Smart meters are used by around 36 million households in the UK to automatically monitor how much gas and electricity they use – but one in 10 is thought to be faulty
Brits are being alerted to the potential risk of a faulty smart meter that could end up costing them more money. It’s estimated that around 36 million households in the UK rely on a smart meter to calculate their energy usage.
However, official figures reveal that about 10 per cent of these smart meters are not functioning as they should. Smart meters, the latest generation of energy meters, automatically track your gas and electricity usage at regular intervals and send this data to your energy supplier for more accurate billing – typically, bills are cheaper with a smart meter installed.
Shockingly, industry regulator Ofgem has disclosed that a significant number of smart meters are unable to send automatic readings to providers, meaning their energy usage is not being effectively tracked. The figures show that among the suppliers with the highest number of faulty meters, British Gas tops the list at 16.3%, closely followed by Scottish Power at 14.5%, and EDF at 12.1%.
Meanwhile, E, Ovo, and Utilita have the lowest number of faulty meters at 2.6%, 5.6%, and 5.8% respectively. Based on these figures, it’s estimated that around 2.6 million households are operating faulty smart meters.
How to tell if your smart meter isn’t working properly
Here’s how to spot if your smart meter is on the blink. The first red flag that your smart meter isn’t functioning correctly is if it fails to display anything on its screen.
Additionally, you might notice that your bills are significantly higher than usual or than what you anticipated based on your usage. Accurate bills should bear a ‘smart’ mark to indicate that they’re derived from your smart meter’s data.
In some instances, they may be marked with an ‘e’, signifying you’re being billed based on an estimate from the provider. If you suspect your smart meter isn’t operating properly, it’s crucial to get in touch with your energy provider promptly so they can dispatch an engineer to inspect and repair it if necessary.
Generally, the repair should be free of charge, however, if your smart meter isn’t faulty, you could still face a fee.