Can ScottishPower FORCE me to have a SmartMeter ?

[54isanopendoor]

I am with Scottish Power for both gas & electric.
Have been with them for 15 years, paying quarterly.
Last year my H walked out. So the bills are now in my sole name.
They tipped me off quarterly 'new customer' & I now pay monthly in arrears.
I read my meter the last day of each month & pay that day in full.
1 adult, 2 older teens. No insulation so it costs me an ave of £225 dual /month.
We were cold last winter (Scotland) so scared of this one (SP doesnt' offer any insulation help & local council dont either. I'm a Carer so no extra ££ to spend)

I just had a text saying my meters are over 15 years old & 'unsafe' so must be replaced with a SmartMeter. I had the engineer out 2 years ago who said the meters coudn't be changed as over 2 floors of an old victorian house (I think that was re smartmeters but couldn't vouch for it tbh). So, maybe I 'escape' it? But having 1 meter in the basement & 1 high up on landing isnt' the easiest for me.

Are SmartMeters generally a good thing though?

Centrica had to fit us a new gas meter in 2021 after the old one developed a fault. They replaced our faulty 'dumb meter' (would have been smart if I'd stayed with BG) with an old dial-style meter. The chap fitting it hated smart meters ....

I can't see us being forced into smart meters in our house any time soon!

We are with S P and have had the letters too, though they seem to have dried up recently. Not sure a meter can be unsafe but smart meters make you vulnerable to being turned off in times of power shortage, which they can't do with a traditional one.

www-thisismoney-co-uk.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/bills/article-11152613/amp/Fury-Eon-tells-customers-meters-unsafe.html?amp_gsa=1&amp_js_v=a9&usqp=mq331AQKKAFQArABIIACAw%3D%3D#amp_tf=From%20%251%24s&aoh=16624879245576&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&ampshare=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thisismoney.co.uk%2Fmoney%2Fbills%2Farticle-11152613%2FFury-Eon-tells-customers-meters-unsafe.html

This is the article I mentioned earlier about the "unsafe meters" letter, which they later apologised for and admitted wasn't true. It was Eon, rather than SP.

In many ways I'd like my meters replaced. The gas one is in a basement (that floods...) & the electric one is really old & just below the (high) ceiling on the first landing. I am disabled so reading them is a nightmare. But I am wary of smart meters. I can well believe the surge pricing article above. I think we will be in brown outs this winter possibly too. At least I shouldnt' be cut off as
I'm on the protected register as I am a Carer but also disabled myself.

I find SP very difficult to work with. I am also disappointed that they have no free energy saving gadgets / help with insulation available whereas many other utility Co's do.