Martin Lewis speaks about letters going out from power suppliers
A fan of Martin Lewis said they had been contacted twice by their supplier
Martin Lewis has sounded the alarm over a letter that energy customers might receive from their supplier. During a recent episode of his BBC podcast, the finance expert tackled some of the top questions he has taken on the podcast over the past year. One question came from a listener whose energy company was pushing them to install a smart meter.
The bill payer was sceptical about having the device fitted due to their “poor reputation”. A frequent gripe about smart meters is that they can go into ‘dumb mode’. This is when the gadget fails to automatically transmit readings to your energy firm as intended.
The person said they’d been approached twice by their gas and electricity company, claiming their electricity meter had “passed its certification date” and that the supplier was legally obliged to replace it. However, the customer remained resolute: “I do not under any circumstances want a smart meter fitted”.
They said they felt there was mounting pressure from suppliers generally to have a smart meter installed. The person questioned whether they could legally decline to have the smart meter installed.
Energy suppliers sending out letters
Responding to the query, the MoneySavingExpert founder revealed he’d been campaigning for smart meter improvements, citing his research showing roughly 20 percent of these devices don’t work properly. On the topic of energy suppliers encouraging their customers to install smart meters, Mr Lewis said: “It is worth noting that energy firms are incentivised to install smart meters and fined if they don’t install enough.
“So you’re right, many of them do push people to get smart meters. I’ve seen many letters that sort of seem to subtly say that you have to have a smart meter, without giving you any choice.
“But you do not. There is nothing that would require you in most circumstances to have a smart meter.” Addressing the specific question about a person’s current electricity meter being outdated, Mr Lewis confirmed this can occur.
He explained: “To understand expiry dates, some meters may have a sticker on, which will say the month and year it was certified, which will give you an idea of how old it is. There is no guarantee the sticker is correct. Sometimes the Office for Product Safety and Standards extends the certified life after carrying out a service, and doesn’t add an update sticker.”
When your supplier can force you to have a smart meter
However, Mr Lewis had some potentially disappointing news for the customer. He said: “In the event that your meter isn’t valid and they are going to fit a new one, yes, they can enforce that you are going to have a smart meter.
“But you have a right, if you wanted to, to ask for it to be put in dumb mode, meaning it will do the same as an old school meter, it won’t be sending the meter readings in and you will continue to provide manual meter readings.”
