Millions of smart meters might have to be ripped as they don’t support supplier switching

Close to four million smart meters already deployed in customers’ homes may need to be ripped out and replaced as they won’t support a supplier switch, a recent media investigation has been able to reveal.

The Government has promised to launch a new system to fix the problem so that all customers can switch provider without issue, but it has been repeatedly delayed. And now, an official report has claimed that their plan may not work for all of the meters affected.

Main problem here is that there are two types of meters — Smets1 and Smets2. The older smart meter version, Smets1, typically stops working when customers change provider because different firms are using different technology which is not always compatible.

This forces customers to choose between switching to a cheaper deal and losing the benefits of their smart meter, or remaining on a more expensive tariff.

The more advanced Smets2, on the other hand, will allow you to switch supplier without any issues. Suppliers were supposed to begin installing the newer version in 2014, but a series of delays meant they did not begin until 2017.

As a result, providers have ended up fitting a total of 12.5 million of the older style meters.

The government has promised a solution to this issues, but the new Smart Data Communications Company (Smart DCC) service has been repeatedly delayed. The latest start date is May 2019, but ‘there is risk of further delay’, according to an official report by the spending watchdog.

HeatingSave – leading developers of Smart Energy Monitoring and Management Systems

If you would like to accurately monitor your energy usage but you don’t want to find yourself tied to a single supplier via their smart meter, then the HeatingSave energy monitoring system should be the solution of choice.

The HeatingSave Building Energy Monitor is a wireless management system that collects information from sensors placed in a building. It is unobtrusive and causes minimal disruption during installation. The system collects internal and external temperature data, along with information on how the heating system works and details of energy use. It also monitors the way a building is used in terms of its occupancy and the occupants’ activities and lifestyles.

Using a password protected standard WiFi connection, sensors can quickly be set up to review and quantitatively analyse the data with user-friendly software graphics, via a laptop, PC, mobile phone or tablet-based device.

A cable connection to the building router also enables data to be uploaded to HeatingSave’s cloud storage servers, where it can be analysed by sophisticated software. This provides a clear understanding of the real impact of energy efficiency measures, for example through pre-installation analysis and post-installation monitoring.

Building owners can access their energy usage details online to help them manage energy use more efficiently. This information is presented using a dashboard system that provides consolidated and drill down views of the energy use data.

Uniquely to HeatingSave, with only a few modifications, the Energy Monitor can also be used for controlling heating and electricity consumption within a dwelling, for even better savings.

If you’d like to find out more about the HeatingSave Building Energy Monitor and just how easily it can be deployed within any home, just contact us, and we’ll be more than happy to answer any of your questions and queries.