Being harassed about Smart Meter

[NewGirlInTown]

Does anyone know if utility companies can force homeowners to have a Smart Meter?
I don’t want one but am getting frequent calls and texts hassling me.
I told them on the telephone that I am not interested.
My meter is very accurate; estimated usages are incredibly close to actual, so no alarm bells there.
I should add that I have recently withdrawn some of the substantial credit balance on my account, leaving 2/3 months worth of direct debit. I did it all through their online service, but since then, I am being hassled.
Many thanks to anyone who can provide advice.

Apparently. It's been many years since anyone came out to do an in-person reading.

Edited to add: possibly stopped at the time of Covid lockdowns and never resumed.

I'm talking about chucking the display screen in the bin, not the smart meter, which will continue submitting information remotely regardless. I don't use my display screen but I still benefit because I get cheaper electricity at certain times of day and plan my usage around this.

I haven’t had anyone come and read my meter in YEARS. I do have smart meters now but the gas doesn’t communicate so is essentially just operating as a dumb meter. I can send readings in for billing or they estimate it based on previous usage, it’s been around 5 years now and no one has come to read it. Why would they?

But the IHD isn’t the meter. I ‘got’ the meter, the IHD is just a side effect of it. I didn’t bin it, it’s in a cupboard somewhere.

Apparently so!

Have a look to see how old your meter is.
they have to be replaced periodically to be compliant so you will
need to have one eventually . As someone mentioned , the new ones are better.

I can also do all of those things. I don’t need a machine to carry out basic maths for me, I am more than capable of doing those things myself.

in less than 1 second ? It's lovely you have such a beautiful mind ☺️

One reason is poor 4G signal.

I live in a village where some streets or parts of streets struggle to get a 4G signal. Both inside our house and outside can be problematic. I use taxis quite often and taxi drivers can struggle to get a signal. They sometimes need to drive down the road a bit before they can obtain a stable signal. I have to go outside sometimes or hang out of the window to use my mobile and even then, calls may break up.

fuschiaproudparrot:

"Perhaps the people who won't have one should be charged 50 pounds each time a person has to come out and read their meter?"

Our house is nearly 50 years old. We have the original meter. No-one from OVO has read our meter in years. I upload a monthly reading and sometimes they will email asking for one when a bill is due.

I doubt many areas of the country still send out meter readers.

My meter has poor signal; it still functions as a meter though. It doesn’t need a signal to operate.

Our electricity meter needed to be replaced. I gave in to a smart meter BUT I refused to have it connected to the automated bills. I take a reading and input it into the app.

i just don’t trust them. I’ve known too many people who’ve had awful experiences.

I’ve been told I am going to be forced to have water smart meter . I don’t want one . I want to stay on rates . But apparently as we are a drought county it can be forced .

Don’t feel bad if you can’t