Reply With QuoteThe problem is how the hell do you know if you are being overcharged, it might be a relatively small percentage? ?Originally Posted by life on mars
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4.31 million faulty.
Consumers being conned.
Horror stories of folk faced with crazy bills.
Be careful don't bite on any offers.
The problem is how the hell do you know if you are being overcharged, it might be a relatively small percentage? ?
Couldn't that apply with anything that can be bought?
Yes but they seemed to think the old ones were pretty reliable and that the new ones are very hit or miss, I've changed and could be being overcharged, but I'll never know.
Oh, right. Who said this?
Check by reading your meters and sending actual, rather than estimated, readings. Good luck then getting a refund if one is due. A friend was overcharged by £2k and it took persistence to get it back.
Lots of people, my mate for a start who used to install them, but now semi retired.
Too late I've got one, I find it OK and handy as long as its accurate?
It says here I can ask to have it taken away but might have to pay, I'll stick with it a bit longer and get that smart deal that charges the actual rate at some point when my deal runs out next week.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/co...ay-no-get-one/
That's no different to the old style meters. How do you know those little dials are rotating accurately compared to the energy you are using. You have to trust smart meters just as you had to trust the old meters.
The first generation are the bigger issue
Not great reading from DT :
Customers left with shock bills as four million smart meters ‘go dumb’Bill payers left ‘terrified’ of taking readings from faulty device
Households are being hit with shock energy bills as four million smart meters are not working properly.**
The number of “dumb” smart meters is up from a previous estimate of 2.7 million, following revisions to official statistics released by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) published last week.
Bill payers have complained of feeling “terrified” by the devices after receiving shock meter readings putting them thousands of pounds in debt.
Lord Callanan, the minister for energy efficiency and green finance, said he was “deeply concerned” about the figures in a letter to the energy watchdog on Thursday.*
He called on Ofgem to enforce legal requirements for suppliers to ensure that smart meters are working properly.
He said: “The scale of some suppliers’ underperformance in optimising their operation metering estate over a period of time shows these steps may not have been taken universally,” adding “I am deeply concerned about this”.
Broken smart meters do not provide consumers with an accurate reflection of how much energy they have used and can lead to incorrect charges appearing on plug-in displays.
Problems with smart meters have affected high-profile consumers. In December, artist Grayson Perry complained of a £39,000 bill he received on a smart meter. In the same month, broadcaster Jon Sopel revealed his device handed him a £19,274 bill..
Estimates by the National Audit Office (NAO) put the number of faulty smart meters in Britain at just under three million last June. DESNZ has now said that the actual figure in June was 4.31 million 6 – far higher than reported at the time.
It estimates the current number of faulty smart meters is also higher than the old estimate, though down slightly on its revised figure,*at 3.98 million. The revisions to the statistics come*after*corrections were made to data from a minority of suppliers, a final quarter report published by the department showed.*
It comes as the Government’s controversial net zero rollout of smart meters balloons over budget and continues to be plagued by problems.
The installation scheme, which was supposed to have seen a smart meter installed in every home by 2020, is now forecast to cost more than £13.5bn.
This week the energy watchdog said it was mulling abolishing the energy price cap, currently £1,690 per year for a typical household, and using smart meters to implement “dynamic” pricing for energy – a move that would go against ministers’ prior assurances.
In 2018 Government guidance said it was a “myth” 2018 that suppliers would charge higher prices through smart meters.
It said: “Energy suppliers can only charge prices customers have agreed to – and that won’t change. Customers with smart meters can access tariffs that allow them to get cheaper prices at times when demand is low – but it will always be the customer’s choice.”
It is thought that many broken smart meters are “dumb” first-generation models that ceased functioning after consumers switched to different suppliers, the NAO said last year
Suppliers are legally required to fix or replace broken smart meters for free under a scheme put in place by Ofgem last month. The devices previously only had a one-year warranty.
Energy companies will now have to play catch-up with millions of faulty smart meters that have ceased working in “smart mode” and potentially left consumers with incorrect bills.
Peta Butler, 97, who lives near Tunbridge Wells, said she had been through “two years of hell” dealing with issues with her meter. “It’s affected my health. And it’s completely taken away any confidence I’ve got. If I have to do anything, I just panic,” said told the BBC.*
Her problems began when she switched to a smart meter with a single tariff in 2022.
The device was not installed properly and she received a shock bill of £3,500 between January and June last year, she said.
“I don’t sleep at night really because my body, it can’t let go,” she told the broadcaster, adding she was “terrified” to use electricity as a result.
A Government spokesman said: “Smart meters are helping consumers manage their energy use and save money, while driving the transition to a smarter and more flexible energy system.
“The vast majority of smart meters are working correctly.* However, we are concerned that reporting errors by a minority of suppliers have uncovered more meters not operating in smart mode than previously thought.
“Lord Callanan has today written to Ofgem, urging action to ensure suppliers are held to account if they are not supporting customers with issues as they should be.”
I know of a pensioner also hit with over £2k bill. Broke her heart.
Yes. Friend in question is 86 and trying to deal with his wife's probate, too. Didn't help that pensions charged him for his wife's "overpaid" pension when it was the pensions that owed him two weeks underpaid. He paid up £400 on demand so is £800 out of pocket there. Same happened when my dad passed away but at least I spotted their mistake and got it corrected. There must be thousands of people wrongly charged that way when someone dies. "Computer error".
Last edited by IanD; 27-03-24 at 19:07. Reason: Typo and minor addition
I I keep getting texts,calls and emails to let them install a smart meter…
I will never have a “smart meter” as long as I have the choice. These utility companies are a bunch of greedy con men. Electric and Gas should be Nationalised. Non profit making.
The whole point of a smart meter is that it reads the numbers all the time, so there is no need for estimated readings. If you have a smart meter and you get an estimated bill speak to your supplier.
Aye I suppose, mine has gone down quite a bit as I've used the display to keep an eye and got tighter and turned it down when the Mrs ain't watching
Smart meters should read all the time. The issue is, some 4 million don't and the energy companies are trying to meet a government target for having customers sign up/ use them rather than sorting out why so many don't work properly. Unfortunately, those older people who have had them installed are less likely to query why their DDs are going up and end up paying too much.
Bring back the meter reader.
Alternatively, don't be scared of modern technology and get yourself a smart meter, as it'll mean you'd be able to have a tariff that's much lower than someone without one will have.
One of them fecked up a reading when I changed supplier a few years ago.
Took months for the new supplier to believe me.
True if you are charging a car overnight. My daughter is on Octopus and charges her Tesla for £4.50 at night. 7p a unit? Otherwise, I can't see a big difference in pricing between standard read-it-yourself or smart meter readings. The latter introduced so that people could save money by switching stuff off when not in use...
The real purpose behind smart meters has nothing to do with sparing the consumer the "onerous" task of reading the meter but more to do with the inevitable variable charge rate which is coming down the line. The carrot will be the promise of cheap off-peak electricity but the stick will be the exorbitant charge during peak times which working people will be unable to avoid. This is because the peak times will be deemed to be between 6.00 and 8.00am and 5.00 to 7.00pm. A case of giving with one hand but taking a lot more away with the other. Now where have we heard that before.....?
Not just for car charging, as they allow you to get tariffs like tracker rates which are linked to wholesale rates and change daily, and are a lot lower than the fixed rates.
its ok
So far I've managed to resist the constant pressure of having a smart meter. Glad i have and will continue to do so. I'm quite happy reading my meters once a month, having a steady direct debit that overpays in the summer months and underpays over the winter. I'd rather keep it that way.
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