Everyone wants to save money on daily essentials such as electricity and gas; however, it appears that the Big Six providers – Scottish Power, British Gas, E.ON, EDF Energy, SSE and npower – may be blocking consumers from adopting the most economical tariffs if they do not have smart meters in their homes.
The fine print
According to Migrate, a switching service, the Big Six have varying conditions or clauses relating to smart meter installation that must be fulfilled to enjoy the best rates. Smart meters are designed to help consumers to monitor and modify their energy usage to reduce bills and get better value from their power supplies. These meters send accurate energy readings to the suppliers to eliminate the guesswork involved in estimating energy usage.
The cheapest tariffs could enable some households to save more than £200 a year on their energy bills from most of the big suppliers. The original deadline for suppliers offering their customers smart meters was 2020; however, this deadline has now been extended to 2024. A report in the Guardian explains more about the progress – or lack of progress – made with the smart meter rollout.
Many households have not been able to have smart meters installed, which means they may be missing out on the best tariffs and the savings these deliver. A spokesperson from Migrate said that it was unacceptable that consumers who do not have smart meters may be missing out on the tariffs that deliver the best value.
Big savings
While a cheaper tariff could save you a great deal of money on your energy bills, a replacement electric meter box could enhance the appearance of your home. Replacement meter boxes are available from providers such as https://www.meterbox.co.uk/electric-meter-boxes, which will be happy to give you guidance and advice.
Delays to the rollout of smart meter installations are no doubt disappointing and frustrating for many consumers. Knowing that they are also missing out on savings simply because they do not have a smart meter installed will surely be another source of distress. Reliable and competitively priced energy is vital to living a comfortable domestic life, with obstacles to obtaining the best value on utilities potentially making the lives of hardworking families more difficult.
