Brits are being alerted to the potential risk of a faulty smart meter that could end up costing them more money. It's estimated that around 36 million households in the UK rely on a smart meter to calculate their energy usage. However, official figures reveal that about 10 per cent of these smart meters are not functioning as they should. Smart meters, the latest generation of energy meters, automatically track your gas and electricity usage at regular intervals and send this data to your energy supplier for more accurate billing - typically, bills are cheaper with a smart meter installed.
Shockingly, industry regulator Ofgem has disclosed that a significant number of smart meters are unable to send automatic readings to providers, meaning their energy usage is not being effectively tracked. The figures show that among the suppliers with the highest number of faulty meters, British Gas tops the list at 16.3%, closely followed by Scottish Power at 14.5%, and EDF at 12.1%.
Meanwhile, E, Ovo, and Utilita have the lowest number of faulty meters at 2.6%, 5.6%, and 5.8% respectively. Based on these figures, it's estimated that around 2.6 million households are operating faulty smart meters. Here's how to spot if your smart meter is on the blink. The first red flag that your smart meter isn't functioning correctly is if it fails to display anything on its screen.
