MSE News: Faulty smart meters to be tackled and automatic compensation paid for problems

MSE_Petar

Faulty smart meters are to be tackled as part of a new industry review, the Government has announced. It's also been confirmed that you'll be able to get automatic compensation from your energy supplier for certain smart meter problems starting early next year.

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'Faulty smart meters to be tackled and automatic compensation paid for problems'

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QrizB

Once the smart meter rollout reaches a certain % complete, moving on to fixing the ones that aren't reporting seems a sensible next step.

£40 compo payments might focus suppliers' minds, too.

MattMattMattUK

QrizB said:

Once the smart meter rollout reaches a certain % complete, moving on to fixing the ones that aren't reporting seems a sensible next step.

£40 compo payments might focus suppliers' minds, too.

I do wonder how that would be dealt with when the issue is down to the DCC, or in periods when the companies that make the meters are unable to supply them to the energy suppliers (as seems to regularly happen), an issue caused by the government mandate on purchasing. I am in favour of the penalties to sharpen minds when they target the right organisation, but whilst most consumers often just blame their supplier, the situation is often more nuanced. 

Thinking of the smart meter rollout I think it is also time to introduce a stick, any one who refuses to have a smart meter installed faces a 20% surcharge on their energy bill, we could call it "Idiot tax", increasing another 20% each year they continue to refuse to have a smart meter installed. 

molerat

Watching the article on BBC Breakfast there seemed to be confusion with both the public and the reporter over what a smart meter actually is with one customer stating they had put their smart meter away in the cupboard because it didn't work.

born_again

QrizB said:

Once the smart meter rollout reaches a certain % complete, moving on to fixing the ones that aren't reporting seems a sensible next step.

£40 compo payments might focus suppliers' minds, too.

Although 90 days (3 months) is a bit long. 
When some tariffs mean you are automatically moved onto the variable tariff. Which for me could cost more than £40 a month.

EG. IOGo This month bill £81.
Variable would be £112.

This was a light month charging car as well.

daveyjp

molerat said:

Watching the article on BBC Breakfast there seemed to be confusion with both the public and the reporter over what a smart meter actually is with one customer stating they had put their smart meter away in the cupboard because it didn't work.

When the main 'benefit' of having a smart meter is being sold as the user being able to monitor how much energy they are using, if this isn't reality you can see why people become disillusioned with the whole concept and the 'smart meter' ends up in a cupboard.

pseudodox

Let's hope the proposed new guide to smart metering will jettison the Albert clone into a black hole, along with Angela.  That advert campaign must take a lot of blame for misleading people into thinking their IHD is actually their meter.  I only recently explained this to my cousin, who has had the darn thing sitting in his kitchen for 4 years thinking it WAS his SM.  

PegasusPJ

MattMattMattUK said:

Thinking of the smart meter rollout I think it is also time to introduce a stick, any one who refuses to have a smart meter installed faces a 20% surcharge on their energy bill, we could call it "Idiot tax", increasing another 20% each year they continue to refuse to have a smart meter installed. 

a smart meter has no benefit whatsoever to the customer if you are not on a tariff that uses it to give you discount (only dumb people need one to tell them that having aomething running uses energy).

There are also privacy issues (the meter might not get hacked, but the data held by the supplier from it certainly  can and i don't want anyone able to tell remotely if I am home).

And that is before we get to the problems and cost of the ones not working, or people forced onto prepay without notice.

I got a water meter installed as soon as I bought my house, because it saves me (though supposedly it was readable from outside, which ended up being a lie).

my recently switched to energy supplier keeps on trying to force me a smart meter by emailing me pretending my gas meter, that was already not new when I moved in 14 years ago, suddenly is 'unsafe' the minute I switched to them
this is clearly a lie .. I keep ignoring them, and if they manage to force it on me, I will not only require it dumb (or put in dumb mode), but will do all I can to make sure it cannot communicate (so they can't switch it to anything smart without my consent).

it is not dumb to want control of your data. avoiding submitting a reading once a month is not worth it.

Bendo

PegasusPJ said:

6MattMattMattUK said:

Thinking of the smart meter rollout I think it is also time to introduce a stick, any one who refuses to have a smart meter installed faces a 20% surcharge on their energy bill, we could call it "Idiot tax", increasing another 20% each year they continue to refuse to have a smart meter installed. 

a smart meter has no benefit whatsoever to the customer if you are not on a tariff that uses it to give you discount (only dumb people need one to tell them that having aomething running uses energy).

Well other than saving the need to go and read it manually?  Mine was fitted in 2018 because it was tiresome to venture into the garage, move stuff thats inevitably stacked in front of and take a reading.

Since Agile became available it saves me £100s a year. 

mmmmikey

Bendo said:

PegasusPJ said:

6MattMattMattUK said:

Thinking of the smart meter rollout I think it is also time to introduce a stick, any one who refuses to have a smart meter installed faces a 20% surcharge on their energy bill, we could call it "Idiot tax", increasing another 20% each year they continue to refuse to have a smart meter installed. 

a smart meter has no benefit whatsoever to the customer if you are not on a tariff that uses it to give you discount (only dumb people need one to tell them that having aomething running uses energy).

Well other than saving the need to go and read it manually?  Mine was fitted in 2018 because it was tiresome to venture into the garage, move stuff thats inevitably stacked in front of and take a reading.

Since Agile became available it saves me £100s a year. 

...and also as a means of reducing meter fraud, which is something those of us that don't fiddle our meters end up paying for. And for billing that is less reliant on estimates. And for reducing the need for a meter reader to go round. And for giving better data about what is being used where to aid planning. And for spotting that you've accidentally left the old incandescent light bulb in the loft switched on.

It all brings to mind "What did the Roman's ever do for us?"......

Torry_Quine

I finally got my Smart meter fitted recently. I'd been trying since November 2023 and had six visits. As I'm on E7 with storage heaters I needed to get one. The final engineer who fitted it was bemused himself at the others who had problems