Talking about Smart meters

Lorraine Kelly has an advert on ITV to remind anyone with a radio telescope switch meter that the signal is being cut off at the end of June. It’s been running for months, it’s seems to have been fitted when people had storage heaters installed as I’ve never had that type of heating I didn’t even know such a meter existed. I believe if you have a normal meter you should be okay. We had a smart meter fitted last year and so far it’s been fine, we never even look at it.

My friend got one fitted as she felt her energy bills were too high but after having the meter fitted she realised she was leaving her heating on all day when she was out😂😂

Homestead62

I won't be having a Smart Meter. They are the biggest ' white elephant' and people I know who got one fitted were complaining their bills went up, or, that they were not working properly. I really don't trust them to operate properly. These meters are benefiting somebody, but certainly not the customer.

I absolutely agree, HS62

What gets me is how Angela Ripon has left Rip Off Britain, which was always on the case of problem Smart Meters, to now be promoting them. They say everyone can be bought and Angela Ripoff is a prime example.

We don't and won't have a Smart Meter. We will only change when legally obliged to. We had one put in for our tenants and it is hopeless. Every time we change providers there is hassle to get it to work again.

We don’t have one. Don’t want one and won’t unless they become mandatory. We live in a new development and open the cupboard on the ground floor, take the reading once a month and send the figure on line to our provider. Works for us.

My old meter for gas has now come to the end of its life according to Octopus. It’s true, I have checked the certification on the meter and it’s years old. I don’t want a smart meter. Is there anyone at all that will still fit the old type meter?

We have a Smart meter for gas - and basically ignore it. An attempt was made to install a meter for electricity, but the existing meter is in a small ceiling height cupboard. We had an email yesterday informing us that we will need to have our ceiling adjusted (?) at our own expense before the meter can be fitted. No further details were given, and there is plenty of room in the cupboard, even if the old meter is left. An electrician has told us that we are not obliged to have one, our existing meter will continue to work, and so we are ignoring this ridiculous suggestion.

I had a Constant Current usage device, you clipped the detector round the main cable to electric meter & it sent info instantly to a monitor which could be plugged in any room, so I know what anything uses.I switched power supplier regularly.
When I eventually caved in to getting smart meters they fitted a Smets1 saying it was a Smets2, so after a few months it went dumb & I refused to supply any readings, so they over estimated for years, eventually got a refund on switching..
Recently they had to fit Smets2 meters, but the gas meter outside is so far from the electric meter inside it is doubtful the bluetooth signal will get through. I'm also in a low mobile phone signal area - although I can see the transmitter mast 3 miles away from my garden.
Back to travelling & giving monthly readings online though the property is now empty, (was a rental since I moved out)..

I have resisted getting a smart meter. We are on LPG so just electricity for a smart meter. I am not sure one would work here . The outreach engineer had to go out side to make a phone call and so don't know if a smart meter would get a signal. I do read my main meter and FIT meter every month and send the readings to my supplier.

We don’t have a gas smart meter, because they said they couldn’t fit it.
We did eventually get a smart electric meter, because it gave us the best deal for unit cost/standing charge.
No need to look at the monitor or even have it plugged in. The meter doesn't need that.

The only time I look at the monitor is when we are given free electricity. I take a photo at the beginning of the 4 or 8 or 12 or 16 hours we can have free, then another photo at the end of the period, just so I can check that they are actually refunding us the correct amount of money.
So far, so good.
I still have to send gas readings in and I do check that the electric meter reading matches the bill.

Hello BlueBelle. Well I DID know about this months ago but couldn’t establish if I needed a Smart meter (as this old meter doesn’t have the black box with it). However I was told anyone on Economy 7, (different tariffs for day and night) needs their old meter replaced with a Smart meter. Just make sure you get a SMET2 and not a SMET1 (as there were a lot of problems with SMET1 when they first came out.

You don’t have to have a smart meter.
We still have old meters and I send in readings every month.

Quite frankly, I don’t trust them.
But if I wanted to change providers, then it’s compulsory.

I’m sticking with what I know for now.

We have had absolutely no trouble at all with ours and, as I said above, completely ignore it.

I think Smart meters have been badly promoted. I recall some older adverts saying that a Smart meter will save you money. It won’t. What it WILL do is give you more information with which you can identify high-usage appliances and regulate their use - so that you MIGHT save money in the long run.

That said, I have a Smart meter for electricity and I’m waiting for one for gas. Why not? It’s the advance of technology. I can’t see what all the objections are about.

This tells you whether you have to have a smart meter fitted or not:
www.moneysavingexpert.com/utilities/can-i-be-forced-to-have-a-smart-meter/

Perhaps because the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero reported (albeit in June 2023) that over 4 million smart meters, more than a tenth of those installed, were not working.

Until there is some guarantee that the technology is reliable AND energy companies are targeted for fixing faulty meters rather than installing new ones, some consumers will continue to resist installation.

... Martin [Lewis] discussed the topic with Octopus Energy boss Greg Jackson, who appeared as a guest on The Martin Lewis Podcast. Mr Jackson explained that, because fixing existing smart meters doesn't count towards the [installation] targets, by resourcing fixing them, firms are effectively being penalised for repairs – making it difficult to prioritise them. "That engineer [visit] is a cost that we are happy to pay to make a customer happy, but ultimately we get a regulatory penalty for fixing it," Mr Jackson said.

www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/2025/03/dumb-smart-meter-compensation-ofgem/

Warmglovesandsocks

Hello BlueBelle. Well I DID know about this months ago but couldn’t establish if I needed a Smart meter (as this old meter doesn’t have the black box with it). However I was told anyone on Economy 7, (different tariffs for day and night) needs their old meter replaced with a Smart meter. Just make sure you get a SMET2 and not a SMET1 (as there were a lot of problems with SMET1 when they first came out.

Well I m on economy 7 ( well I was and my meter gives day and night readings so presume I am ) but after ringing my service provider yesterday they assure me my meter is fine and I don’t need to change to a smart meter warmgloves so I don’t think your advice is correct

I don’t have a smart meter and you will only have an issue of your existing meter is extremely old as detailed in earlier posts. As much as they want to ‘sell’ smart meters, I prefer to not have another device emitting radiation in my house, albeit at a lower level. Also, ultimately, it’s just another route to gain power and more personal information in the end. It will eventually be compulsory no doubt, but I’ll wait, thanks…

Squiffy

Well, we don’t have a smart meter, Bluebelle! I just take readings and post them on my online account.

Exactly, I do the same, send my readings every month and receive my bill by e mail which I pay using my password protected account. No problems for me or the company. Why can’t all things be so simple.

Yes that’s what I do email my readings every month Celieanne and Squiffy it’s not rocket science is it ?

I have a smart meter for both (I think) …I just ignore it- as for my bills, I don’t know - I have to check . I pay by DD.

We don't have a Smart Meter. I don't want one, was was willing to entertain it, but we live in an old stone house with thick walls and there is no phone signal in the corner where the meter is. The man came and looked and went away again.
We had a similar situation with our gas meter. It was here when I moved in in 1970. It has a custom built cover which British Gas wanted to replace about 15 years ago, but when they looked at it decided it was "too difficult" and let it go. They did the same with replacing the meter. Both meters work fine and we read them monthly and send the readings online. No problen!

I said we wouldn’t have a smart meter, but when the best tariff from several suppliers, or the offer of “free electricity” at certain times was dependent on having one, I agreed.
It has put an end to Sundays being a day of rest though.
To make the most of 8 hours free electricity between 8am and 4pm means a quick photo of the monitor before we start, and put the kettle on. Then bustling round with 2 loads of washing plus the dog’s bedding and sofa protector that I’ve put off from Friday and popping stuff in the tumbler that I’d usually hang outside, but still having to hang out the rest. (Bonus if there’s bedding or towels).
Have
Luxurious 6 minute showers instead of the usual 4 minutes. (And yes, I know about the water.)
Running the dishwasher that we’d put off from Saturday night.
Using floor cleaners all on one day instead of through the week.
Batch cooking and freezing, and cooking Sunday dinner at lunch time, then running the dishwasher again to deal with the stuff we’ve used.
Mowing the lawn and other non electrical gardening means we need another shower, but quickly, it’s 15.50!
4pm, photo the monitor again!

It’s never ending. Then you look at the readings and find you’ll be credited between £2.35 and £4.17.
I’m sure everything uses more electricity outside “free periods!”

Blimey, Mollygo, do you use the rest of the week to recover? My daughter had a tariff based on having an electric car. She had better energy costs throughout the night so she would stay up to move her washing over to the tumble dryer. With small children getting up early, it was exhausting.

Notagranny44, we live in a granite house and have had to have a booster to make the Internet and Sky work. That makes our smart meter work.

We get the Sunday electricity too and odd times during the week. We have also opted for cheap overnight electrify as we charge the car then. It means that I can wash overnight and also put the dishwasher on. A bit like Ecomony 7 really.

I don't have a smart meter in spite of endless naggings from my power company. I won't give in, - until it becomes mandatory
of course.