Image source, BBC/family handout
Peta Butler said her experience with her smart meter has had a profound impact on her mental health
- Author, Alix Hattenstone
- Role, BBC Central Editorial Team
The number of smart meters in Great Britain not working properly has risen by over a million, the latest figures show.
According to data from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (Desnez), 2.7 million were not operating in smart mode as of June 2023 – by the end of the year this had gone up to 3.98 million.
Customers have reported being hit by massive bills caused by faulty meters, and the Desnez says it is concerned that reporting errors by a minority of suppliers are behind the rise.
Energy UK, the trade association for the energy industry, says suppliers are obliged to replace faulty meters.
How do smart meters work?
Smart meters measure how much gas and electricity a household uses and show how much it costs in near real time. They can send readings via a remote connection to energy suppliers (smart mode).
If they lose connection customers often rely on estimated bills, which should be corrected once the supplier has manual meter readings.
But some customers have paid too much and struggled to get their money back – or too little and gone into debt.
According to Smart Energy GB, a non-profit organisation focusing on the benefits of smart meters, there are now almost 35 million smart meters in Great Britain and the ‘vast majority’ are operating as intended.
It said 88.6% were operating in smart mode at the end of 2023, up from 87.3% the previous year.
‘Two years of hell’
Peta Butler, 79, lives near Tunbridge Wells. Between January and June 2023 her energy bill went up to over £3,500, leaving her “terrified” to use electricity.
Her son said the problems began when she was changed to a smart meter on a single tariff, in 2022. The new meter was not recorded properly and she kept getting estimated bills based on her old meter.
She said: “It’s been two years of hell. It’s affected my health. And it’s completely taken away any confidence I’ve got. If I have to do anything, I just panic. I don’t sleep at night really because my body, it can’t let go.”
Mrs Butler said she recently received £2,900 back from Utility Warehouse – which did not cover what she was owed. She is now with a different supplier.
A Utility Warehouse spokesperson said they would refund Mrs Butler with all the money she had paid on the account.
“We acknowledge that the customer service Mrs Butler received fell below our usual high standards and we’re sorry for the inconvenience and distress this has caused,” they said.
“We have spoken to the customer and after further reviewing the account, have agreed to provide a goodwill payment in acknowledgement of the service she received.”
‘It makes you frightened’
Image source, Dianne Green
Dianne Green said trying to get her meter changed has knocked the fight out of her
Dianne Green, 75, from East Sussex, has been having issues with her smart meter since she was taken on by British Gas in April 2022, when her previous company went bust.
She said her online account showed she was using roughly £60 per month, but British Gas wanted to put her direct debit up to £169 per month.
Mrs Green said her physical disabilities meant she couldn’t reach the electricity meter to get manual readings. She currently pays £95 a month, but the last bill showed she was over £600 in debit.
“I’m in debt all the time, and I’m paying,” she added.
“It’s very upsetting, and it’s very worrying. You’re constantly thinking of trying to find ways of putting it right. It does make you ill. It makes you frightened.”
Mrs Green has been waiting for two years for her problems to be fixed. British Gas said it sent an engineer around on Monday to ensure it is set to provide single rate smart meter readings.
“Going forward she will receive accurate bills and won’t need to provide us with manual meter readings. We’re very sorry that we did not fix this for her sooner and as goodwill we’ve removed the outstanding balance on her account,” it said.
The Desnez says the “vast majority” of smart meters are working correctly, but “reporting errors by a minority of suppliers have uncovered more meters not operating in smart mode than previously thought”.
Lord Callanan, Minister for Energy Efficiency and Green Finance, has written to Ofgem, urging “action to ensure suppliers are held to account if they are not supporting customers with issues as they should be”.
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Ofgem, the energy regulator for Great Britain, said it had asked suppliers to provide more detail on how they plan to tackle connectivity issues.
“If customers have concerns about the way this is handled, they can complain to their supplier, and if the issue is not resolved to their satisfaction, they should raise it with the ombudsman,” it said.
Robert Johnson is a UK-based business writer specializing in finance and entrepreneurship. With an eye for market trends and a keen interest in the corporate world, he offers readers valuable insights into business developments.
