Why won't power firms repair our broken smart meters? trends now
Raymond Edgell and his wife Sandra decided to get a smart meter fitted last August.
Their old gas and electricity meters in their home in Harefield, near Uxbridge, were in a cupboard under the stairs. And the couple — who are both in their 70s — were increasingly finding it a pain to take regular meter readings.
The new 'smart' device promised to send readings to their supplier, Scottish Power, automatically and ensure their bills would always be accurate.
Meter rage: Official figures published yesterday show that 3.2 million customers have smart meters that do not function as they should
Even better, the couple would receive a gadget with a screen that would show exactly how much power they were using each day.
But seven months later, the device doesn't work. In fact, it never has. Raymond, 78, a retired postman, estimates that he's tried to call Scottish Power 150 times over the intervening months to no avail.
Official figures published yesterday show that he is one of 3.2 million customers whose smart meter does not function as it should.
Money Mail's postbag is stuffed with letters from readers who, try as they may, simply cannot persuade their energy supplier to fix their faulty meters.
Some have been left for months on end with broken smart meters, with no way of knowing how much gas and electricity they are using until a bill lands.
Others say their gadget is stuck in 'display mode'. This means it has not been configured and is therefore not connected to their account and does not show how much energy they are using.
Some say their meter has never worked due to a weak mobile signal or botched installations, while we see more and more cases of monitors showing wildly incorrect readings.
Even on meters that do show correct usage information, some homeowners are finding the readings are not being sent to their supplier, forcing them to send manual readings anyway.
In January, British Gas admitted that 4,000 customers had been hit by a smart meter defect that was unlikely to be mended until June.
No service: Raymond Edgell and his wife Sandra's smart meter never worked properly and their supplier Scottish Power still hasn't replaced it after seven months
The smart meter in the Edgell household was not installed properly, says Raymond. It is permanently stuck in display mode and, incorrectly, showing the couple's daily spend as £1.66.
'I ring up every day, often up to three times but get cut off,' he says. 'No matter what day you ring, or what time, the recorded message always says they're busy. I don't know what else to do. Getting a smart meter has been a massive mistake.
'Sandra is frightened to death that a massive bill for thousands of pounds is going to drop through the door.'
When Money Mail put his case to Scottish Power, a spokesman said it would investigate as a priority, and the problem appeared to be caused by the smart meter being linked to a different property address.
The Government aims to have a smart meter in every home by 2025 and has set energy firms strict installation targets, which they must meet or face big fines.
But experts say the result has
