British Gas customers face £175 bill for smart meters

BRITISH GAS customers who wrongly argue their smart meter is faulty could be at risk of a penalty charge.

Customers who request an engineer over concerns their bills could be incorrect face a £175 bill if no fault is found, The Telegraph understands. If an error is identified, the meter will be replaced free of charge.

It comes amid warnings households are being hit with shock energy bills as 4m smart meters are not working properly. Last year 37pc of smart meter customers surveyed by Smart Energy GB – the company that is rolling out the devices nationally – reported having issues with their smart meters.

The National Audit Office said problems included a failure to submit automatic readings, inaccurate bills and blank displays.

Lady Irvine, 89, who lives in Morpeth, Northumberland, said that when she discovered her energy costs were “far higher” than those of neighbours she began to question her smart meter.

“I called British Gas and they said I could take a meter reading each month.

“My meter is outside on an outside wall and it is outside the level or my perifocal so I would have had to sit on a stall outside with a magnifying glass.” In December last year she requested a visit from an engineer to check the meter, but was told the cost would be £175 if the meter was working correctly so instead she moved providers.

The number of “dumb” smart meters is up from a previous estimate of 2.7m, following revisions to official statistics released by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero published last month. Broken smart meters do not provide consumers with an accurate reflection of how much energy they have used and can lead to incorrect charges appearing on plug-in displays.

Octopus Energy, the third largest energy provider in the country, charges customers £80 if they are called out to check a meter and no issues are found.

However, the supplier said the charge is decided on a case-by-case basis and the customer’s circumstances are taken into consideration.

Scottish Power households face no charge when they request a smart meter inspection, regardless of whether or not a fault is found. EDF and Eon declined to comment on any charges.

In December, artist Grayson Perry complained of a £39,000 bill he received on a smart meter. In the same month, broadcaster Jon Sopel revealed his device handed him a £19,274 bill.

British Gas said the £175 charge is applied on a case-by-case basis. The supplier declined to comment.