Energy: Find the cheapest supplier & earn cashback

startingout2016 · 3 January 2020 at 3:00PM

I just did a uswitch comparison to reduce my energy bills and found my existing supplier was offering a uswitch only deal which was excellent.

I have signed up, but its told me that to get the deal I need smart meters installed within 3 months or they will put my tariff back up.

Can they force a smart meter on me in this way and if so can I request a SMETS2 ?

Dewpoint · 3 January 2020 at 3:15PM

I just did a uswitch comparison to reduce my energy bills and found my existing supplier was offering a uswitch only deal which was excellent.

I have signed up, but its told me that to get the deal I need smart meters installed within 3 months or they will put my tariff back up.

Can they force a smart meter on me in this way and if so can I request a SMETS2 ?

My advice is to tell them to shove it. Ofgem is failing badly in ensuring Smartmeters (even Smets2) work as promised.
See my post below. Wait until Ofgem grow a pair and the energy companies have ironed-out the appauling mess they've made of the rollout.

Gerry1 · 3 January 2020 at 4:29PM

Dewpoint wrote: »

My advice is to tell them to shove it. Ofgem is failing badly in ensuring Smartmeters (even Smets2) work as promised.
See my post below. Wait until Ofgem grow a pair and the energy companies have ironed-out the appalling mess they've made of the rollout.

Ofgem is failing badly, full stop !

I-LOV-MONEY · 3 January 2020 at 4:40PM

Can you not accept it, but when you check against the 'proper' one, ring and complain if it is wrong?

victor2 · 3 January 2020 at 6:58PM

I-LOV-MONEY wrote: »

Can you not accept it, but when you check against the 'proper' one, ring and complain if it is wrong?

The In-House-Display is just a wireless extension to the main "smart" meter. If it can display a reading, I fail to see how it can be different to the actual meter. The IHD is just a consumer convenience and no more. If a meter loses its smart communications ability, then it is up to the consumer to read the meter and I doubt that complaining the IHD cannot show the reading will get you anywhere.

I-LOV-MONEY · 4 January 2020 at 12:33AM

Thank you Victor2.

So presuming the main meter is normally always right, why would the IHD be different? So by not having a smart meter you would still provide them with the same figures as if you have one. Am I missing something?

victor2 · 4 January 2020 at 9:30PM

I-LOV-MONEY wrote: »

Thank you Victor2.

So presuming the main meter is normally always right, why would the IHD be different? So by not having a smart meter you would still provide them with the same figures as if you have one. Am I missing something?

The IHD should not be different to the meter(s), although it does only communicate with the gas meter through the electric meter, which in turn only gets data from the gas meter every 30 minutes or so. The gas meter is battery powered, so I assume that is to save battery life.
With functioning smart meters you don't have to supply readings to your supplier, the meters do it automatically. If they are not (or no longer) smart, you have to provide the readings as and when necessary.

I-LOV-MONEY · 5 January 2020 at 12:37AM

My property is all-electric.

I just need to be satisfied that the IHD is providing correct information to the electricity company to calculate my bills. Dewpoint, above, has cast doubt in my mind.

victor2 · 5 January 2020 at 10:12AM

I-LOV-MONEY wrote: »

My property is all-electric.

I just need to be satisfied that the IHD is providing correct information to the electricity company to calculate my bills. Dewpoint, above, has cast doubt in my mind.

The IHD does not send the readings to your supplier, the smart meter does through a little comms box either built in or attached to it. If you're all electric, you may have an E7 meter, so have two readings. Either way, the meter handles it all.

The whole roll out of smart meters has been a debacle, but if you have a functioning smart meter, it transmits whatever it records as your readings.

I-LOV-MONEY · 5 January 2020 at 11:49AM

I have a 'half-functioning' one. It is one of the old meters; it just displays current useage but doesn't send any information to the supply company. I have to send it to them manually.

Energy: Find the cheapest supplier & earn cashback

Comments

Categories

Get our FREE Weekly email full of deals & guides - and it’s spam-free