electricity meter at the end of its certification period? NOT INTERESTED IN SMART METERS

ggloria007

Hi, I received following email from Octopus: 

"Your electricity meter has now reached the end of its certification period. As meters age past this date, they may start to run too fast or too slow. We’re required by law under the Electricity Act 1989 to get your meter replaced once it’s reached its certification date to ensure the energy you’re using is measured correctly, and you only pay for what you use." 

It is Mercury - residential meter, Type 5236E-Y supplied by first:utility, there are few numbers but one of them might be a year 2009

I am not interested in smart meter and would like to keep the one that we have. I regularly do the readings and keep the payments promptly. 

I found this web helpful Do I have to have a smart meter? | Smart Energy GB

Please let me know if there are exemptions and how to make a case of refusing the smart meeting but to keep digital meter when approaching Octopus.  Thank you  

Peter999_2

No, unfortunately there is no escape and if your meter is end of life it will be replaced with a smart meter. See here - Can I refuse a smart meter? (moneysavingexpert.com)

There really is no difference between the meter you have and a smart meter apart from the communications making life easier.   If you look the meter you have even says on it that it's a smart meter (just without the network connection).

If you want, just carry on manually reading the smart meter at the end of the month and octopus will generate a bill the next day using your reading.     I personally have a variable direct debit with Octopus so they generate a bill every month and I pay that exact amount.  You never get in credit or debit which is useful.

mr_stripey

You can refuse a smart meter, although there a few good reasons for doing so.

However, very few non smart meters are manufactured any more so the best you can probably hope for is smart meter with the "smart" features turned off.

mr_stripey

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6219151/i-do-not-want-electricity-smart-readers#latest

maybe you should refer to the advice given when you raised the same issue four years ago

Gerry1

mr_stripey said:

...the best you can probably hope for is smart meter with the "smart" features turned off.

No such thing as a dumb smart meter as the very knowledgeable and much-missed banned user Dolor would have told you.

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/80320924/#Comment_80320924

MattMattMattUK

ggloria007 said:

Hi, I received following email from Octopus: 

"Your electricity meter has now reached the end of its certification period. As meters age past this date, they may start to run too fast or too slow. We’re required by law under the Electricity Act 1989 to get your meter replaced once it’s reached its certification date to ensure the energy you’re using is measured correctly, and you only pay for what you use." 

It is Mercury - residential meter, Type 5236E-Y supplied by first:utility, there are few numbers but one of them might be a year 2009

I am not interested in smart meter and would like to keep the one that we have. I regularly do the readings and keep the payments promptly. 

I found this web helpful Do I have to have a smart meter? | Smart Energy GB

Please let me know if there are exemptions and how to make a case of refusing the smart meeting but to keep digital meter when approaching Octopus.  Thank you  

You cannot, you are required to have a smart meter fitted or be disconnected from the grid, take you pick.

MikeJXE

Strangely, I have never bothered to look before, just took their word for it. 

I have now done an extensive search on multiple sites and find you can refuse a smart meter contrary to what MSE and many many posters on the energy forum say. 

Why would they say that if it’s not true ? 

I don’t have a smart meter but if it became necessary to have one it wouldn’t bother me. 

t0rt0ise

MikeJXE said:

Strangely, I have never bothered to look before, just took their word for it. 

I have now done an extensive search on multiple sites and find you can refuse a smart meter contrary to what MSE and many many posters on the energy forum say. 

Why would they say that if it’s not true ? 

I don’t have a smart meter but if it became necessary to have one it wouldn’t bother me. 

If the meter is end of life you can't refuse to have it changed, and it's up to the supplier, who owns the meter, to choose which meter to install.

MikeJXE

t0rt0ise said:

MikeJXE said:

Strangely, I have never bothered to look before, just took their word for it. 

I have now done an extensive search on multiple sites and find you can refuse a smart meter contrary to what MSE and many many posters on the energy forum say. 

Why would they say that if it’s not true ? 

I don’t have a smart meter but if it became necessary to have one it wouldn’t bother me. 

If the meter is end of life you can't refuse to have it changed, and it's up to the supplier, who owns the meter, to choose which meter to install.

I didn’t say you can refuse to have it changed I said you can refuse a smart meter, that was the Op question.

ggloria007

how do I check the certification of this particular meter?

ggloria007

MattMattMattUK said:

ggloria007 said:

Hi, I received following email from Octopus: 

"Your electricity meter has now reached the end of its certification period. As meters age past this date, they may start to run too fast or too slow. We’re required by law under the Electricity Act 1989 to get your meter replaced once it’s reached its certification date to ensure the energy you’re using is measured correctly, and you only pay for what you use." 

It is Mercury - residential meter, Type 5236E-Y supplied by first:utility, there are few numbers but one of them might be a year 2009

I am not interested in smart meter and would like to keep the one that we have. I regularly do the readings and keep the payments promptly. 

I found this web helpful Do I have to have a smart meter? | Smart Energy GB

Please let me know if there are exemptions and how to make a case of refusing the smart meeting but to keep digital meter when approaching Octopus.  Thank you  

You cannot, you are required to have a smart meter fitted or be disconnected from the grid, take you pick.

Thank you Matt, can you please back up your view with some evidence. ta