Smart move or bleeping nuisance?

More than 14 million smart meters have now been installed across Britain – but still teething troubles continue.

The latest figures show that about 903,000 homes in Scotland now have the digital devices fitted.

But for some, the confusion about the gadgets goes on.

Raw Deal recently highlighted the case of 79-year-old Peggy George from Dundee, who started receiving power bills for more than £2,000. It turned out one of her smart meters was faulty.

Another reader received a whopping £2,500 refund from his gas supplier. He had been tearing his hair out for more than a year after he kept getting eye-watering bills for his house in Selkirk.

Customers have also been reporting issues with both the smart box, which normally sits with your fuse box, and the in-home display, which is the visible unit.

Some have complained that their smart meter loses connection, the weather seems to affect it, or it beeps all the time.

The smart meter rollout campaign, which aims to see one of the devices in every UK household, will miss its

2024 deadline because the government is underestimating how many people are saying no, a recent report claimed.

Smart Energy GB, the organisation tasked with informing people about the benefits of the gadgets, is encouraging people to make the switch.

Its latest ambassador is Carol Vorderman, who, before finding fame on TV, worked as an engineer on a power generation construction site.

Carol said: “I grew up needing coins for the immersion heater meter which was its own kind of electricity conservation, although we didn’t see it like that at the time.

“Smart meters take the new generation of energy usage to an intelligent level, and will update our energy system.”