Hundreds of EDF Energy customers could face surprise winter bills due to smart meter blunder
A major smart meter glitch will result in surprise bills for some customers
HUNDREDS of EDF Energy customers could face surprise bills this year, after it was revealed that some of the supplier's smart meters have failed to pass on customers' gas and electricity usage.
The issue appears to be caused by a glitch in some of the smart meters rolled out by EDF last November.
The energy firm, which upgraded around 85,000 smart meters last year, said that fewer than one per cent had been affected.
According to the , the smart meters have been failing to pass information on to the paired electricity meter, meaning EDF is being told by customers' meters that there is no gas being used.
The technology website claims that the firm did not contact customers about the glitch.
EDF told The Sun Online that it had written to customers in advance of meters being fitted to warn them of temporary errors but said that "fewer than one per cent of the upgrades" had failed to complete.
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A spokesperson from EDF Energy said: "We are aware that in some rare cases the meters no longer communicate with our systems. Meters that are no longer able to communicate with our systems will continue to record energy consumption accurately.
"We are in the process of identifying whether there are additional actions we can take to fix this issue, and will ensure that all efforts will be taken to ensure the smart meters work as they should.
"This may include replacing the smart meter if necessary."
It said it would be writing to the "small number" of affected customers and would try and resolve the issue for them as quickly as possible.
If EDF does not receive automated meter readings for a customer it will make an estimate, it said.
HOW TO CUT YOUR ENERGY BILL
MOST households in the UK are on standard variable tariffs and paying around £200 a year more than the best fixed deals on the market.
If in doubt, call your provider and call other providers to ask them what their cheapest fixed tariff is.
Better still, use a comparison website, like uSwitch or MoneySupermarket to find the very best deal for you. By switching providers you could save hundreds of pounds a year.
Bear in mind that the amount you pay for your energy varies depending on where you live.
All 26 million homes in the UK are due to have smart meter by 2020 under government legislation revealed in 2015, and it is up to energy suppliers to get them installed.
Though they aren't compulsory, everyone in Britain will be offered a smart meter by their supplier in order to bring an end to estimated bills.
Smart meters are supposed to only give accurate meter readings meaning customers will always get the correct bills, but there have been issues with the roll out of smart meters since it began.
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