Imperial Gas Meter

[Deleted User]

Am I able to have a smart meter when I still have an imperial gas meter?  

My aunt was told she couldn’t and would need to pay to have a metric gas meter installed- she didn’t wanted a smart meter anyway and was only trying to get a new deal.

BarelySentientAI

You would usually get smart meters for both electric and gas fitted at the same time - and you shouldn't need to pay for either of them.

All smart gas meters are metric.

daveyjp

A smart meter replaces whatever meter you have at the moment, whether it be imperial or metric.

 If the meter is in a location where a smart meter won't fit or operate correctly there would be a charge for moving it, but for a direct change there is no charge.

EssexHebridean

I should think the majority of imperial gas meters are out of certification by now anyway, so I imagine they will be very happy to replace both! 

Not sure why your Aunt would have been told that - there is no reason why someone couldn't have a replacement electric (smart) meter while still keeping an old (but still in certification) gas meter. 

Ildhund

I think imperial gas meters went out of fashion in 1998 - new ones after that had to be metric. That means an existing one is likely to be more than 25 years old and even if not out of certification, possibly not up to current standards of precision. No supplier should refuse to install a new smart gas meter to replace an imperial one, at no cost to the customer.

[Deleted User]

What is meant by certification for a gas meter, I am in housing association house - they send a gas registered company, Oakray, to do the servicing and safety checks but all they do is just look at the meter occasionally saying that’s old.  Should they be doing something to the gas meter?

FreeBear

[Deleted User] said:

What is meant by certification for a gas meter, I am in housing association house - they send a gas registered company, Oakray, to do the servicing and safety checks but all they do is just look at the meter occasionally saying that’s old.  Should they be doing something to the gas meter?

The gas meter is the property of the energy supplier, so Oakray can not touch it.

When you eventually have a new meter, keep an eye on the bills for the first few months, and make sure they start billing you for cubic metres, not (100s) cubic feet. If the energy company doesn't update the units, you'll end up paying nearly three times as much (2.83 to be exact).

BarelySentientAI

[Deleted User] said:

What is meant by certification for a gas meter, I am in housing association house - they send a gas registered company, Oakray, to do the servicing and safety checks but all they do is just look at the meter occasionally saying that’s old.  Should they be doing something to the gas meter?

Meters are only 'certified' for a certain number of years and after that they are supposed to be replaced.  Usually something like 25 years, but it can vary between 10 and 45 if I remember the list correctly.

It's not to do with servicing or gas safe checks.

Down the the gas supplier to do it.

Spoonie_Turtle

Just to throw a spanner into the works, I don't think gas meters actually have a set certification period like electricity meters do.  With smart gas meters their working life is effectively limited to the battery life.  Non-smart meters, not so - and I don't know whether suppliers have any obligation to check them every so often or not.

However, since suppliers are supposed to be making every reasonable effort to install smart meters per their supply licence, saying they'd charge someone to change the meter would be directly going against that.

The only situation in which they reasonably might is if a customer were absolutely adamant they didn't want a smart meter, the supplier is allowed to charge for sourcing and fitting a non-smart meter (and as a side-effect that can get people to relent and just accept the smart meter).  But it doesn't sound like that applies to the situation in the OP.

HillStreetBlues

Spoonie_Turtle said:

Just to throw a spanner into the works, I don't think gas meters actually have a set certification period like electricity meters do.  With smart gas meters their working life is effectively limited to the battery life.  Non-smart meters, not so - and I don't know whether suppliers have any obligation to check them every so often or not.

As I understand it (could be wrong) electric meters are certified and have a set period, gas meters are verified and don't. So I agree with your view