Must I have a Smart Meter?

ICMCD

My electricity supplier, Octopus, has sent me the following e-mail. My question is simple: do I have to accept a smart meter if I don't want one?

"The service that switches your meter from peak to off-peak is ending on 30 June 2025. To ensure that your heating and hot water supply isn’t affected, we’ll need to upgrade your existing meter before this date.   Nothing for you to do right now - we’ll be in touch as soon as we have engineers available in your area to exchange your meter at no extra cost.​

What is RTS?   A Radio Teleswitch (RTS) meter is an older type of electricity meter that uses a radio signal to control the off-peak timings of your meter.   Once the BBC longwave radio transmission is turned off, your meter may be unable to effectively switch between peak and off-peak rates, affecting your meter’s functionality. We’ll replace your old meter with a smart meter to work with peak and off-peak times so you can continue to enjoy your cheaper off-peak price.​

Our smart meters stay smart 🤓   We’re installing second-generation (SMETS2) smart meters connecting to a nationwide secure smart meter network. This means no more manual reads and your new smart meter will stay smart, even if you switch suppliers in the future (but we hope you never will!).   Smart meters can be programmed to switch between peak and off-peak times and will continue to control your heating and hot water making them the only technical replacement for your RTS meter."​

la531983

How would you expect your two rate tariff to continue if you dont?

ICMCD

I don't know. I wasn't even aware that my existing meter used a radio signal; I'd assumed it had an internal clock that switched it between the night and day readings. One hears so many horror stories about smart meters that I definitely don't want one if it can be avoided.

Anyway, I assume from your response that I can't refuse one if I want to stay on the dual rate system.

la531983

ICMCD said:

One hears so many horror stories

How many as a percentage of all the people with one?

Ive had one for years. No "horror story" here. Maybe if you tell us what you are actually worried about?

FreeBear

ICMCD said: Anyway, I assume from your response that I can't refuse one if I want to stay on the dual rate system.

You will probably find there is a clause in your contract with Octopus stating that you agree to having a smart meter installed. If you want to remain on an E7 (or any other time of use) tariff, you will need a smart meter.

bob2302

ICMCD said:

I don't know. I wasn't even aware that my existing meter used a radio signal; I'd assumed it had an internal clock that switched it between the night and day readings. One hears so many horror stories about smart meters that I definitely don't want one if it can be avoided.

Anyway, I assume from your response that I can't refuse one if I want to stay on the dual rate system.

The chief problem that is genuinely attributable to smart meters comes from people that don't check that the supplier is getting readings from the meter. Most of the rest is nonsense.

TheElectricCow

One way or another the meter will need replacing at some point, and when that time comes the replacement will in almost all cases be a smart meter. In some cases you can refuse one for the time being, although it generally isn’t in your interest to do so.

If you’re absolutely set against having one, you may be able to delay the installation for an indeterminate period of time, assuming your existing meter is not yet at the end of its certified lifespan and that you haven’t contractually agreed to have a smart meter installed.

If you do have a RTS meter, it is likely approaching its end of life regardless - you cannot refuse a replacement for a meter which is outside of its certification period.

Qyburn

ICMCD said:

I don't know. I wasn't even aware that my existing meter used a radio signal; 

Maybe it doesn't, pop up a picture so people can judge. You wouldn't be the first to hav received a "RTS switch off" letter even though they don't have RTS.

EssexHebridean

OK - there is no certainty that your current set up (assuming that you do currently have RTS) will cease to function when the RTS signal is turned off, but there is also no certainty that it will definitely continue to operate as it currently does, either. Possibilities are: that things continue exactly as now; that things continue mostly as now but the times for your off peak hours begin to slip; that you get stuck in "peak rate" and perhaps any storage heaters etc do not switch on or the opposite - that you get stuck in off-peak - not something most of us would complain about, but perhaps fairly unlikely! 

There have been masses of horror stories put out there about smart meters - but frequently they are either simply untrue (there are a lot of conspiracy theorists out there whose primary motive is to scare people, preferably vulnerable people who might then go on to inadvertently spread the fear further simply because they have been scared by it) or are overblown. We often see posts here for for example headed up "smart meter problems" or similar - but when it comes down to it, the "smart" bit is irrelevant - and the problem could have occurred with any meter!  A lot of the problems reported relate to IHDs (in House Displays) not working - so not anything that affects the meters themselves, or their ability to send readings, but just that the little display on the side isn't functioning as it should. Sometimes the meters don't send readings - which is annoying, when they should, but equally it doesn't make any difference to the primary function of the meter - ie to meter your energy use! It just means that things continue as they are currently and you continue giving your supplier readings once a month until such time as the "smart" side gets sorted. 

Does that cover off some of your concerns? If so, great. if not, let us know what worries you and we may well be able to de-bunk those as well! (And if not, at least you should get some rational explanations of the likelihood of X, Y or Z happening!)

mr_stripey

TheElectricCow said:

One way or another the meter will need replacing at some point, and when that time comes the replacement will in almost all cases be a smart meter. In some cases you can refuse one for the time being, although it generally isn’t in your interest to do so.

.

This succinctly sums up the position

To add for the benefit of the OP and anyone else who may happen across this thread, it is virtually impossible to have a meter replaced with a non smart version any more. The manufacturers don't make them any more. The company I work for (though not in domestic metering area) closed the factories where the old style meters were made, sold the land and they are now housing estates whilst production of the new smart meters was moved to factories in Slovakia etc.

Even if a gas distributor wanted to buy non smart meters from us, they would not be able to do so. That ship sailed a long time ago!

Myr

We received the same email today. Our old meter was replaced by SSE in 2010 (certified 11/09) and is not RTS controlled. I do not expect a replacement until the end of 2029.