Can I be compelled to have a smart meter?

System

This discussion was created from comments split from: Electric Meter Replacement (EON).

phannybygaslight

I have just won a 5 year battle with OVO of estimated gas bills ranging up to £11,962 for one month (I am a pensioner with a gas cooker) followed by a demand for £1000 pm to cover estimated future usage over next 18 months.  They used all these over-estimated bills to calculate estimated bills. (I have bills going back 10 years as evidence which I put on a spreadsheet) Thought all was sorted with Ombudsman but within a month I began getting letters saying that they 'want' to change my electric meter.  Seems to be another attempt to force me to have a smart meter fitted - to which I have always said no.  At least with old style meters it was easy to calculate usage and bill.  eg If the reading went from 5000 to 5,500 and the bill was £500 - easy.  The meter is barely 25 years old and as I am classed as vulnerable with UK Power Networks for the electricity and British gas for, obviously, the gas, both meters are checked and read annually.  In view of the tactics employed to call the accuracy of the gas meter into doubt, can I be forced to have smart meter fitted and, if such exists, how to find an independent fitter who could check the veracity of their claim?   Also, no internet access at home, have to use the county network at the library. Thank you all for any assistance you can give.

QrizB

phannybygaslight said:

I have just won a 5 year battle with OVO of estimated gas bills ranging up to £11,962 for one month (I am a pensioner with a gas cooker) followed by a demand for £1000 pm to cover estimated future usage over next 18 months.  They used all these over-estimated bills to calculate estimated bills.

Welcome to the forum!

Well done on winning your dispute with OVO.

In future, submitting regular meter readings would/should avoid any estimated bills.

phannybygaslight said:

Thought all was sorted with Ombudsman but within a month I began getting letters saying that they 'want' to change my electric meter.  Seems to be another attempt to force me to have a smart meter fitted - to which I have always said no.

Everyone is getting smart meters. There's a huge campaign and suppliers are fined for not fitting enough of them.

phannybygaslight said:

At least with old style meters it was easy to calculate usage and bill.  eg If the reading went from 5000 to 5,500 and the bill was £500 - easy.

That's not how energy meters & billing work. And you can still read a smart meter yourself; it will have a screen where the reading is displayed.

phannybygaslight said:

The meter is barely 25 years old ...

So it's probably at the end of its certified life. Do you know the make and model? Have you checked the list?

phannybygaslight said:

... and as I am classed as vulnerable with UK Power Networks for the electricity and British gas for, obviously, the gas, both meters are checked and read annually.

That's a reading and a safety check, not a calibration check. Recalibration & recertification would require it to be removed and taken atway to an accredited workshop.

phannybygaslight said:

In view of the tactics employed to call the accuracy of the gas meter into doubt, can I be forced to have smart meter fitted ...

Yes. The meter is the property of your supplier and they are allowed to replace it. They do not need your consent (although agreeing a date & time will save them having to get a warrant).

phannybygaslight said:

... if such exists, how to find an independent fitter who could check the veracity of their claim?

Which particular claim? The life of your meter can be checked on the official list.

debitcardmayhem

If the meters are outside their certification dates then yes the suppliers can install replacements. Smart meters can be read by yourself as well as sending the readings to the supplier. 

You don’t need internet , they have their own networks in the comms hub, on the electric meter.
edit- welcome to the forum 

pseudodox

Well done on your victory over OVO.  Appalling company - I left them when they tried to force  Fixed DD on me that represented over double the energy consumption I had used in any of the past 17 years.

I stuck with the old, out of certification meters until earlier this year when after months of badgering me EDF gave up the struggle & offered me £300 to have them fitted.  Yes please!  I use them exactly as the old - taking my own readings, entering on a spreadsheet & the bill is always within a couple of pence & I pay by MVDD so I know exactly where I am up to as my personal finances are very tight.

You can have SMs in "dumb mode" so they don't use sent in readings for billing if you send them yourself on the agreed date.  Only slight downside is the gas meter is positioned so I cannot read it unless I stand on a chair to press the button to wake up the display - although I suppose I could prod it with a walking stick.

Qyburn

GingerTim said:

If you need to replace your old-style meter because it’s unsafe, you might not be able to refuse a smart meter. This is because not many old-style meters are made now - your supplier might not have any in stock.'

And even if they did have an old style meter is stock it's still entirely the supplier's choice which sort of meter they install.

debitcardmayhem

Qyburn said:

GingerTim said:

If you need to replace your old-style meter because it’s unsafe, you might not be able to refuse a smart meter. This is because not many old-style meters are made now - your supplier might not have any in stock.'

And even if they did have an old style meter is stock it's still entirely the supplier's choice which sort of meter they install.

That post was 2 years ago….

QrizB

Ok, we've got a nice new thread for @phannybygaslight which includes some replies to the 2023 thread they'd originally added their query to.

I can't see any way that's going to cause confusion

If the OP comes back to this thread, we can help dispel any remaining hesitancy they might have.

EssexHebridean

Ultimately, unless the property you live in was a new build 25 years ago OP, there will undoubtedly have been a meter change done there before, and there will undoubtedly have been meter changes done in other properties you have lived in during your lifespan too. I suspect all those changes proceeded with no issues at all. That is all that is being offered here - a simple meter change from an older model to a new, up to date one. 

Your issue with OVO seems to mainly have been related to estimated bills - all being well, a new meter now will help to reduce the chances of estimates being used in the future - surely that is desirable for you to avoid having to go through the process you just have all over again? 

Phones4Chris

If @phannybygaslight actually manages to find this thread and post back, if they give the make and model of both the meters no doubt someone can check if they are both still within their certified life.
As far as meter accuracy goes, no-one can be sure with out some specific checks as to whether they are still accurate even within their certified life!
Perhaps the OP could also explain their concerns with smart meters?
A qualified gas installer ought to be able to check if the gas meter is recording the usage of your cooker reasonably accurately.
For the electricity meter, that depends on whether it's an old analogue or a more modern digital.

Chrysalis

A smart meter should make the risk of dispute much lower, a company has a much harder time of raising estimated bills when the meter is automatically sending the real readings/consumption.