Dynamic electricity pricing plan turns up the heat on scrutiny of smart meters

overdue for replacement. It added that his final meter reading before receiving a smart meter was missing a digit and that the discrepancy could have contributed to previous energy bills with his old supplier being significantly too low if it occurred repeatedly over a long period.

As scrutiny on the meter- reading technology grew following Ofgem’s announcement about dynamic pricing, this newspaper received a flurry of correspondence about smart meters.

Caroline Abrahams, charity director at Age UK, said: “It’s crucial we don’t artificially manufacture a situation whereby older people either end up paying more than they need to, or where they are incentivised not to run their heating.”

Ross Anderson, professor of security engineering at Cambridge University, said switching supplier or a customer’s house can impact on the effectiveness of smart meters. “In a significant minority of cases the companies just get it wrong, and this means they end up charging thousands of pounds too much or thousands of pounds too little,” he said.

A Smart Energy GB spokesman said: “We know that most people have a very positive experience with their smart meter, but we also understand the frustration felt by some whose meter may be temporarily operating without all of its smart features.

“If your smart meter is not sending automatic readings to your supplier, please be reassured that it will still be recording your energy use correctly. We would recommend that you send your supplier meter readings to make sure you receive accurate, rather than estimated, bills until all of the features of your smart meter have been restored.”

A spokesman for EDF said: “We are sorry to hear about the problems Mr Thomsett has been facing. We’ve since been in contact with Mr Thomsett to address the concerns raised. Whilst the Energy Ombudsman completed a review of the complaint in June 2023 and ruled the energy use is correct, we understand the frustration of Mr Thomsett and until a satisfactory resolution has been reached, we have stopped all debt related follow up. We will continue to work with Mr Thomsett and hope to reach a resolution.”

A spokesman for Octopus Energy said: “Customers love smart meters – they are the key to unlocking bargains in energy. Octopus customers on our smart tariffs and smart schemes save hundreds of pounds a year by shifting energy usage out of peak times. So far, our customers have saved over £100m this way.”