. . . but John reckons they can blow up your home. So who’s right?

JOHN SWANSON, 65, refuses to have a smart meter in his home until the devices are proven to be safe. He’s worried that shoddy installations are leading to gas leaks and fires. Last year alone, 366 dangerous gas incidents and 64 electrical safety issues were reported to the Health and Safety Executive after smart meters were fitted.

This is a tiny minority of the almost five million smart meters installed last year — but that’s no comfort to John.

‘Energy companies and the Government look at the big picture and say: “It’s only a few hundred homes”,’ he says.

‘But I only own one house — and if there’s even the smallest chance that it could be burned to the ground or blown to smithereens because meters aren’t being fitted properly, why would I take the risk?’

Some safety experts say the rollout has given engineers the chance to replace ageing analogue meters that have dangerous wiring or fuse boxes.

Smart Energy GB, the independent group set up to oversee the meter rollout, says installers flagged up more than 270,000 safety issues with old meters last year alone.

But John says the rush to fit the smart meters is dangerous. Suppliers are struggling to meet the 2020 target for putting the devices into all our homes — and he worries the engineers are in too much of a hurry.

John is one of hundreds of readers who have written to Money Mail saying they don’t want a meter in their home. Their reasons vary from safety fears to concerns about privacy or their data falling into the wrong hands. Others say they worry about the effects on their health.

Another common objection is the thought of a power firm being able to cut off your supply remotely.

John takes a monthly reading and sends it to First Utility, his provider, via its website each month. He lives alone in a fivebedroom property and only ever heats the room he’s in.

‘I don’t want to be patronised by a company that I pay for a service,’ he says. ‘How smart do you need to be to read a meter or work out how to save on your energy bills?

‘I know some meters are in awkward spots, but perhaps time and money should be spent on moving them to a more convenient place, rather than on new technology.’

Dozens of homeowners tell us they are refusing a smart meter because they fear their security could be jeopardised.

In truth, some of these concerns are unfounded. For example, the only detail the devices capture and store is a figure showing how much energy a home has used — and this is encrypted. Your name, address, bank account and other financial details are not stored or transmitted.

Even so, sceptics worry that if a burglar got hold of data about how and when you use energy, they might be able to work out when your house is empty and when you’re on holiday. In reality, most meters as standard send a total monthly usage figure to suppliers just once a month.

You must then choose if you want your data sent more frequently. This can be as often as daily or even every halfan-hour — which would be necessary if you wanted a tariff where prices varied during the day or at weekends. If this data got into the wrong hands, it could be used nefariously.

SECURITY experts say it’s also possible that the smart meters could be infected with a computer virus. This could spread to other devices in your home if they’re connected. The fear is that a hacker or foreign power could then cut your supply.

In the Royal Academy of Engineering’s evidence to the Science and Technology Committee, experts say the threat of cyber attacks is ‘real and pressing’. It said hackers could try to steal electricity or disrupt supply.

However, the Government says it has worked with security experts, including the National Cyber Security Centre, and is confident in its robust security for the smart metering system. So far, there is no evidence of hackers targeting smart meters or the information being used by criminals.

It’s also possible for a supplier to switch off your power supply remotely if you have a smart meter. However, they have no more legal powers to disconnect you than with the oldstyle meters.

Providers say they will only do so very rarely, such as when a customer is in serious debt to the company.

But that reassurance isn’t enough for the likes of Bob Ashton, 74, from Devon. He says: ‘The devices could be hacked, so I’d rather stick with an analogue meter and know where I stand.

‘My other concern is that once firms have your data, they’re going to use it to make a profit. They’ll start charging more at peak times, which is unfair. And, all of a sudden, a company and its engineers will know when you’re away on holiday and all the lights are off.’

Currently, the meters lose their smart functions if you move to another supplier for a cheaper tariff. One Money Mail reader, Peter, from Wokingham, found his smart meter was rendered useless when he moved from First Utility to Utility Point.

‘It’s a major flaw in the system,’ he says. ‘This project is costing customers a hell of a lot of money and it’s not delivering much.’

Almost all the meters installed so far are so-called first-generation devices known as ‘Smets I’.

They will need to be upgraded so they are able to transmit information to a range of energy companies. Until then, you have to choose between keeping the smart functions or moving to cheaper tariff if there is a price hike or your fixed tariff ends.

The second generation meters — so-called ‘Smets II’ — can be switched between suppliers. But, so far, just 290 have been installed in homes because of teething problems with the technology.

Peter says: ‘I had visions of just filling in a few online forms to switch and the meter doing the rest of the work. It’s turned out to be a big letdown.’ Other readers are convinced the radio waves coming from their smart meter are causing health problems. They report unpleasant symptoms that they attribute to the radiation.

One reader, who asked not to be named, says she has developed chronic migraines since her meter was installed last year. Health officials say the level of radiation the devices emit is less than that of a mobile phone or wi-fi connection and is perfectly safe. A report by Public Health England found smart meters did not pose any significant health risks.