You don't have any obligation to get a smart meter.
Energy companies are under pressure to increase sign up.
This means you get shrill "appointment" letters and increasing levels of threat on tariffs.
The savings they refer to on radio and telly etc, also the virtue signallng about being green etc.... are possible if you use the "in house unit" - little display thingy you plug in in the kitchen - to watch your consumption like a hawk and work out when to use electricity differently. That's the ONLY way it will save you money. If YOU take the initiative to make the change.
Thing is, most of us just use electricity as we need it, at the time we need it and can't always decide to put a wash in six hours later than it's needed to benefit from a lower tariff. When do tarrifs actually change based on time of day anyway? Mine is a set one. Most are I think.
I switched supplier and saved SO MUCH MONEY and so if that's your aim I suggest you start there.
And - pertinently - only the new type of smart meters can definitely cope with you switching supplier, by the way. Otherwise there's a bit of a clash between two types of technology. Or can be.
It's a disgraceful roll-out and riddled with misinformation, in my view, hyperbole and practices which veer into the unethical.
I'm not disputing benefits in us being able to track usage, and energy companies being able to manage consumption etc, but right now it's such a mish mash of technology, and the loud claims of it being able to save you money is just disingenuous at best. Be cautious.