Charge for changing an existing meter and not a smart meter?

Once you have a smart meter you will lose complete control since there is no competition and nothing to really stop them automatically switching you to a premium rate as and when they please.

How do you mean? I thought you'd still free to swap suppliers/tariffs once you have a smart meter - and any recent one will be SMETS2 and so be able to communicate with your new supplier just the same. Once fixed contracts are over you'd yet plonked on a standard variable just the same - having an old meter won't prevent that. If anything the option of more favourable tariffs (remember the free electricity on Saturday or Sunday one?) will only be available if you did have a smart meter.

   - Andy.

Once you have a smart meter you will lose complete control since there is no competition and nothing to really stop them automatically switching you to a premium rate as and when they please.

How do you mean? I thought you'd still free to swap suppliers/tariffs once you have a smart meter - and any recent one will be SMETS2 and so be able to communicate with your new supplier just the same. Once fixed contracts are over you'd yet plonked on a standard variable just the same - having an old meter won't prevent that. If anything the option of more favourable tariffs (remember the free electricity on Saturday or Sunday one?) will only be available if you did have a smart meter.

   - Andy.

No competition in the mktplace thanks to OFGEN. So no competitive tarriffs available right now. And I can't see this improving any time soon.

See my latest post here -

 https://engx.theiet.org/f/discussions/28618/turning-off-costs-why 

And there's worse to come.

Britain’s power networks need at least £54 billion of investment to connect up new offshore wind farms this decade, according to National Grid.

Hundreds of miles of onshore cabling will need to be built as part of the plans set out yesterday, which would represent the biggest investment in Britain’s electricity transmission networks since the 1960s.

The proposals were published by National Grid ESO, the FTSE 100 group’s electricity system operator, which is responsible for keeping the lights on and advising on the design of the power network. Subject to Ofgem approval the upgrades will be built by companies including National Grid, ScottishPower and SSE, and their costs levied on household bills.

The ESO said this approach had become untenable as ministers pursued a five-fold increase in offshore wind capacity to 50 gigawatts this decade.

The proposed “holistic network design” is the first time there has been a co-ordinated plan for connecting offshore wind farms and ensuring that the power gets from where it is generated to where it is needed. The plans cover the connection of 23 gigawatts of new wind farms, requiring £32 billion of new offshore infrastructure. The ESO is still working on plans to connect up further new projects. The plans also cover onshore grid upgrades worth £22 billion to accommodate the full 50 gigawatts target capacity.

A number of new onshore lines have already been proposed but ESO said the network would need further reinforcement with new links from North to South Wales, across northern Scotland, and from Lincolnshire to Hertfordshire. These routes are yet to be decided and could be partially offshore.

ESO said its proposals would save consumers £5.5 billion compared with continuing the unco-ordinated approach. However, the proposals — which had been delayed because of concerns about opposition from MPs — were immediately criticised by campaigners against new pylons.