I didn't want a smart meter, but . . .

[Geek]

I don't get why some people have an advertiseity for smart meters I've had one for years they are great way to monitor your usage and can open doors to cheaper tarrifs

I just explained one of the many reasons.
The other reasons I listed in my preceding post on the 11th.

 

[Fifer]

We’re being harassed by almost weekly emails and bullied by constant phone calls to accept a smart meter by Eon, as obviously they make money from forcing people to have them. They’ve never mentioned gas only the electricity meter our meters are on opposite sides of the bungalow as well making comms difficult so we would need an Alt Han install but no mention of that either!

The harassments started within days of switching to them, problem is we have appalling mobile signal here especially bad from O2 who provide the smart meter cell service and if we accept we will then, just like our neighbours are constantly suffering now, still be harassed and bullied because they aren’t receiving any readings.

Apparently it is quite common to inconvenience their victims by constantly and unnecessarily replacing ‘faulty’ meters in poor signal areas at I assume every bill payers expense, rather than improve the signal.

As soon as my deal ends with Eon we will probably go to Octopus and no doubt will have to have one eventually, absolutely not looking forward to it though.

If you have Internet signal issues, tell them that is the reason you can't have one fitted.

In my case, EDF had visited & their engineer told me that I had no internet signal due to where my meter was. So when I still got calls to have smart meter fitted, I told EDF what their engineer said, and the hassle calls stopped as they put a note on my account.

In Scotland, and can only assume the same in England, there is no legal obligation to have a smart meter. When they were first introduced, people were led to believe that there was no choice in the matter, but when folk I know found this out, they wanted them removed. Only to be told by their energy suppliers that it would cost £80 to have the meters removed!

I know that if your current electric meter is on it's last legs, the new one fitted will be for a smart meter. Also, currently a lot of energy deals only apply if smart meter fitted. I did mange to get a deal when I told them about Internet issue. If you don't ask, you don't get is how I look at it.

 

[tonybvi]

If you have Internet signal issues, tell them that is the reason you can't have one fitted.

In my case, EDF had visited & their engineer told me that I had no internet signal due to where my meter was. So when I still got calls to have smart meter fitted, I told EDF what their engineer said, and the hassle calls stopped as they put a note on my account.

In Scotland, and can only assume the same in England, there is no legal obligation to have a smart meter. When they were first introduced, people were led to believe that there was no choice in the matter, but when folk I know found this out, they wanted them removed. Only to be told by their energy suppliers that it would cost £80 to have the meters removed!

I know that if your current electric meter is on it's last legs, the new one fitted will be for a smart meter. Also, currently a lot of energy deals only apply if smart meter fitted. I did mange to get a deal when I told them about Internet issue. If you don't ask, you don't get is how I look at it.

Slightly strange as in Scotland the smart meter does not rely on an internet signal but uses long wave radio frequency transmission managed by Arqiva. I thoroughly researched this when I got spun the same tale and after much struggling my provider accepted this and simply moved the meter away from some of the other wiring in the meter cupboard and it has been working perfectly since.

 

[AlyJay]

OVO keep badgering me to have one installed, I get phone calls from an Indian man telling me I must do this and theres no reason why I shouldn't as its a requirement to do so, so for this reason alone - being told something that is untrue is good enough reason for me not to bother.

 

[TimSands]

We have had smart meters fitted, they even dug up our drive by where the cable enters the house, but they were unable to connect them up. Every now and then we get a message from our current supplier asking for pictures of the meters but then they go quiet. All very strange!

 

[Pudsey Bear]

Liz has been waiting for one to be fitted in her son's house, with no time given. They were told someone would be there, but she arrived at 9 am. She got home after her son got in from work, and they just cancelled. What a shower of wankers they are.

 

[Fifer]

Slightly strange as in Scotland the smart meter does not rely on an internet signal but uses long wave radio frequency transmission managed by Arqiva. I thoroughly researched this when I got spun the same tale and after much struggling my provider accepted this and simply moved the meter away from some of the other wiring in the meter cupboard and it has been working perfectly since.

View attachment 77512

Your right, it is radio frequency now that I've read it. My apologies I said wrong name, and thank you for letting me know correct term. Thankfully they did not offer to move my electric meter as it would be a huge job that I would not be willing to undertake

 

[scoobydiver]

I have an electric smart meter, and it works as intended.

My gas meter was not a smart meter, and when it reached it's end of life I refused a smart meter (based on their own engineers advice) and they replaced it with a refurbished (non smart) meter from Germany. I then continued sending my own +/_ monthly readings.

When the gas readings website fell over, I reported it, together with all the previous refurbished meter readings (with screen shots) and they accepted them.

How much hassle would I have had, if I accepted a smart gas meter, but no physical evidence of those readings.

Even with our smart meters -gas & electric we can still take manual readings from both meters , I even read our water meter manually to check their speed readings as they just drive down the street reading 50+ meters without even opening the van door !

 

[Glynno]

We’re being harassed by almost weekly emails and bullied by constant phone calls to accept a smart meter by Eon, as obviously they make money from forcing people to have them. They’ve never mentioned gas only the electricity meter our meters are on opposite sides of the bungalow as well making comms difficult so we would need an Alt Han install but no mention of that either!

The harassments started within days of switching to them, problem is we have appalling mobile signal here especially bad from O2 who provide the smart meter cell service and if we accept we will then, just like our neighbours are constantly suffering now, still be harassed and bullied because they aren’t receiving any readings.

Apparently it is quite common to inconvenience their victims by constantly and unnecessarily replacing ‘faulty’ meters in poor signal areas at I assume every bill payers expense, rather than improve the signal.

As soon as my deal ends with Eon we will probably go to Octopus and no doubt will have to have one eventually, absolutely not looking forward to it though.

Same problem on Wheatley. Just accepted £150 rebate from Octopus because gas wont talk to electric meter which is the sender. So no gas readings and we need to read the meter and send it in. They are approximately 18 meters appart. Alt Han is useless too. 3 years later and a lot of hassle is not worth it

 

[Peisinoe]

It depends what you want. We have a dumb solar meter we just give them the reading when they ask & that it. Electric meter was charged 20 years ago to a digital dumb one but they used to pressure me in to changing it & I told them NO WAY. They are learning from your usage so when you use it the most the increase the tariff. They can turn smart products off if they are short on power or off altogether. If they are giving incentives their is something wrong. Here's one that won't be complaining Rant over

 

[BobbyTheUncle]

There’s a bit of 'technological Chinese whispers' going on here. You’re right that the tech has changed, but the billing logic (Watts vs VA) and the regulatory safeguards haven't.
It’s a bit of a leap to go from 'the meter is digital' to 'mass remote cut-offs.' Might be worth a deeper dive into the DCC security protocols and Ofgem’s current energy laws, they’ve actually significantly tightened the rules on remote switching and disconnections recently!

 

[Geek]

The facts are that the ability to charge by VA, the ability to remotely monitor usage patterns, the ability to remotely switch you to a prepaid tariff, the ability to remotely disconnect are all there.

The possibility of remote hackers doing this is not nil.

At present there is no suggestion of doing any of these things (except switching to pre-paid and remote disconnection) but there is no guarantee it won't happen. It is undoubtedly technically possible.
How far do you trust utility companies?
How far do you trust governments to control them?
It's bad enough now, but there is a real possibility of a Trumpian Reform government in a few years. You can trust them to be untrustworthy.

 

[BobbyTheUncle]

The facts are that the ability to charge by VA, the ability to remotely monitor usage patterns, the ability to remotely switch you to a prepaid tariff, the ability to remotely disconnect are all there.

The possibility of remote hackers doing this is not nil.

At present there is no suggestion of doing any of these things (except switching to pre-paid and remote disconnection) but there is no guarantee it won't happen. It is undoubtedly technically possible.
How far do you trust utility companies?
How far do you trust governments to control them?
It's bad enough now, but there is a real possibility of a Trumpian Reform government in a few years. You can trust them to be untrustworthy.

The technical capacity for these things exists, but there’s a massive gulf between 'the hardware has a switch' and 'it’s going to be used to bill us in VA or hack us into a blackout.'

A few quick reality checks on those points:
VA Billing: UK smart meters are legally bound by the Measuring Instruments Directive (MID) to bill based on Active Power (kWh). Even if a supplier wanted to charge for VA (Apparent Power), it would require a literal act of Parliament to change the UK’s billing secondary legislation.
Remote Cuts: Since late 2023, Ofgem has mandated that suppliers make at least 10 contact attempts and a mandatory 'site welfare visit' before any remote switch to prepayment. They can't just flip a digital switch on a whim because they don't like you.
Hacking: The DCC network doesn’t run on the internet; it’s a closed, encrypted system overseen by the NCSC (GCHQ). It’s significantly more secure than the banking apps we all have on our phones.

I get the distrust of utility companies, but if we’re worried about what a 'Trumpian' government might do in 10 years, we might as well stop using smartphones and bank accounts too. For now, the actual laws and tech standards make the 'smart meter apocalypse' a very unlikely scenario.

 

[Geek]

The technical capacity for these things exists, but there’s a massive gulf between 'the hardware has a switch' and 'it’s going to be used to bill us in VA or hack us into a blackout.'

A few quick reality checks on those points:
VA Billing: UK smart meters are legally bound by the Measuring Instruments Directive (MID) to bill based on Active Power (kWh). Even if a supplier wanted to charge for VA (Apparent Power), it would require a literal act of Parliament to change the UK’s billing secondary legislation.
Remote Cuts: Since late 2023, Ofgem has mandated that suppliers make at least 10 contact attempts and a mandatory 'site welfare visit' before any remote switch to prepayment. They can't just flip a digital switch on a whim because they don't like you.
Hacking: The DCC network doesn’t run on the internet; it’s a closed, encrypted system overseen by the NCSC (GCHQ). It’s significantly more secure than the banking apps we all have on our phones.

I get the distrust of utility companies, but if we’re worried about what a 'Trumpian' government might do in 10 years, we might as well stop using smartphones and bank accounts too. For now, the actual laws and tech standards make the 'smart meter apocalypse' a very unlikely scenario.

Sadly, there have been many cases where the proper process has not been followed before a disconnection, even when it required a visit to the premises to do.
Leaving elderly and vulnerable people in the cold and dark. Shouldn't happen, but it has and it does.

The enforced switch to pre-pay and remote disconnect will be starting for new customers who don't sign up 'properly' within 14 days from April 2026.

I could easily manages without my mobile phone. Without gas and electricity, not so much.

 

[BobbyTheUncle]

Sadly, there have been many cases where the proper process has not been followed before a disconnection, even when it required a visit to the premises to do.
Leaving elderly and vulnerable people in the cold and dark. Shouldn't happen, but it has and it does.

The enforced switch to pre-pay and remote disconnect will be starting for new customers who don't sign up 'properly' within 14 days from April 2026.

I could easily manages without my mobile phone. Without gas and electricity, not so much.

Regarding that 'April 2026' date, you might want to double-check your sources.
There is absolutely no new energy law starting then that allows for 'automatic' switches after 14 days just for not signing a contract.
It looks like you've been fed a mix of supplier rollout targets and perhaps the new DMCC Act, which is about subscription cooling-off periods (like gyms or streaming), not energy meters.
If you have an actual government link to this 'April 2026 energy switch-off,' please share it. Otherwise, it’s just more misinformation adding to your confusion.

 

[Geek]

You are wrong