Do I have to accept a Smart Meter?

Do I have to accept a Smart Meter?

14:44 PM, 28th October 2020, About 4 years ago 50

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My new tenant wants to have a smart meter installed. I’m not so sure as they have been problematic and not always able to give accurate readings plus some suppliers don’t like taking on new customers with these.

I would therefore prefer her not to.

I understand that we can’t legally say no, but can I insist she changes it back to a normal meter when she leaves so the next tenant does not have any issues? If she doesn’t can I take the cost to revert back out of her deposit?

Many thanks

Reluctant Landlord


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Comments

Porky

11:08 AM, 29th October 2020, About 4 years ago

As Ron H-W points out the after market energy monitors do not accurately measure inductive load consumption as they do not take account of phase angle between voltage and current however unless your tenant is running heavy duty induction motors or dozens of fluorescent lights the error is not going to be that great. The good thing is the error should always be that the monitor records more than the meter.

Gunga Din

11:28 AM, 29th October 2020, About 4 years ago

I'm instinctively suspicious of them but have rolled over in a few instances so as to get Utilita's no standing charge tariff during void periods (which for me are significant because I'm fortunate enough to be able to be fussy about tenant selection). I also accept the benefits of smart meters for keeping tabs on the landlord supplies (I don't live in the vicinity of the properties).

Another plus - not having to commit to sitting around for a morning or a'noon to let the meter fitter in. Happy to let the tenant do that.

Reluctant Landlord

11:33 AM, 29th October 2020, About 4 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Gunga Din at 29/10/2020 - 11:28
I did wonder about void periods...I'm finding it impossible to get a zero standing charge rate now with any supplier. I did get previously with Opus but that contract came to an end and looking for the same is non existent.
Think I'll stick with prepayment meters and reiterate the no meter change/ smart meter installation clause already in the TA for the time being.

Bemused

11:46 AM, 29th October 2020, About 4 years ago

Most of my tenants don't ask for permission - I just find out when they leave. I hate them as the initial reading is never given to me apart from being impossible to read. I now have it written into the contract that a first generation meter is not permitted. (These are the ones tied to particular suppliers.)

Bemused

11:50 AM, 29th October 2020, About 4 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Roger P at 29/10/2020 - 09:47
I put it in the contract that I don't permit 1st generation smart meters

Bemused

11:52 AM, 29th October 2020, About 4 years ago

Reply to the comment left by WP at 29/10/2020 - 11:33
I think the government has vetoed no standing charge contracts?

Bemused

11:55 AM, 29th October 2020, About 4 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Rennie at 29/10/2020 - 10:14
You can unplug an energy monitor, but not a meter. The smart meter is the real meter and is what we traditionally consider as a gas or electric meter. The other is a small device that has a clip around a wire on the electricity supply. The energy monitor is a useful device for assessing energy usage of a property and I have used them where I suspected electric heaters were being used as an alternative to setting up the central heating system timer.

Bemused

11:57 AM, 29th October 2020, About 4 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Paul Shears at 29/10/2020 - 10:23
If you want to know how much electric you are using then a device such as that you can buy from Efergy will give you a consumption reading. It's cute as you can see graphs of usage over time. You have to switch appliances on and off to see which one is using what, but overall I like mine at home as it gives me a good idea of my baseline energy usage and my heavy use appliances.

Rennie

12:06 PM, 29th October 2020, About 4 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Ron H-W at 29/10/2020 - 10:41
Thank you so much for clarifying that

Ron H-W

12:14 PM, 29th October 2020, About 4 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Dancinglandlord at 29/10/2020 - 11:52
See https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/requirement_to_introduce_a_stand
OFGEM apparently requires that there be (separate) a daily standing charge and a unit rate - neither of which can vary according to the amount consumed.
HOWEVER, there is nothing to stop the daily standing charge from being zero.
In pracice, though, zero-standing-charge is becomning very difficult to find, especially now that Ebico's senior partner Robin Hood Energy will soon become inactive.
Please note that, even with prepayment, there is still a daily standing charge - which (if not zero) presumably will be taken once prepayment is made available, for any days without a card. So not only will WP's new tenants be (normally) paying at a higher rate than with a credit meter, but they might also find themselves paying for part of the standing charge attributable to the void period, which would be rather unfair!

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