell and at my request got an ordinary meter 

A short stay of execution. Smart meters are now mandatory in Italy (since 2006); in France (dissenters pay an annual fine that increases each year) and in Germany from 2025.

Ofgem has also instructed suppliers to develop procedures to fit smart meters under Warrant. This will most likely apply to households where the meter has reached the end of its certified life.

ArbitraryRandom

luvchocolate said:

I had a leak on my gas meter found upon annual service. 
I informed Shell and at my request got an ordinary meter 

I'm not sure when this was, but some suppliers do/have had a stock of old meters, depending on where you are.

I've also seen threads on here where the agent has said the customer could have a like for like replacement when the local installer has turned up with a smart meter because they simply don't have any more stock of old meters and can't order more.  

In this case the agent is saying there are no more old meters available in the OPs are, and given many suppliers use the same regional installers (local contractors) it's unlikely switching will result in a different response. 

Chris_b2z

It's a shame there's such a reluctance to adopt smart meters but quite understandable. We're just not very good at implementing major infrastructure projects. Half of the installed smart meters are SMETS1 which are not fit for purpose and will have to be upgraded or replaced.

Also, I've discovered that my SMETS2 meter is not working as designed. I don't care so much about the IHD which has never worked but it is a concern when the clock has been 7 hours out of sync for the past year. A fault like that can be costly on an E7 tariff.