Can a seller change the electricity supply to a smart meter, weeks before completion

dylanzmum

I have recently bought a property, completion was on the 20th September. I found out that just over a month ago the seller changed the energy meters to smart meters (on the 6th August) are they allowed to do that? 

marcia_

dylanzmum said:

I have recently bought a property, completion was on the 20th September. I found out that just over a month ago the seller changed the energy meters to smart meters (on the 6th August) are they allowed to do that? 

 Yes. What are your concerns about smart meters? 

Sarahspangles

Energy meters do not belong to the home owner. The supplier may not own them either, it varies between suppliers and areas. The supplier is responsible for arranging meter replacement, and no supplier is routinely fitting non-smart meters.

So either your seller decided to have smart meters installed, or - this seems more likely - the existing meters reached end of life and were replaced by the supplier.  

Sapindus

Do sales particulars usually say anything about whether meters are smart or not?  Did they in this case?

bobster2

dylanzmum said:

I have recently bought a property, completion was on the 20th September. I found out that just over a month ago the seller changed the energy meters to smart meters (on the 6th August) are they allowed to do that? 

Yes I think they can.

In practice, if you don't choose a tariff based on using the smart features (e.g. different prices at different times of day) then having a smart meter shouldn't make much difference to you.

E.g. you can just pay a steady amount by monthly direct debit (as with a non-smart meter) and the only difference is you don't have meter reads every 6 months of so.

user1977

I've never heard of the type of meter previously being an issue (other than buyers/incoming tenants who don't want a prepayment meter). It's certainly not a "normal" thing to be investigated during the conveyancing process. Sellers get asked who the current supplier is, and that's it.

born_again

dylanzmum said:

I have recently bought a property, completion was on the 20th September. I found out that just over a month ago the seller changed the energy meters to smart meters (on the 6th August) are they allowed to do that? 

Yes.

Bonus for you you have a wider choice of tariffs  👍

MattMattMattUK

Why does this bother you?

Ayr_Rage

It always amuses me that so many people want the latest tech that they happily hold to their heads or sit on their laps but there is so much reluctance to have the latest model of energy meter that sits some distance from humans merrily doing its own business and can actually help the householder save money.

Sapindus

Since I've had my smart meter I've found the energy company sends me little incentives to use or not use electricity at certain times of low or high demand.  There's pennies in it but I don't mind doing my bit anyway.  Initially my tariff was a cheaper one only available if you had a smart meter, but I imagine eventually that incentive will disappear as most people get one.

The main reason I held out against them for a long time was that I felt more trust in a simple mechanical device than something that might be electronically manipulated, and because I felt suspicious and patronised by the advertisements trying to encourage me to get one by implying I couldn't work out for myself how much electricity electrical devices use, or was too lazy to read a meter.  

EssexHebridean

No issue with the sellers over this - it will almost certainly have been instigated by the energy supplier anyway and doesn’t materially change the property. Had they had standard credit meters changed to pre-pay, then etiquette suggests that they would have been expected to mention this, but effectively a “like for like” change like this is no issue at all. Look on it as an advantage - had they not have done it, you would have had to have the hassle of sorting appointments to get it done!