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

MikeJXE

p://www.consumerfocus.org.uk/get-advice/energy/smart-meters-what-are-they-and-how-can-i-find-out-more/about-smart-meters#7

I don’t want a smart meter – do I have to have one?

Smart meters are expected to be rolled out across the country by 2019. However, there will not be a legal obligation on individuals to take one. The rollout of smart meters is an important national modernisation programme. Government believes this will bring benefits to consumers and the nation. Ultimately, if you really don’t want a smart meter then you don’t have to have one.

However, suppliers still have to legally replace all standard gas and electricity meters on a regular basis. This is to make sure that meters are accurate. More information about this is available on the National Grid’s website: http://www.nationalgrid.com/uk/metering/PME/faq.htm. If you are contacted about having your meter replaced, you will still need to have this done, but if you really don’t want a smart meter then tell your supplier. They will probably offer to install a smart meter in standard mode. This means all of the communications will be switched off and the smart meter will operate in ‘dumb’ mode.

Ildhund

Gerry1 said:

Ildhund said:

Any meter, traditional or smart, can be disconnected by the electricity distributor at the flick of a switch

How would you do that for a mechanical (spinning disc) meter, without also disconnecting the neighbours?🤔

Who mentioned neighbours? 

EssexHebridean

Not sure exactly when that was originally published, but clearly it as a good few years ago, and certainly pre 2019. It's very out of date now as if course it fails to mention that in reality now, if you meter has reached end of use, in fact now it will be replaced in almost 100% of cases with a smart meter. It also now seems incredibly rare for  suppliers to install the meter in non-smart mode. 

Gerry1

Ildhund said:

Gerry1 said:

Ildhund said:

Any meter, traditional or smart, can be disconnected by the electricity distributor at the flick of a switch

How would you do that for a mechanical (spinning disc) meter, without also disconnecting the neighbours?🤔

Who mentioned neighbours? 

Precisely which remote switch would be flicked?  If it's in the substation then it will certainly disconnect the neighbours !

Spoonie_Turtle

The mention of having a smart meter installed in non-smart mode means the supplier doesn't pull meter readings or usage data from it.  In reality, I don't know if any of them choose to allow that.*  Even in that mode, the communications hub still connects to the DCC for firmware updates, status reports, etc. (those who more fully understand this, please feel free to give further examples).

*Of course there are smart meters that don't connect to the supplier for whatever reason.  That's not an active choice they've made though, that's something going wrong.  Those meters, I don't know if they tend to still be able to connect to the DCC or whether they truly are not communicating at all and acting like a non-smart meter.

MWT

Gerry1 said:

Ildhund said:

Gerry1 said:

Ildhund said:

Any meter, traditional or smart, can be disconnected by the electricity distributor at the flick of a switch

How would you do that for a mechanical (spinning disc) meter, without also disconnecting the neighbours?🤔

Who mentioned neighbours? 

Precisely which remote switch would be flicked?  If it's in the substation then it will certainly disconnect the neighbours !

Correct, and that is exactly what will happen if a power shortage triggered the load-shedding plans already in existence.

Entire areas will be turned off as designated by the letter code assigned to every domestic customer, and it will not matter if you are using a smart meter or not, everyone will go off together.

Gerry, you still worry too much about what might happen in unusual circumstances and pay too little attention to the savings people can already make by having a smart meter, along with the technologies that are enabled by the smart meter.

Holding out and staying on a non-smart meter just ensures that over time you will be paying more for your electricity than everyone else who is prepared to move with the times and adapt to the changes and opportunities.

Scot_39

Spoonie_Turtle said:

The mention of having a smart meter installed in non-smart mode means the supplier doesn't pull meter readings or usage data from it.  In reality, I don't know if any of them choose to allow that.*  Even in that mode, the communications hub still connects to the DCC for firmware updates, status reports, etc. (those who more fully understand this, please feel free to give further examples).

*Of course there are smart meters that don't connect to the supplier for whatever reason.  That's not an active choice they've made though, that's something going wrong.  Those meters, I don't know if they tend to still be able to connect to the DCC or whether they truly are not communicating at all and acting like a non-smart meter.

There have been posts here in the past saying they will.

The one I remember was EDF customer, but it's also still referenced in mse article.

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/utilities/can-i-be-forced-to-have-a-smart-meter/#:~:text=If you do end up,as a traditional meter does.

And CA says you can ask - maybe implying some do, sone dont.,  

https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/energy/energy-supply/your-energy-meter/getting-a-smart-meter-installed/#:~:text=A smart meter can automatically,have a smart meter installed.

MeteredOut

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 

Wrap it in tinfoil might stop it communicating. You may already have some in the house

EssexHebridean

It might - but then if you get an unexpected visit to check on the meter, it might also count as meter tampering!

MeteredOut

EssexHebridean said:

It might - but then if you get an unexpected visit to check on the meter, it might also count as meter tampering!

Do any energy companies actually pro-actively visit customers where the meter is not sending readings? So long as the customer is sending in readings that align with expected usage, I suspect that would be quite rare. On the contrary, evidence is that many have difficulty getting suppliers to check meters that are not communicating, so long as they are still counting usage.