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Around 4 million smart meter owners are facing issues with their devices, Uswitch.com has claimed.
In research published today (29 August) the price comparison and switching service said a third (31 per cent) of households with the devices have reported problems since installation.
A total of 39 per cent said they had problems with smart displays not working while 32 per cent said their device “went dumb” after switching energy supplier. Some (13 per cent) even reported meters ceasing to function entirely.
Of those with second-generation (SMETS2) devices, 33 per cent said they encountered issues after installation.
One in five said they had been offered a SMETS1 device since March – after the cut-off point for these devices to count towards installation targets.
However despite the problems, 29 per cent said the devices have helped them reduce energy bills which is up from 16 per cent in 2018.
Responding to the research Robert Cheesewright, director of corporate affairs at Smart Energy GB, 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“As more and more smart meters are installed, we are all playing a part to upgrade and decarbonise our outdated energy system.”
According to the latest information from the Data Communications Company (DCC), more than 1.8 million SMETS2 devices have been installed so far. The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) is expected to release the latest stats for all devices later today.
Rik Smith, energy expert at Uswitch, said: “While it’s great to see smart meters improving energy habits and helping consumers to save on their bills, there are still far too many issues with the rollout which are damaging consumer confidence in the whole scheme.
“There is a real opportunity to build more confidence in smart meters now, if households are given the right information to make the most of their new device, and if they’re only offered a second-generation meter which shouldn’t go dumb if they switch supplier.
“But 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.”
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