Your meter is 'out of date'

[Pebbles16]

So we've been jumped around with suppliers recently and now told our meter is out of date. It probably is as it's likely 25 years old. But is this just a tactic to get a smart meter put in which then ties me to the supplier?
Possibly paranoid

If you can only supply 1GW, then it's no good having customers who want 1.2GW (for example).

So either you spend a few billion on building a new power station (and therefore less on dividends and directors bonuses), OR you cap your output at 1GW and switch off poorer customers appliances to match.

Remember we've been terrified into avoiding any form of proper energy supply investment for decades. The entire point of UK energy policy since 2000 has been to make sure companies make loads of wonga from the taxpayer.

(See also water "industry").

My electricity metre is one of the old ones with dials, I think I did request a smart metre a while ago but they said they couldn't do it... or something like that
Yes mine is 40 yrs old. I don't believe them when they say it's a quick and easy job and only an hour or two. Obviously if our electrics are ancient, it's going to be a hard and prolonged job taking flipping ages, involving time without electricity and probably a lot of swearing from all involved.

I got (another) email from my energy supplier yesterday to tell me they 'would be in my area' over a 5 week period and would I contact them to make an appointment to replace my (RTS) meters with a smart meter. I phoned them 4 HOURS after the email was sent to be told that there were no appointments left ( in their 5 WEEK period) and could I call back next week please.....

Why is it up to me to chase them... they are the ones who need to change the meter..
I KNOW all about the signal being discontinued etc, I KNOW it has to happen by March 2025 in time for the cutoff in June... I KNOW!!

But suddenly it is MY issue that THEY don't have appointments... 4 hours after they send the email....

Yeah we've had these letters. For the last few years it's been an invitation to have a smart meter fitted. Now it's claiming it's out of date. Don't care. The letters all go in the recycling bin. Don't want a smart meter.

What ? Getting a smart meter ties you to a certain energy provider ?

Nope - Only if you want it to work. You can still switch any time but it wont work with the new company.

Thank you for answering my gas meter question @Primadonner , and for the link - that looks really interesting and I've bookmarked it to read this evening.

Second generation smart meters work with different suppliers, the original ones didnt but afaik anyone who has a new one fitted one will get the type that does

Ahem ...
Before you start using the term "tinfoil hat conspiracy theorists" as an easy way to dismiss someone without bothering with "inconvenient but true small details" you should maybe take into account this joke (or maybe not really a joke?):

"-- What's the difference between a conspiracy theory and confirmed facts?
-- Currently 6 months, and shrinking ..."

I was also harassed regularly about "be smart and get a smart meter".

When they switched to new tactics and send me a letter saying my meter is outdated and needs urgently to be replaced, I took the serial number of the meter and when searching online. Turned out that meters do have to be ‘certified’ and the certification is not for ever. No doubts about it.

Only thing is, when I checked on the manufacturer’s website and then on the OFGEM’s site https://www.ofgem.gov.uk it showed my meter is still certified for several more years, and is certainly NOT 'due to be immediately replaced'. So instead of booking an urgent appointment, I phone them back and threatened to sue them for harassment. They had a recent decision by the energy Ombudsman about another dispute to figure out if I meant it or not.

Never heard anything about "be smart …" since.

Even if the meter is past its certification date, there are still companies/manufacturers that will supply and/or install a new plain meter.