Which bit do you think is inaccurate?

  - Andy.

What evidence do they have that my meter that was installed about 10 years ago when i had it moved is suddenly inaccurate. Are they going to offer me some money back because they might have over charged me. Are they going to swap my new smart meter in 10 years time. I think not.

Gary

What evidence do they have that my meter that was installed about 10 years ago when i had it moved is suddenly inaccurate.

They don't. But equally they no longer have a piece of paper saying it's reasonable that they can assume it's still accurate. Rather like a pot of yoghurt at the supermarket that's a day or two past its use by date - they have no evidence that it's actually unfit to eat - but for the sake of administration it's easier/safer to assume the worst. This is nothing new, they're been regularly periodically replacing meters (both gas and electric) for as long as I can remember. In the old days they'd often refurbish & recalibrate mechanical meters and re-install them somewhere else, but I suspect that's gone the way of TV repairs.

Are they going to swap my new smart meter in 10 years time.

Nope. They'll do it in 20 years. Mechanical meters are normally certified for 10 years these days, ones with no moving parts for 20. I think that's been the case since the 1990s.

   - Andy.

Don't forget the smart meter roll-out is Government orders - not the energy suppliers.

Two ways of avoiding them: (1) if you use enough gas, they cannot fit a smart meter; (2) I think that they do now exist, but 3-phase ones weren't around when I had my supply put in.

If there was a smart tariff to go with a smart meter, I'd happily have one.

The main reason i don't want one is it used to make it difficult to change suppliers. certainly last time we changed, 4 or 5 years ago, the first question i was asked was do i have a smart meter as it made things difficult.

Gary

The main reason i don't want one is it used to make it difficult to change suppliers.

That was true of the old SMETS 1 ones as they were tied to your initial supplier's data network - the newer SMETS 2 ones all communicate with a common data network for all suppliers - so it makes no difference now if you switch suppliers. Anything fitted now will be SMETS 2 and existing SMETS 1 ones are gradually being upgraded.

   - Andy.

For one thing, the remote display is only a 'best guess' in £ & p, and not what you are actually using at the time, nor what your final bill will be.Many have tried to bring claims against suppliers by stating that 'the meter thing on the sideboard says I owe you a lot less than what you say, so something's wrong with my meter and I want a refund'.

This is met with the response 'Dear xxxx, your remote display is only indicative and and not an absolute. We can charge you what we think you have used rather than what the meter reads.See the small print.