Lots of TV and radio ads urging us to get a smart meter. I am in favour but I would like to share my negative experience.

Smart meters (SMET) have 2 benefits:

1) You are given a display which shows you where you are using energy. Useful if you have kids always leaving things on in their bedroom and costing you money.

2) You don't have to read the meters. Useful if you have to scramble around under the stairs.

I live in a block of flats my gas meter is in the flower bed outside my flat. My electric meter is under the stairs. Scottish power have been bugging me to get an SMET. As getting access to my meters is a pain I booked an appointment.

Engineer turned up and straight away said no can do. Energy companies are currently installing SMET1 meters. The gas and electrical meters need to be close together (mine aren't) and they need to be close to your home (mine aren't). He also said that if I changed supplier the new company would need to install new meters as SMET1 meters are not transferable. I do change supplier.

Great so the government urges us to switch suppliers and also urges us to get smart meters which are specific to the supplier. Usual joined up thinking.

Anyway the engineer suggested I wait for the new meter which is due out in 2018 called an SMET2. Apparently this will solve the distance issue and is fully transferable between energy companies. There is a card which the new supplier just changes.

My suggestion is wait for the SMET2. Hopefully this information will be of use to those with similar circumstance.

One more point

I had the same experience a few weeks back.

The Voice of Reason In An Otherwise Mediocre World

You also need to have a very strong signal within your home. My meters are in the basement and neither provide a reading as the signal down there is very poor.

I used to be immortal

its the dumbing down thing again!