Energy company contacting me about installing a smart meter - should I agree to this?

[KittenLedWeaning]

My gas and electricity come through the same provider. They've been emailing me for the last six months asking me to agree to an appointment for a smart meter installation. I realise that eventually this might not be optional, but should I avoid it while I can?

I've heard complaints that Smart Meters aren't accurate; can pick up other people's energy use and can be hacked into by would-be burglars as a way of seeing if the house is occupied. On the other hand, I am the sort of person who always worries about energy consumption, secretly turns the heating down etc.

If anyone has experience of a smart meter that they would be prepared to share, I would be really thankful.

I get pestered quite a bit too. My concern is that once you have one it may prove difficult to switch suppliers. I’d wait.

I've heard complaints that Smart Meters aren't accurate; can pick up other people's energy use and can be hacked into by would-be burglars as a way of seeing if the house is occupied.

Where have you heard that from? Are there any reports or sources you can share?

FWIW we had one fitted ages ago, only benefit was we didn't need to take meter readings any more. Then we changed suppliers and it doesn't work any more. A complete waste of money and resources! But not for the reasons that you suggested.

Same here (SSE). I got the impression it's more for the provider's convenience than the users.

I am avoiding them (calls/emails/letters) until I have no choice.

I did a detailed thread about this a while back:

Anyone having a gas/leccy meter replaced with a Smart Meter? Something you need to know
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/other_subjects/1327330-Anyone-having-a-gas-leccy-meter-replaced-with-a-Smart-Meter-Something-you-need-to-know

It's up to you whether you think a smart meter will give you benefits that outweigh the risks.

But you don't need a smart meter to check your daily usage or to check how much power different appliances are consuming. You can buy plug-in and clip-on monitors for the latter.

I moved into a house with a BG smart meter, only to change provider as early as possible because BG were too expensive! I've now switched energy provider three times .... I'm not interested in any smart meter until they can work with all energy providers. So I just keep saying no.

No. They are not mandatory and you can refuse them. No one can force you r enter your home to install one. Google online for all the problems people have had.

Personally I cannot see why I need something to tell me how much fuel I am using. I use what I need and can't possibly cut down any more. I know roughly how much my bill will be and account for it in my budget...then pay it. Simple.

Here are a couple of news articles showing the sort of concerns I mean.

www.telegraph.co.uk/money/consumer-affairs/six-reasons-say-no-smart-meter/

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5323315/Energy-giants-bully-customers-getting-smart-meters.html

I got threatened with being put on a higher rate

Got one installed

Got a bill for £400 because I had apparently been undercharged

Watch for when they make appointments you didn't make to fit one. You'll have.to be right on the ball cancelling.

Thank you for that link, Tianc - I will read your thread now.

Yes, I keep getting calls, and letters urging me not to miss out on this. I ignore them. An electrician who did some work told me he;d never have one - so I won't

They have sent me appointments which I need to 'confirm or change' but I've just been ignoring them, gamerchick. They've all been for times when I'm at work, so no idea whether anyone turned up.

No don’t get a smart meter just continue to ignore appointments.

Thanks for sharing those articles KittenLedWeaning. I've read both of them and the vast majority of concerns are around the cost / benefit of the roll out and the tactics of the suppliers trying to get them into households (the roll out is v behind and I'd be surprised if they weren't under pressure to catch up).

The concerns about security were secondary and neither source quoted a single privacy or technology expert or source, or gave a single specific example of a security or privacy breach.

On that basis I would say the risk is low. But I still think they are a waste of money

No, I'm holding out, this was one reason we switched away from BG last year. I'm not having them until I can switch supplier with them and these high-pressure tactics make me dig my heels in.

I've just been reading Tianc's thread - there are some more 'technical' sources linked there, newroundhere - it's a really interesting thread.

Thanks for the link to the Telegraph article, Kitten.

Heh, cross-posted as we read each other's links!

The key paper mentioned in my thread is still the one by Prof Ross Anderson, "Who Controls the Off Switch?"

www.cl.cam.ac.uk/~rja14/Papers/meters-offswitch.pdf

It's very readable, and outlines some of the major issues very clearly.

Anderson is Professor of Security Engineering at the Computer Laboratory, University of Cambridge.

The conclusion to his paper reads:

Electricity and gas supplies might be disrupted on a massive scale by failures of smart meters, whether as a result of cyber-attack or simply from software errors. The introduction of hundreds of millions of these meters in North America and Europe over the next ten years, each containing a remotely commanded off switch, remote software upgrade and complex functionality, creates a shocking vulnerability. An attacker who takes over the control facility or who takes over the meters directly could create widespread blackouts; a software bug could do the same.

I know the security services like GCHQ have been attempting to do some mitigation of this by insisting the designs be "least vulnerable", but this doesn't change Prof Anderson's fundamental observation that Smart Meters introduce a shocking new vulnerability where previously there was none.

Im ignoring them too!

Ovo insisted we have one. It didn’t work. They installed a signal booster. It still didn’t work. That was two or three suppliers ago and the wretched thing just sits in the understairs cupboard doing nothing. They won’t remove it because we aren’t supplied by them now.

Unless and until smart meters are universal to all energy companies, I wouldn’t have one. It’s just a pain in the rear. Kept telling them no thanks.

I got letters a few years ago. I kept cancelling the appointments they kindly made for me. One call centre woman told me I had to get one and there was no avoiding it. I ignored her and I've managed to avoid it. I have quite a few concerns and I hate how people are being bullied into it.

We had one installed and have just switched between the two 'biggest' suppliers and it now doesn't work so we are back to sending in readings.
For some of the cheapest deals you have to agree to having a smart meter fitted.

We have one fitted. It's great and we're now much more in control of our energy usage with a visual display.

Okay, I am a smart metering expert. As in it's is my job to manage the smart meter programmes for the majority of smaller suppliers. There is a lot of misinformation here. As of late last year the first generation of smart meters can no longer be fitted (the ones that only work with the installing supplier). Unless it prepay which can be fitted up to around March this year. Otherwise they are fitting second generation smart meters called smets2 meters. The security around these meters and the data being transferred is so high that it would take a high powered computer over 100years to decrypt. It's similar security that banking uses. These will work with any supplier so you can move and keep the functionality. Additionally over the next 2 years the first generation of smart meters will be upgraded and enrolled under the smets2 umbrella. Meaning that they will "come back to life" regardless of supplier and provide smart functionality (meter readings, accurate bills and energy monitoring for homeowners).

Suppliers are obligated to install these meters but you are within your rights to refuse also. They have to demonstrate that smart meter has been offered at least twice to each customer. But bear in mind your current traditional meter will eventually come to the end of its life and be replaced with smart, so ultimately there is no getting away from it.