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Original poster

Has anyone agreed to a Smart Meter but found they couldn't have one? Or was going to be tricky.

54 replies

Sparklingbrook · 22/02/2022 11:01

I keep getting emails and I might be coming around to the idea. BUT my Gas and Electric meters are like quite antique. Well 1980 ish. They have a cupboard each, and have those old fashioned numbers that click round.

I asked Ovo Energy if an engineer could come round and have a look first but no, you have to agree to it then they come and install it. I really wanted them to tell me what's involved.
Is there a danger they won't be able to do it?

OP posts:
OinkyO · 22/02/2022 11:03

Yes. I had one in a flat where the meter was too far out of range for the gas they could do the electricity though.

Original poster
Sparklingbrook · 22/02/2022 11:04

@OinkyO

Yes. I had one in a flat where the meter was too far out of range for the gas they could do the electricity though.
I'd not thought of the range. But I think that's ok. I just want them to tell me first. they were desperate to arrange the appointment but I was only asking tentatively.
OP posts:
OinkyO · 22/02/2022 11:05

I think they must get targetted for appointments. They are quite pushy.

CornishGem1975 · 22/02/2022 11:06

Yes, I signed up for a tariff which meant I HAD to have a smart meter for both gas and electricity installed. When the engineer came out, he was able to do the electricity but not the gas as apparently, the box was 'non-compliant'. I had a letter from my supplier saying I had broken the terms of my tariff, but when I called them and explained they just made a note on the system and that was that. (It was SSE, which I think is part of OVO now)

Wtfdoipick · 22/02/2022 11:07

We couldn't have a smart meter due to lack of signal (I think that was the reason) we were getting the meters changed and did want smart but got refused, notified after appointment made but before they came

GaslighterDenier · 22/02/2022 11:08

I'm pretty sure that all of the ones they are replacing are the ticky number ones as that is all there has been before smart meters? So I wouldn't worry in the sense that it was 'old'.

But we have said no to them as our electricity meter is inside a kitchen cupboard and they have told us we would need to remove the whole cupboard in order for the work to be done. No thanks!

JosephineDeBeauharnais · 22/02/2022 11:08

We agreed and when the engineer turned up he took one look, said it couldn’t be done and said we shouldn’t have agreed to it. DH told him that as we aren’t engineers we had no way of knowing what could or couldn’t be done. The engineer then blamed “the office”. Hmm

Original poster
Sparklingbrook · 22/02/2022 11:08

Yes, I got an email offering me a smart meter. I had questions so I emailed with them. Email said allow 5 days for a reply. They rang me within the hour. Shock But then asked me how they could help-it was in my email.

OP posts:
Original poster
Sparklingbrook · 22/02/2022 11:10

Thanks all, these are exactly the scenarios I envisaged might happen to me.
I am one of those people that wants to know exactly what's being done before it starts. if they have to start knocking stuff about I don't want one.

OP posts:
Original poster
Sparklingbrook · 22/02/2022 11:11

@JosephineDeBeauharnais

We agreed and when the engineer turned up he took one look, said it couldn’t be done and said we shouldn’t have agreed to it. DH told him that as we aren’t engineers we had no way of knowing what could or couldn’t be done. The engineer then blamed “the office”. Hmm
Lol at 'shouldn't have agreed to it' that was exactly what he wanted me to do today, even though I had many questions.
OP posts:
flapjackfairy · 22/02/2022 11:13

yes our house has the meter down the cellar and solid walls. they tried to get a connection for hours before giving up . I didnt realise they need a wifi connection.

OinkyO · 22/02/2022 11:15

Lol at 'shouldn't have agreed to it' that was exactly what he wanted me to do today, even though I had many questions. I know right. They seem to think we don't want to know what we are agreeing to!

YerAWizardHarry · 22/02/2022 11:15

We couldn’t have one due to lack of access in a communal area as someone had nailed a cupboard shut in the landing (flat)

HelloKeith · 22/02/2022 11:18

I looked into this as our electric meter is in a small cupboard that was built around it. I found a very old forum where you could post a photo and an engineer said yes or no - it was incredibly useful but from about 2010 and not used recently.

You'd think they'd rather let you send them a photo than waste someone's time coming round for nothing.

Original poster
Sparklingbrook · 22/02/2022 11:20

This is all very helpful, thank you.

I think range will be fine, and there's access to the cupboards, so that's two things that are ok. The meters are ancient but that doesn't seem a problem. So now I just want to know exactly what they need to do in those cupboards.

OP posts:
Seasidemumma77 · 22/02/2022 11:20

I can't get a Smart meter because the contractors say my property isn't accessible due to a single yellow line outside house, when I offered a visitors permit to use in nearby parking bays they claimed it was too far away (approx 20metres)

Original poster
Sparklingbrook · 22/02/2022 11:21

@HelloKeith

I looked into this as our electric meter is in a small cupboard that was built around it. I found a very old forum where you could post a photo and an engineer said yes or no - it was incredibly useful but from about 2010 and not used recently.

You'd think they'd rather let you send them a photo than waste someone's time coming round for nothing.

That's precisely what I thought would happen. In 5 day's time they would reply by email and say 'send us a picture and we'll have a look'. I think some robot picked up 'smart meter' in my email and it gets priority. They asked how they could help but it was all in my email. Hmm
OP posts:
ifonly4 · 22/02/2022 11:26

Can I ask where the work is carried out - near meter or trip switches? Does whatever take any room?

We've got an extra isolation switch the other side of the meter, which I've been told is due to the fact the trip switch box is quite a distance from meter.

Ecosralayce · 22/02/2022 11:43

we had an engineer come round to fitone. They fitted it, but in the process totally buggered up all the elctrics in the house. As in NO sockets worked at all without tripping the fuse. Engineer stood and calmly declared it was nothing to do with the the meter they had JUST fitted, and must be a fault in our electrics (which coincidently had been fine for the previous 18 years, and developed the very minute they fitted the smart meter.) and then they left. They refused to uninstall it.It then cost us £300 to pay an emergency elctrician to come round and fix the problem. Still battling with the comapny to recover costs which they continue to deny any responsibility for. And they wont uninstall the meter, which continues to cause issues form time to time. Worst decision we ever made having it fitted tbh.

Original poster
Sparklingbrook · 22/02/2022 12:12

Oh no @Ecosralayce. I was reading that the electric needs to go off for half an hour. Anything could happen.

OP posts:
CrotchetyQuaver · 22/02/2022 12:19

Yes wanted to put our gas to combine with the electric smart meter we already have but it couldn't be done as the gas meter and electric meter are at opposite ends of the house so it wouldn't work

BocolateChiscuits · 22/02/2022 12:31

Just to counterpoint the disaster stories. We got a smart meter only tariff, someone came round to fit it, they fitted it, and then it worked fine.

Now I can see at a glance what energy we're using, and I can login and see graphs of our use at a daily level. It can even break it down by every 30mins (that'show often the meter feeds back the readings to the electricity company) so I can see use throughout a day. I'm a bit obsessed by it!

LucyfurMorningstar · 22/02/2022 12:39

So now I just want to know exactly what they need to do in those cupboards
Both your gas and electric will be turned off for approx 30 minutes as the old existing meters are removed and replaced by the new smart meters.

BackwardsPrawn · 22/02/2022 12:41

Yes.

I have a newish house (less than 20 years old) and agreed to smart metres a few years ago.

An engineer came round, did the electric then spent another 3 hours trying to do the gas and failing. Apparently he couldn't undo the screws. So it was left as it was.

So now I have smart electric but manual gas - so still need to read a metre and the little reader unit constantly flashes because it cannot get a gas reading. So I unplugged it and it festers in a cupboard somewhere.

The metre is also down the side of the house in a low signal area so the electric only automatically reads and uploads every time there is a clear sky. So, hardly ever.

The original installer firm has gone bust and every supplier since has refused to have anything to do with it.

What's more, I strongly suspect the original installer reported it as installed ok, so still got paid for it.

Waste of time and effort and money.

StrawberryLollipops · 22/02/2022 12:43

Best part if if they install them, and then you move providers - it goes back to being a regular meter again. The new provider can't access the data. (unless that has changed recently?)

Seems a bit pointless and 'gravy train-ish' overall

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