Energy suppliers are using a scare tactic to ‘trick’ households into getting a smart meter, Money Mail can reveal.
Homes across the country have been receiving letters warning them that their old meter has passed its ‘best-before’ date – and comparing it to rotting food.
Octopus Energy has been bombarding customers who do not have a smart meter with emails over the past two months, which read: ‘Your electricity meter has now reached the end of its certification period… We are required by law under the Electricity Act 1989 to get your meter replaced…’
Confusion: Regulator Ofgem could not say if old electricity meters must be replaced after a certain number of years
For those mystified by what this ‘certification period’ means, the Octopus website goes on to state: ‘Just like food, each electricity meter is given a ‘best-before’ date when manufactured.’
But electrician Mike Redfern-Jones, of Denbigh, North Wales, who has been fitting energy meters for more than 30 years, says: ‘They are tricking people into switching by using food comparison scare tactics that make absolutely no sense.
‘We are not talking about a string of sausages or sliced bread, but a sturdy piece of equipment that can last for decades without any trouble.’
He adds: ‘Traditional meters just never seem to go wrong. The only problem we have had is with the first generation of smart meters that have stopped working because the technology was rolled out before it was ready.’
According to the Food Standards Agency, ‘best before’ relates to quality. ‘After the best-before date listed on a product, the food will be safe to eat but may not be at its best,’ it says.
This is separate to the ‘use-by’ date, which is to do with food safety. The agency makes it clear that it does not compare food quality to that of electrical goods.
When asked whether old traditional meters have a best-before date, energy regulator Ofgem could not give a clear answer.
The first versions of so-called smart meters have been widely criticised for going ‘dumb’ once you try to switch supplier.
Confused: Electrician Mike Redfern-Jones said Octopus Energy’s scare tactics make absolutely no sense
This is when they can still record consumption but can’t send automatic readings to suppliers. About one in ten smart meters fitted does not work properly, according to government figures.
Two thirds of the 30million homes in Britain have so far agreed to have smart meters installed following a £224million advertising campaign.
They show households’ energy consumption in real time, which means meter readings are no longer required and there is a lower risk of shock bills.
The Government wants every home in Britain to have this new reading equipment installed and requires suppliers to offer it to their customers.
Emma Bradford, 49, from Rutland, was shocked to learn that her old meter was past its best-before date in a letter she received from her supplier Octopus.
Ms Bradford, a technical support manager, says she asked Octopus to provide evidence about why her old meter was supposedly out of date.
The energy firm backed down and admitted she did not have to change the meter if she didn’t want to, she says.
Ms Bradford adds: ‘Clearly, they are not trying to save us money – they just want to make more for themselves. We are being forced on to smart meters so that suppliers can read our hourly use to enable them to charge variable tariffs, with higher levies in busy times.’
Switched off: Emma Bradford received a letter from Octopus Energy claiming her meter was out of date and had to be replaced. But the company backed down when she asked for proof
Mr Redfern-Jones believes a key reason suppliers are so keen for people to have a smart meter is because it saves them money.
They do not have to send out staff to read smart meters as it is done via remote signals sent from the unit.
Industry body Smart Energy GB admits ‘time-of-use’ tariffs are part of the appeal of smart meters, as they allow suppliers to see how much energy you are using every half hour. With this information, they can charge different tariffs at different times of the day.
Not all suppliers have embraced this, but among those that have is Octopus. Its ‘Agile’ service charges anything from less than 3p per kilowatt hour (kWh) during the night to £1 per kWh in the evening, when people are most likely to use power.
Another Octopus customer, a 68-year-old from Rochdale in Greater Manchester who asked not to be named, was told her electric meter certification period had ended earlier this year – despite her meter only being installed in 2017.
Mike Kelly, 82, of Bury, Greater Manchester, has received emails from Octopus pressuring him to switch to a smart meter.
The retired company manager says: ‘Trying to tell us a meter has a sell-by date like rotting food is simply ridiculous. We are being treated like fools.’
Octopus is not the only supplier that has adopted such tactics to get customers to switch. Eon was forced to apologise to customers two years ago after wrongly claiming older meters were not safe and had to be replaced with smart ones.
Scottish Energy customers have also contacted Money Mail saying the supplier has told them their meters need replacing.
Dumb meters: About one in ten smart meters fitted does not work properly, according to Government figures
Sarah Lloyd, 58, of Derby, says: ‘Scottish Energy will just not leave me alone – having emailed, texted, written letters and even knocked on my door this year demanding I switch to a smart meter.’
The civil servant, whose name has been changed, adds: ‘The latest trick, which started in the summer, is claiming my traditional meter is coming to the end of its life.’
Ofgem was unable to clarify whether the Electricity Act 1989 requires energy meters to be replaced by smart meters.
Instead, the watchdog suggested contacting the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero for details. This department suggested that yet another Government department was responsible – the Office for Product Safety and Standards.
A Government spokesman says: ‘Electricity meters need replacing after their certification period, usually a period of between ten and 20 years… Smart meters are offered as the default where a meter needs replacing, as they help families manage their energy use and save money on their bills – but are not mandatory and a customer can refuse to have one installed at any time.’
An Octopus Energy spokesman says: ‘When customers approach the expiration date of their traditional meter, we are required by Ofgem to contact them and offer a replacement.
‘We can install a new meter without the ‘communications hub’ if the customer requests it. This set up allows the smart meter to function in ‘dumb mode’.’
An Ofgem spokesman said: ‘Suppliers are responsible for providing meters that offer the best outcome for consumers. We expect them to strike a balance between customers’ individual circumstances, safety and functionality issues.’
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