- Many energy firms are struggling to get smart meters working as intended
Around 2.6 million households have asked their energy supplier to fix to their smart meter or display because it is broken, with 1.4 million waiting six months or more to get it sorted.
Three quarters of households with a broken smart meter or display (74 per cent) have asked their supplier to fix the device, according to research by comparison firm Uswitch.
The average household has contacted their supplier four times to try and get their device repaired, while one in ten (10 per cent) have chased eight times or more.
Saving money: Smart meters can save money on energy bills by offering greater understanding of energy use, but can also unlock specific tariffs with lower unit rates
Energy suppliers have a target to install smart meters in at least 74.5 per cent of homes in Great Britain by the end of 2025.
There are now around 30.6 million smart meters in UK homes, with an additional 3.5 million smart meters in ‘traditional mode’ – working like an older meter, with no smart capability.
Uswitch found that nearly one in ten (9 per cent) of households with a smart meter say their device is not communicating with their supplier, while a tenth (11 per cent) say the display unit is not working properly.
Why do smart meters go dumb?
Smart meters are part of the effort to create a ‘smart grid’, a big part of enabling clean power for Britain’s households.
But some meters go into ‘dumb’ mode and stop communicating with the smart meter system due to technical issues.
This can be because of an issue with the meter itself or a weak signal from the communications network it uses to send readings.
Smart meters usually come with an in-home display which can help households take control of their energy usage, helping to save money on energy bills.
Disconnected smart meters are an industry-wide issue, with more than 3.5 million currently in dumb mode across Great Britain.
Figures from energy regulator Ofgem reveal that British Gas has the highest proportion (16.3 per cent), followed by Scottish Power (14.5 per cent) and EDF Energy (12.1 per cent).
In contrast, E has the lowest share (2.6 per cent) ahead of Ovo (5.6 per cent) and Utilita (5.8 per cent).
More than a third (36 per cent) of households say they don’t have a smart meter installed, of which almost half (48 per cent) said they may get one at some point in the future.
Reliability is a major consideration, as half (49 per cent) of households without a smart meter said they would want assurances that the technology would work properly before getting one installed.
The pace of smart meter installations is tailing off, suggesting that many of the households that would get one voluntarily already have.
Uswitch director of regulation Richard Neudegg said: ‘Millions of customers are not benefitting from the smart technology, which allows for accurate billing without the need to manually submit meter readings.
‘While the vast majority of smart meters are working as they should, it’s vitally important that the industry takes urgent action to sort out all the disconnected smart meters, to give those customers back the benefits and help reassure households who have delayed getting one so far.
‘There are multiple ways the roll-out could have been improved, but the important thing is helping more consumers reap the benefits as quickly as possible.’
