Struggling up a ladder to read a ‘smart’ meter that has stopped working is all part of the brave new world for electricity and gas customers — especially since utility companies are often no longer willing to come out to read your meter.
To add insult to injury, for the estimated one in ten households fitted with one of these new devices that has become ‘dumb’ — so only works like a traditional meter requiring manual readings — energy giants are now threatening customers with charges of almost £200 if they are called out to fix the problem and find there is nothing wrong with the device.
Carole Winn is one of dozens of readers who say they have been left worse off with a smart meter than they were with a traditional meter.
Carole, from Thornton-le-Dale in North Yorkshire, has had to take readings manually after her smart meter stopped working six months ago.
When they work, smart meters automatically send energy consumption details to the supplier, and also offer households more control over as they show in near-real time how much energy is being used.
Carole Winn is one of dozens of readers who say they have been left worse off with a smart meter than they were with a traditional one
That is cold comfort for Carole, whose electricity meter was positioned almost 9ft (3m) high. Her gas meter is outside in a box locked by a key she doesn’t even possess.
The 69-year-old retired horticulturalist says: ‘For some bizarre reason my electricity meter has been installed up by the fuse box. I called British Gas and asked if they could send someone out to read it or replace the faulty unit. But it said it could not send someone. It said I should go and find a neighbour with a ladder to read the electric meter for me. And buy a key to open the gas meter box outside.’
The smart meter was in the house when Carole bought it in 2016 and she described it as ‘invaluable’ to keep a check on costs.
She discovered some smart meters were no longer working only after Money Mail reported problems in March and she decided to check her own. She says: ‘Then I looked at my most recent gas and electricity bills, and where it used to say “smart meter reading” it now said “estimated” rather than “actual”.’
After Carole sent British Gas an email reporting the issue, she got a response saying: ‘We’re looking into this for you.’
The same day, Carole received another email stating: ‘I can check that your smart meter lost its connection hub, hence it is not able to send readings to us.’
No further explanation of how or why it happened was given — just a suggestion that she contact British Gas via ‘live chat’.
British Gas says: ‘We’ve reached out to Ms Winn to confirm we’re looking to remotely restore the smart functionality of her meters so that she doesn’t need to send us any manual readings. We’re sorry for giving incorrect advice and we’ll stay in touch while we resolve this.’
The £13.5billion rollout of smart meters began eight years ago, and so far, 34.8 million homes and businesses have had one fitted.
Yet despite 61 pc of all meters being smart, latest figures reveal that 3.98million of them do not work properly.
Graham Murray had a meter fitted by Octopus Energy a couple of years ago. He says the device has gone ‘dumb’ — stopped sending readings remotely to the supplier — and he now has to take manual readings.
He says: ‘I have raised the problem a few times. I not only think the meter is broken, but that I might be being overcharged.’
But Graham did not take the matter further after Octopus wrote back: ‘The meter may be inaccurate, and we can perform an accuracy test. However, across the industry 87 pc of meters tested are found to be accurate.’
Carole, from Thornton-le-Dale in North Yorkshire, has had to take readings manually after her smart meter stopped working six months ago
It added: ‘There is a cost for this test of £80-£192, which will be added to your account if the meter is found to be accurate. An accurate meter operates within a tolerance of +3 pc and -3.5 pc of actual usage.’
Another supplier that charges if there is nothing wrong with a meter is British Gas, with a £175 call-out fee. Eon says it will charge £100.93 to check a smart meter — which will be refunded if it is found to be faulty. And Ovo Energy would only state: ‘We do not charge customers for a visit if their meter is non-operational.’
EDF Energy and Scottish Power said they do not charge for call-outs.
Octopus says: ‘If the meter was found to be working correctly, our policy is to charge on a case-by-case basis, taking into account factors such as personal circumstances and financial situation.’
The cost for an ‘unnecessary engineer visit’ or meter replacement ranges from £80 to £192.
British Gas says: ‘Should the meter be found to be inaccurate, we would pay for the test. But if the meter is found to be accurate, there would be a charge of £175.’
Explanations for smart meters breaking down vary widely — from earlier versions going dumb if users switch supplier, signals getting blocked in areas with poor mobile reception, thick home walls, or battery failure. When smart meters stop working, households have to go back to taking readings themselves. Before the rollout, suppliers often send out professionals to take readings, but now they are more likely to ask customers to do it.
While traditional meters were typically installed in easy-to-reach places, smart meters are often fitted high up — usually next to the electricity fuse box — as this is where the main power source is typically found. The location for smart meters is picked with the expectation that they will rarely need to be reached.
Mike Redfern-Jones, from Denbigh in North Wales, has more than 40 years’ experience as an electrician, which includes installing energy meters.
The £13.5billion rollout of smart meters began eight years ago, and so far, 34.8million homes and businesses have had one fitted
He says: ‘It is wrong that customers should fear reporting a meter problem with charge threats if it is later found to be working. The reason that so many smart energy meters are put high up is convenience — the main electricity supply to the home is often located here as well.’ Mr Redfern-Jones adds: ‘Suppliers have a quota of meters they must install, which is set by the Government. Once these companies have done their job, they are going to be more interested in earning their shareholders higher profits than spending time and money on old customers.’
A spokesman for Smart Energy GB, the body that promotes smart meters, says: ‘Most people have a very positive experience with their smart meter, but we understand the frustration felt by some whose meter may be temporarily operating without all of its features.
‘If you experience a problem, contact your energy supplier. If you do not think your supplier has met its obligations, contact Citizens Advice and the Energy Ombudsman for support.’
A spokesman for the energy regulator Ofgem says: ‘Suppliers are responsible for making sure their customers’ smart meters operate correctly — and we expect them to communicate with their customers clearly if there are any issues with their smart meter.’
