[Prettyeyez]

Hi All,

I'm not on a smart meter as personally I just do not trust them. EON have mentioned that I'm entitled to a FREE smart meter and have suggested that I get one. It was suggested after a phone call this morning that they may start to charge for the meters to be fitted from next year.

I'm currently aware that it is not mandatory to have one fitted, but it was implied that staying in my current position, submitting meter readings each month may not be beneficial to me. I was advised that I would be able to have a cheaper tariff if I opted for a smart meter. Is this true? When I asked how much cheaper would my DD's be each month I was quoted that I could save between £10-£30 per month. Has this happened to anyone?

Reading so many issues with these smart meters has put me off and the last thing I want is to have issues down the line with no option to reverse my decision.

[WizzyWigg]

@Prettyeyez Having a smart meter will give you slightly more choice on available tariffs. Whether there are savings will depend more on usage, kWh. As for reducing your DD by those figures it would be difficult to say.
You are already paying for a meter as part of the daily standing charge.

[Prettyeyez]

@WizzyWiggb Thanks for sharing this information. I spoke to a neighbour yesterday who decided to have a smart meter put in because she has mobility issues so, she is unable to read her meters each month. She opted for the meter readings as an easier option. Now, she received an email stating that all of a sudden she owes and needs to pay over £600 and that her DD payments need to increase by £200 or so. Yikes! What a terrible position to be in as she truly thought she would be better off. It’s clear that the meters are not guaranteed and do not run efficiently. At least when I give my meter readings each month without fail I know exactly what I’ve used and what I will be charged as I also do my own calculations. My neighbour doesn’t feel safe and is vulnerable. I would hate to be in this situation. Plus I keep my usage very low so will stay as I am.

[Mailman]

@Prettyeyez

Almost certainly your friend had a catch up bill that had to happen at some point. In the circumstances you described this would have been triggered by the last meter read for the replaced meter. This in turn triggered a payment review.

So A good idea before any meter is replaced is to submit customer meter reads if at all possible.

[WizzyWigg]

Morning @Prettyeyez smart meters may well be the future but plug and play functionality for all is not there yet. I've had them for many years but monitor them monthly as communication failures do happen. If at any point you have them fitted I would recommend you treat them in the same way you treat your existing meters.
That way if communications stop you can submit manual readings and not receive big bills.

[Prettyeyez]

@Mailman Thank you, if I do decide to have them in the future I will indeed make note of my reading just before. My neighbour was giving her meter readings each month but was struggling due to her mobility issues, which is why she opted for the smart meter. So this was not a catch up bill as she was on top of her consumption and readings. She also received an email from them to state that the meter is faulty and that they will be replacing it again. So again, I will remain as I am as I do not trust the meters and would hate to be in this position because of a faulty meter. I would rather not cause myself unnecessary stress due to my own current illness,

[Prettyeyez]

@WizzyWigg I can understand that. Maybe in the future who knows... But for now I prefer my current situation as I would rather do without the stress.

[meldrewreborn]

@Prettyeyez

The vast majority of meters are accurate and reliable, whether smart or traditional. But problems can and do occur, and because of the additional functionality in smart meters they do have more issues overall, but not in relation to their prime function which is recording usage.
i don’t have smart meters, and can manage my usage perfectly well without them. But meters only have a certain life and do need to be replaced periodically so we’ll all end up on smart meters eventually. Whether they will actually operate in smart mode is more doubtful, over 10% don’t at present.

Trust is an important factor and vital to our relationship to our energy supplier. The issues in relation to smart meters are primarily that the promoted functions are not always delivered, the in home display beloved by Einstein in the TV ads often doesn’t work, nor do the automated readings get through to your account. But if you wish you can still submit a monthly reading, just as you do now if the smart meter doesn’t deliver in full.

[Prettyeyez]

@meldrewreborn

Thank you, I agree with what you have said here. Problems can and do occur... And yes trust is an important factor, and at present I do not trust the smart meters. I will continue submitting each month as I do for now and will review in the future when the need arises if it becomes mandatory. Thank you, I appreciate your perspective on this issue.