Smart meter problems and how to solve them

Problems with smart-meter installations and how they work have come to light throughout the smart meter roll-out. Here we’ve listed the questions we hear most often along with the experts' answers.

Nearly a quarter of Which? Connect members with smart meters said they’d had a problem with theirs in the past 12 months. That's according to our survey in December 2022 of 8,668 people with smart meters.

We spoke to energy firms and worked with Smart Energy GB, the smart meter consumer information campaign, to compile these tips.

There are two types of smart meter: first and second generation. You may see these referred to as SMETS1 and SMETS2 respectively. The type you have depends mainly on when you had it fitted. 

Second-generation meters are what you should get if you have them installed now. They shouldn't have many of these problems. Homes with first-generation meters are gradually being connected to the smart meter wireless network so they can work more like second-generation meters.

My energy supplier isn't getting meter readings from my smart meter

This was the most common problem experienced in the past 12 months by those with smart meters in our survey. Two in five said their supplier hadn’t received their smart meter readings.

If you’re concerned, check your latest statement, or in your energy company’s app if you have it, to see whether your readings are marked as ‘smart’. 

If not, check how often your smart meter is meant to send data to your energy provider. This can be monthly, daily or half-hourly. Agreeing for your smart meter to send more regular meter readings should help the accuracy of your bills.

Check if your energy supplier is having connectivity issues which could explain why your smart meter’s readings aren’t getting through. You might need to submit readings manually to ensure you’re billed accurately while problems are resolved. 

Most connectivity problems should be resolved when all smart meters use the DCC wireless network, covering 99.25% of Great Britain. This should have happened by the end of 2022, though we’re aware that some smart meters remain unconnected. 

Contact your energy provider if your smart meter still isn't connecting properly. Make sure you submit manual readings while the issue is ongoing to make sure your bills are accurate.

How to read a smart meter

Smart meters send meter readings to your energy supplier automatically. So you shouldn't need to take smart meter readings.

But if your smart meter stops working in smart mode, you’ll need to take manual meter readings again.

Some smart meter monitors show your meter readings. You’ll usually need to scroll through the different screens to find them.

You can also find your meter reading on your smart electricity meter and gas smart meter. Most smart meters have a button to illuminate the digital display so you can read the numbers. 

Check the instructions your smart meter installer gave you if you’re not sure. Your energy supplier’s website may also have instructions. If not, ask your supplier for instructions.

If you have a traditional meter, find out how to read your gas meter or how to read your electricity meter.

My smart meter monitor is not working

Two in five households with smart meters in our survey said they had problems with their in-home smart meter monitor in the past 12 months. It was the second most-common issue that homes with smart meters experienced.

The monitors work best when close to the smart meter. Many have a bar indicating the signal strength they're receiving. Try moving your monitor closer to your meters, if you can. 

Also check if your smart meter monitor has a flat battery or is unplugged. Look at your suppliers' website or the instruction booklet for troubleshooting tips, and contact your energy supplier if the problem persists.

If you can't move your smart meter display closer to your meters, ask your energy supplier for advice. 

If you've had your smart meter monitor for less than 12 months and it has broken or isn't working as it should be, your supplier should fix it or replace it free of charge. That's according to rules set by energy regulator Ofgem. You may need to pay if you damaged it though.

But after 12 months, your energy firm doesn't have to repair it and can charge you for a new one. Companies are taking different approaches - find out whether the biggest energy companies charge for smart meter monitors.

If your smart meter has stopped working (for example, if you switched energy supplier and it can't connect to your new provider) this can affect your monitor too. As well as being unable to read your smart meters, your new energy firm may not be able to send the pricing information about your new tariff to your in-home display. 

It should still show your gas and electricity use in real time, but the tariff information (and therefore what it thinks your energy is costing) may not be up to date. Your monitor should work fully again when your smart meters are connected to the national wireless network. If not, contact your energy company.

Do not throw away your in-home display. They are covered by the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment recycling regulations (WEEE), which mean that energy suppliers should collect, recondition and reuse in-home displays as much as they can.

My smart meter is not working after I switched supplier

Depending on which company you've switched to, and when you switch, first generation meters may lose their smart functionality. 

Around 7% of smart meters in homes are working in ‘traditional mode’, according to government data in November 2022. That’s more than 3.5 million meters, some of which will have lost their smart functions when they switched. 

If you’re planning to switch, check with your new supplier if this will happen to your meters. 

If you do lose smart functionality, your meter will still work to count how much energy you're using. But you’ll have to send meter readings to your energy firm again – they'll stop being sent automatically. 

This is only a risk if you have a first-generation smart meter - the issue has been cleared up for the roll-out of second generation, or SMETS2, meters.

If you are affected, your smart meter should become smart again in future. The organisation which runs the smart meter wireless network (the DCC) says that ‘almost all of the dormant meters’ it can identify and upgrade are now connected. This should have happened automatically and, once connected, your meter’s smart functions should be restored. 

This should solve the problem for the majority of smart meters that have stopped working. If you switch again in future, your meter should also keep its smart functions.

A small number of meters are still waiting to be connected. The DCC says it’s working with energy suppliers to do this. If your smart meter can’t be upgraded, it will need to be replaced with a second-generation meter.

Will my smart meter stop working if I switch energy supplier?

Second-generation smart meters shouldn't lose their smart functions when you switch. They’re connected to the central wireless network that all energy suppliers should be able to use.

First-generation smart meters have had some connection issues while they weren't connected into the central wireless network that newer smart meters use. In theory, most of them should have been connected by the end of 2022.

Some companies can operate first-generation smart meters from rival suppliers, even if they haven’t been connected to the central wireless network yet. This may be because they use compatible technology or the same brand of meter or have agreements in place. 

If you're changing to a new supplier, ask it whether it will be able to get automatic meter readings from your smart meter. If your smart meter can't be connected to the wireless network, your new provider may be willing to replace your existing smart meter with a more up-to-date one. 

Before you switch energy supplier, check the best and worst energy companies.

My smart meter stopped working after my energy firm stopped trading

If your energy supplier goes bust, you will be automatically moved to another energy firm. If your energy firm is bought by another company, you often become the customer of the acquiring firm too.

This can result in your smart meter losing its smart functions. This is most likely to happen if you have a first-generation smart meter that is not yet connected to the central wireless network and the new supplier cannot read it. 

Your meter should become smart again once it is connected to the central wireless network so your supplier can read it.

Your in-home display should start working fully again at this time too. Ask your new supplier when this will be. 

Don't forget to continue to submit manual readings in the meantime so that your bills are charged accurately.

Find out what to do if you energy company stops trading.

My bills are inaccurate with my smart meter

A smart meter sends your meter readings to your energy supplier automatically, so in principle your bills should be more accurate than when they rely on you submitting manual readings and you should never recieve an estimated bill.

However, one in 10 people in our survey said that they had a problem with their bills being inaccurate in the past 12 months.

If you had a faulty old meter, or did not submit meter readings and got estimated bills, you might find that your payments change. If your meter was faulty, an energy company can charge you retrospectively for the previous year if you have paid too little.

If you've paid too much, your supplier has to refund you for the whole period that the meter was faulty. Find out what to do if you think your electric or gas meter is faulty.

However, if you're concerned that your bills are wrong, or your smart meter is showing an error message, contact your supplier. It is responsible for making sure your meter works properly. If it can't resolve the issue remotely, it should send someone round to take a look.

My smart meter won’t work with my solar panels

We’ve heard from members with solar panels who have been refused a smart meter, and from others who have had a smart meter installed that doesn't work with their solar panels. 

The government's Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) told us that all smart (SMETS) meters can measure energy consumed (imported) and exported back into the grid.

New tariffs that pay you for exporting solar electricity to the national grid require you to have a meter that can give half-hourly readings – generally this will be a smart meter. Find out if these tariffs are right for you in our guide to the Smart Export Guarantee explained.

Smart Energy GB explains that in-home displays will only show how much energy you’re buying from your supplier, but not necessarily energy you generate. They may be able to do this in future. Solar panel owners already have a PV-generation meter that tells them how much electricity their system is generating.

If you have solar panels and are offered a smart meter, make sure your supplier is aware. Check whether your smart meter and in-home display will work fully with them.

Find out: is solar PV a good investment?

My home has poor mobile signal - will this affect a smart meter?

Smart meters need to be able to connect to the Data Communications Company (DCC) through a wireless network. First-generation meters use mobile phone networks so may have trouble sending readings to your supplier automatically.

The second-generation meters that are currently being installed don’t rely on mobile phone networks - they have their own separate secure network. By the end of the roll-out, 99.25% of Great Britain will be covered by the network these meters use. 

However, if your home is in the remaining 0.75%, you may not be able to have a smart meter that connects to the full network.

If there's any doubt that your home might not have coverage, make sure you get a pre-installation visit from your energy company to confirm whether a smart meter will work at your property.

Can my supplier switch my smart meter to prepayment?

Suppliers sometimes install prepayment meters for customers who are in debt. With smart meters, it's possible for energy suppliers to switch your meter into prepayment mode remotely.

Energy firms are only allowed to switch customers to prepay for energy where they have checked that it's appropriate to do so. There are rules that companies must follow if they want to go through this process. 

However, in November 2022, energy regulator Ofgem wrote to all UK energy suppliers saying that it had heard reports of this process happening unfairly and without reasonable notice. It told energy bosses that immediate action must be taken to protect customers from inappropriately being switched to prepayment.

Your energy supplier must give you seven days’ notice before it switches your smart meter to prepayment mode. They have to be able to justify the switch. They also must prove that your health would not be affected by the switch - for example they must check that you are not on the Priority Services Register or otherwise vulnerable.

If you think your supplier has moved you to prepayment unfairly, you are within your rights to make a complaint.

Start by making a formal complaint to the provider itself, and if the issue isn’t resolved after eight weeks, you can take your complaint to the energy ombudsman.

For help with changing to or from prepayment, read our guide to prepayment meters.

My gas and electricity meters are hard to access

If your meter is in a small cupboard or another confined space, a technician might struggle to install your smart meter. They may ask you to dismantle the cupboard or move other obstacles to reach the meter.

If your meter is partly concealed in a case outside, your energy company might not be able to replace it yet. We’ve heard from members whose energy firms aren’t yet replacing these ‘semi-concealed’ meters.

If your meter is positioned very high up, make sure you let your energy company know so the installers are prepared when they come to your home.

Find out more about getting smart meters installed.

Do smart meters give off radiation?

Some people have complained about the impact of smart meters on their health, in particular those suffering from electromagnetic sensitivity or electromagnetic hypersensitivity.  

The evidence to date suggests that exposure to radio waves produced by smart meters doesn't pose a risk to health.

A 2017 study of a selection of smart meters available in Great Britain found that exposure to radio waves from smart meters is below guidelines set by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection.

It also found that smart meters expose people to fewer radio waves than mobile phones and wi-fi equipment.