British Gas, Eon and Npower ‘blackmail’ customers into getting smart meters by withholding cheapest deals
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ENERGY firms have been accused of "blackmailing" customers by blocking them from the cheapest tariffs if they refuse to install a smart meter.
Customers who turn one down are then offered a deal that costs hundreds of pounds more, according to research by switching service Migrate.
Smart meters automatically send up to date readings to allow customers to pay for their exact usage rather than with estimated bills.
Suppliers must offer one to every household by 2020 but the roll-out has been hit by delays leaving suppliers to come up with other ways to convince customers to get one.
The cheapest tariff for gas and electric at British Gas - Britain's biggest supplier with 12 million customers - was £954 a year on average in August.
But you will only be accepted if you agree to install a smart meter "within three months".
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Cordelia Samson, energy expert at uSwitch.com, says: "Households shouldn't feel like they are being pushed to install smart meters just to meet government quotas, so it needs to be clear whether a smart meter is obligatory when people sign up.
"Switching to an energy deal with a smart meter can have many advantages in terms of cost and helping households use less energy.
"But consumer choice is the most important thing and customers should continue to shop around if they're unhappy with the way they're being treated."
A spokesperson for British Gas told The Sun that the smart meter deal is no longer available.
They added: "We regularly refresh our tariffs, and sometimes a deal may require smart meters. If a customer isn’t eligible for smart meters then they can stay on the tariff."
Npower did not wish to comment. The Sun has reached out to Scottish Power.
It comes a few months after The Sun revealed how customers are being "pressured" into getting a smart meter with perks to encourage switching.
More than half of energy customers with a smart meter found that the devices failed when they switched supplier.
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