![]() Some smart meters have a colour display indicating whether your energy usage is in a green, orange or red zone. While the average consumer is well-versed in pennies and pounds, kilowatt-hours and other energy terms can be difficult to decipher for most elderly and vulnerable customers. One of the potential disadvantages of smart meters comes with understanding how to read and use your smart meter monitor, know as an in home display or IHD. While your supply won’t get cut off, this could lead to inaccurate or delayed energy bills and confusion amongst your household. To the previous point on poor signals, if you get weak mobile coverage in the area you live, this can sometimes stop your smart meter from sending readings at all. If you live in certain rural areas or those notorious for having bad mobile phone signals, the chances are that a smart meter may struggle to work in your house. Smart meters communicate with energy suppliers using mobile technology (network coverage) and a weak signal can disrupt this connection. Poor signal prevents the smart meter from working That will allow you to access a larger selection of great energy deals, while keeping up with the latest smart meter technology. To avoid getting into this situation, we recommend waiting to be offered an up to date second generation smart meter and declining to allow your supplier to install a SMETS1 meter. Once this done, you might further find that many energy suppliers only offer their best energy deals to customers on certain meter types. It should be simple, right? Unfortunately however SMETS1 meters first need to be updated to be able to keep their smart meter functionality. If you’ve had a first generation meter installed, you may want to switch suppliers when it’s time to get a new deal. Switching energy suppliers becomes difficult The SMETS2 second generation of meters which were installed starting in 2018 overcome this problem, although there may still be an short period during which your smart meter will temporarily lose its smart functionality during a switch. Annoying? Yes, that is why SMETS1 meters are no longer being installed. These first generation smart meters only send readings automatically to the supplier who installed it. The most common cause of this is that you had a SMETS1 smart meter. ![]() If you’ve got a smart meter and recently switched energy supplier, you may find that your meter has lost its smart functionality. If any of these smart meter problems ring true, it might be time to give your energy supplier a call. Top 10 smart meter problemsĭespite their benefits, issues with smart meters can range from their mismanaged rollout to the installation in your home. ![]() While smart meters are certainly useful in keeping track of your energy consumption, we think that it's worth being aware of some of the most important disadvantages you may encounter if you're considering installing a smart meter. With the smart meter rollout across the UK being in full swing, energy suppliers are emphasising the many ways in which a new meter can help with accurate bills, and even saving money. ![]()
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