Energy suppliers saying I have smart meters

Tescocomplaint

I'm looking to change energy suppliers and have been looking closely at my bills.

Both my gas and electricity suppliers have put "smart meter reading" on my bills.

I asked for my annual consumption and was given it. However I didn't remember these Smart meters being put in.

I checked on the CABx website and I don't have Smart meters. 

Both gas/electric suppliers have been charging me for estimates. Therefore my bills aren't accurate. 

My meters aren't in my property and I have a disability and cannot take readings. I've already informed them of this and assumed they were taking readings.

I was paying by DD so wasn't checking my bills.

What do I do?

Scot_39

Are you on your suppliers PSR (Priority Service Register) and have you informed them you are disabled / unable to read meters - if not do so - as that should at least get you annual as minimum actual meter readings - or more likely prompt an upgrade to smart to allow them to do so remotely.

Its unlikely your meters have been changed without you being warned in advance - or them wanting access to maybe isolate before - re check your supplies / gas kit operational afterwards.

Are the meters outside your property but just too awkward for you ?

Or if in a flat - maybe in some communal meter cabinet you could not access even if open. Although often those are locked - you often find one or more in a block will have access if safe.

Is there anyone who you can ask to help - friend, relative, neighbor, carer to have a look at your meters for you.

QrizB

On one hand you say:

Tescocomplaint said:

Both my gas and electricity suppliers have put "smart meter reading" on my bills.

And on the other:

Tescocomplaint said:

Both gas/electric suppliers have been charging me for estimates. Therefore my bills aren't accurate.

Which are they - smart readings (which are readings) or estimates?

Tescocomplaint said:

I didn't remember these Smart meters being put in.
I was paying by DD so wasn't checking my bills.
What do I do?

Start by getting hold of your bills and checking them. See when these smart readings started to appear. If your meters were replaced, there will be a sudden change on readings from your old meters -which could well have a high reading on them - back to zero in the new meters.

Also, the bills should include the serial numbers of your meters. If the meters were replaced, these numbers will have changed.

Robin9

Tescocomplaint said:

..................................... 

Both gas/electric suppliers have been charging me for estimates. ....................

How do you know this?   Perhaps the door to the meters was left open/ another tenant gave access ?

Did either supplier contact you to ask for a reading ?   

Have you printed copies of the bills or have access online?   Look back at them -  look for the letter following the meter read - is it a E ?   Is there a bill which  shows a meter change -  any new Smart would start 0000.0

mmmmikey

Have you called your supplier and discussed this with them? My mum had issues reading here gas meter because she lives in a flat and it wasn't conveniently located and when she called her supplier (British Gas in her case) they put her on the priority service register and sent someone round to check the meter. I can't remember the full story but it all got sorted after that. You do read horror stories about energy suppliers which can put a lot of people off from contacting them, but the reality is that the people who work in customer services and read meters are just regular folk and much more likely to be helpful than not.

Tescocomplaint

I completely forgot about this thread. Thanks everyone for responding.

Apparently my Smart meters which are ancient, are giving readings. My previous supplier told me they couldn't be read but apparently they can.

The meters aren't on my property, they on my neighbour's property down some steep steps I can't access. 

QrizB

Glad you've got to the bottom of it, and that it turns out your meters are smart after all!

Take a look at each future bill and make sure the smart readings are still being recorded (meters occasionally lose connection) but hopefully you'll have many years of trouble-free service.

twopenny

It may be worth asking for new ones while they are so keen to give them to us.
I resisted for ages but decided that living alone should I be carted off to hospital I could end up with a bigger problem on my return.
I've done the EDF electricity one and it's been a huge relief. Get paper bills sent as well as online which reminds me to check every now and then.

Have yet to change the gas one because they still do quarterly bills that suit me.

Scot_39

Tescocomplaint said:

I completely forgot about this thread. Thanks everyone for responding.

Apparently my Smart meters which are ancient, are giving readings. My previous supplier told me they couldn't be read but apparently they can.

The meters aren't on my property, they on my neighbour's property down some steep steps I can't access. 

If your fat was upgraded to smets1 meters early - these were often bespoke comms to specific suppliers - or in my meters case - as a common model 3 or 4 of the suppliers supported.

Many of those have however been updated and now work via a shared network (operated by DCC)- and so all suppliers can access them.

Anyway - hope these readings mean your bills are now accurate - and stay so.

Tescocomplaint

Scot_39 said:

Tescocomplaint said:

I completely forgot about this thread. Thanks everyone for responding.

Apparently my Smart meters which are ancient, are giving readings. My previous supplier told me they couldn't be read but apparently they can.

The meters aren't on my property, they on my neighbour's property down some steep steps I can't access. 

If your fat was upgraded to smets1 meters early - these were often bespoke comms to specific suppliers - or in my meters case - as a common model 3 or 4 of the suppliers supported.

Many of those have however been updated and now work via a shared network (operated by DCC)- and so all suppliers can access them.

Anyway - hope these readings mean your bills are now accurate - and stay so.

Yes this is what happened. My previous supplier said that they couldn't read the meter as it was specific to the last supplier. I assumed it couldn't be read but apparently it can. I double checked.