Smart meter installed without our knowledge, (or our suppliers!)

Caracas05

We've just discovered we have had a smart meter fitted - the meter house is outside. We recently tried to provide our supplier (EON) with a meter reading but they said it was too low - and when my partner sent them a photo, they realised it was a smart meter and not on their records.

The upshot is that we've gone from being around £1000 in credit, to owing them £700. I don't understand how the usage could jump so much because of a change of meter? We currently pay £300 per month for electricity only. There's only two of us here and we don't run the washing machine more than x3 per week; the electric oven about the same. 

We didn't receive any 'welcome to your smart meter' literature/email, nor were we offered/given an in-home device so we had no idea it was there. Surely the readings should've been going 'automatically'?  

It all feels a bit fishy - have any other posters had a similar experience? 

Ectophile

The upshot is that we've gone from being around £1000 in credit, to owing them £700. I don't understand how the usage could jump so much because of a change of meter?

The new meter will usually have read 0, or something close to 0, when first installed.  So if you try to calculate a bill starting with a reading on one meter and ending on a reading from a different meter, it will come out totally wrong.

We didn't receive any 'welcome to your smart meter' literature/email, nor were we offered/given an in-home device so we had no idea it was there. Surely the readings should've been going 'automatically'?

Has someone fitted the smart meter to the wrong property by accident?  They should have an appointment before they turn up, and they would warn you that they are about to turn off your supply before disconnecting the old meter.

lohr500

Not sure how your meter has been changed without any notification, etc.

When did you take the last reading off the old meter?

Is there a sticker somewhere in the "meter house" showing the final reading from the previous meter and the opening reading from the new meter?

dunstonh

We've just discovered we have had a smart meter fitted - the meter house is outside. We recently tried to provide our supplier (EON) with a meter reading but they said it was too low - and when my partner sent them a photo, they realised it was a smart meter and not on their records.

It can take a relatively short period for the final reading and conversion to the new meter to occur.

The upshot is that we've gone from being around £1000 in credit, to owing them £700. I don't understand how the usage could jump so much because of a change of meter?

Some suppliers using older software, only show the direct debit payments being added between billing dates.  The do not deduct the actual use until a reading is given. I don't know if EON are one of those but if they are, that could explain it.

We didn't receive any 'welcome to your smart meter' literature/email, nor were we offered/given an in-home device so we had no idea it was there. Surely the readings should've been going 'automatically'?  

As said, it can take a couple of weeks.

Normally, a sticker with the old meter readings is put on the new meter or card is left that you can refer to. 

You should let your supplier know that nothing was left if that is the case, and raise a complaint if they fob you off.

Spoonie_Turtle

How long have you lived there?  Didn't your husband notice it being a different meter when he gave the meter reading?

It's not too shocking that the new meter info hasn't been updated on your supplier's system, that doesn't mean they didn't know about the meter being changed it just means something went wrong and updating the database didn't happen properly (incompetence or accident, who knows, but usually it's the supplier's fault because the meter fitter sends the info when they've fitted the meter).  There should be a card or sticker with the old meter reading from when it was changed so you can be billed accurately.

Caracas05

Ectophile said:

The upshot is that we've gone from being around £1000 in credit, to owing them £700. I don't understand how the usage could jump so much because of a change of meter?

The new meter will usually have read 0, or something close to 0, when first installed.  So if you try to calculate a bill starting with a reading on one meter and ending on a reading from a different meter, it will come out totally wrong.

We didn't receive any 'welcome to your smart meter' literature/email, nor were we offered/given an in-home device so we had no idea it was there. Surely the readings should've been going 'automatically'?

Has someone fitted the smart meter to the wrong property by accident?  They should have an appointment before they turn up, and they would warn you that they are about to turn off your supply before disconnecting the old meter.

HI Ecto  -  we're in a pretty rural area and the only house in the postcode, which reduces the chances of an 'error' but agree, it could well be that. We did request a meter but when the chap turned up, there was insufficient mobile signal for it to run, and we didn't hear anything else. But no, no appointment and no supply disruption - I work hybrid site/home so it could well have gone off without us noticing. 

The bit I really don't get is how EON didn't know?? 

Caracas05

Hi dunstonh  - the old meter has gone altogether and we were never given the 'final' reading from it, either by sticker or card. EON said they had to contact the fitter to get the reading - but we've no way of knowing. 

I honestly don't know when it was fitted, but I'm guessing it's more than a couple of weeks ago (I've been mostly at home for the last six weeks) 

Yeah, we're thinking of going down the 'complaint' route - they've only just settled one for not registering our solar PV panels. 

Caracas05

Hi Spoonie   -   we built the house ourselves and have been here just about five years now. My partner's, er, sometimes not very observant, though he did think it looked 'different'.  

I think we're going to challenge them on it - at least for the proof of the old reading and how the new bill is calculated. They've not been the easiest to deal with on our solars, so we'll see how far we get this time. The 'gesture' they made over three years of non-solar registering was £350, which is why we were in so much credit. Gone now...

Keep_pedalling

Caracas05 said:

Hi Spoonie   -   we built the house ourselves and have been here just about five years now. My partner's, er, sometimes not very observant, though he did think it looked 'different'.  

I think we're going to challenge them on it - at least for the proof of the old reading and how the new bill is calculated. They've not been the easiest to deal with on our solars, so we'll see how far we get this time. The 'gesture' they made over three years of non-solar registering was £350, which is why we were in so much credit. Gone now...

I would expect a 5 year old house to have a smart meter from day one. Was your credit based on estimated or actual readings? 

Caracas05

Hi Keep!  The issue was mobile signal, as we had requested one, but it wouldn't work. And, it took BT almost two years to put a phone line in..so we couldn't even jump onto the wif-fi. 

My other half's onto them now - the meter went in in March 2023.  I'll update here if we get any update. Looks like their statements are also not consistent with the direct debits. 

Thanks to everyone for advice to date. 

MP1995

You have your baseline usage from the original meter for the first few years I suspect? Then factor in this year has seen many people use 10-20% less energy and then start the back of forth on what should be owed.

Use facts and figures you have from previous actual not estimated bills to support your viewpoint.