Can the smart bit of a smart meter be turned off?

Malchester

Being pestered by Outfox the Market to have a smart meter installed but they say it cannot be turned off from being a smart meter. I thought smart meters could be so they run like an old fashioned meter. 

Anyone know 

EssexHebridean

No - but to all intents and purposes it will just run like any other meter - you can still take readings for your own records monthly as presumably you have done previously - it's just you won't actually need to provide those readings to your supplier.  Beyond that though, it meters your energy use the same as your current meter does, so no substantive change, just a more up to date bit of tech doing the job. 

FlorayG

Considering how many of them don't work as smart meters in the first place I can't see why it can't be turned off - but why would you want to do that?

Scot_39

Malchester said:

Being pestered by Outfox the Market to have a smart meter installed but they say it cannot be turned off from being a smart meter. I thought smart meters could be so they run like an old fashioned meter. 

Anyone know 

Other suppliers have been known from posts here apparently offer it is an option.  But it's unclear whether this just stops them reading it or stops the smart hub functioning at all.

Check exactly what OFTM are saying in detail.

Is your meter replacing old at end of life for which smart is now essentially default under new Ofgem guidance.  Or have you actually recently signed up to a new contract with OFTM that is conditional on a functioning  smart meter - and so agreed to having one fitted - many including traditional 12m fixes now are at many suppliers.

If nothing else you could legally iirc still fall back on govts DAPF regulation and only allow them to read your consumption data at monthly frequency not default daily or opting into half hour frequencies.

But most of the smart optimised time tariffs now use 1/2 hourly as do many of the offered part time savings deals and as winter approaches demand response type shift to save offers.

Others here save £100s per year on tariffs only available to smart meters.

EssexHebridean

Having woken up this morning to 16kWh electric used overnight, at a grand "cost" of 7p credit - I can vouch for the possibilities of Scot's final sentence above!  (that 16kwh was heating - meaning that we've had no gas use for heat at all today so far - a dishwasher cleaning cycle, a load of washing and late last night the tumble dryer ran as well - all stuff that would have needed doing at some stage and by some means anyway - the only "extra" use was running the heating in our garden office - something which again needed doing anyway. (But I wouldn't have fancied doing it at 25p/kWh!)

silverwhistle

Others here save £100s per year on tariffs only available to smart meters.

Yep. My last bill was under 10p a unit (incl. VAT). It'll probably creep higher over winter so I'll wait a year to get a proper assessment of it.

My gas today I'm paying 5.18p per kWh, also taking advantage of having a smart meter. The same issue with seasonality may apply there too, but I'm a low user anyway. I pay as much for my standing charges. Compare those prices with your current ones to see if having a smart meter is such a bad thing.

Nebbit

If you have a smart meter it makes it much easier for utility suppliers to disconnect you. I am staying with the traditional meters as long as possible

mr_stripey

Nebbit said:

If you have a smart meter it makes it much easier for utility suppliers to disconnect you. I am staying with the traditional meters as long as possible

people keep pedaling this rubbish. Yes, in theory it can be disconnected but only under strict circumstances and only after length non payment when all other avenues have failed. There are further safeguards in place to protect vulnerable customers. Safe to say it is never going to be a problem if your bills are paid - exactly as it has always been

SAC2334

Smart meters have built in security sensors which are fed by battery and capacitor power .This is present whether it's feeding data or not and it can t be turned off .There's more to smart meters than just being able to record readings .

SAC2334

Nebbit said:

If you have a smart meter it makes it much easier for utility suppliers to disconnect you. I am staying with the traditional meters as long as possible

Suppliers are not allowed to disconnect remotely except in an  emergency.Disconnects by suppliers are  very rare anyway . 

Gerry1

mr_stripey said:

Nebbit said:

If you have a smart meter it makes it much easier for utility suppliers to disconnect you. I am staying with the traditional meters as long as possible

people keep pedaling this rubbish. Yes, in theory it can be disconnected but only under strict circumstances and only after length non payment when all other avenues have failed. There are further safeguards in place to protect vulnerable customers. Safe to say it is never going to be a problem if your bills are paid - exactly as it has always been

I trust you have studied the Smart Meter specifications, notably about Time of Use tariffs (Surge Pricing),  Block Tariffs (Usage Surcharges), Load Limiting and Load Shedding?