One in three homes suffering with smart meter problems as energy firms slammed for holding back cheapest tariffs
ONE in three households report problems with their smart meter but those who don't want one are paying hundreds more every year for their energy bills.
That's according to new research by comparison site uSwitch, which found issues ranging from smart displays not working (39 per cent) to devices going dumb after switching (32 per cent).
One in ten (13 per cent), meanwhile, found their meter stopped working completely.
And a third (33 per cent) of households with second generation “SMETS2” meters, which were not expected to experience technical problems, also encountered issues.
Smart meters are a device you have installed in your home instead of your normal gas or electricity meter that automatically sends meter readings to your supplier.
You also get a gadget with it that tells you how much energy you're using throughout the day, with the idea that you'll more easily be able to see how to cut costs.
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Energy companies have been forced by the government to offer smart meters to all household by 2020 and it's hoped 50million will take them up.
But they've been riddled with problems since their rollout and according the government's latest data, as of March 2019, just 15.97million have been installed in homes.
And only 1.9million second generation smart meters, which are supposed to continue working if you switch energy supplier, have been installed.
uSwitch found that one in five (20 per cent) smart meter owners say they have been offered a first generation smart meter device (SMETS1) since March.
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Rik Smith, energy expert at uSwitch.com, said: “People say that they’re still being offered first generation meters, despite the legacy of them going wrong and the risk they will go dumb when someone changes to a different provider.
"The lack of clarity around when these SMETS1 devices will work seamlessly with multiple suppliers is losing the scheme the advocates it desperately needs.
"Energy companies should only be offering second generation meters to their customers, which will give them peace of mind that it should stay smart if they switch.”
More than a fifth (22 per cent) of homes feel pressured into taking out a smart meter, although this is down from 30 per cent in 2018.
And just 29 per cent feel smart meters have helped them reduce energy bills.
Energy firms have also come under fire for offering the cheapest tariffs to smart meter customers.
Customers of the Big Six energy firms could be up to £242 worse off a year if they don't have a smart meter.
Earlier this month, British Gas, Eon and Npower were accused of "blackmailing" customers into getting smart meters by withholding the cheapest deals.
That said, the cheapest smart meter tariff on the market is £945 a year while the cheapest non-smart meter tariff is £99 less at £846.
More on energy bills
Robert Cheesewright, director of corporate affairs at Smart Energy GB, the campaign group behind the smart meter rollout, said: “It’s great that smart meter owners say they are using their devices to save more than £100 a year.
"Thousands of second generation smart meters are being rolled out every day – in the coming days the two millionth second generation meter will have been installed.
"As more and more smart meters are installed, we are all playing a part to upgrade and decarbonise our outdated energy system.”
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