Smart Meter Chaos: How Energy Customers Are Being Pushed to the Brink
Imagine being told your heating and hot water could simply stop working unless you switch to a smart meter. Sounds like a dystopian scenario, right? Well, this is the reality for hundreds of thousands of households in the UK right now — and I can’t stay quiet about it.
Let me walk you through this. There are around 600,000 homes still using old Radio Teleswitch Service (RTS) meters — a technology that’s being phased out by June 30th. These meters have been a cornerstone of Economy 7 and Economy 10 tariffs, allowing customers to save money by using electricity at off-peak times. But here’s the twist: once the signal shuts off, these meters could stop functioning properly. The solution? Switch to a smart meter. Simple? Not so much.
Take Sally Jaine from Devon. She tried to be proactive. She contacted her supplier, EDF, to schedule a smart meter installation — even escalating the issue to the CEO. And what happened? Her March appointment was cancelled at the last minute. Three rebooking attempts later, nothing. EDF then sent her a letter implying she had ignored their support. No appointments were actually available when she tried. If the CEO of the company can’t get it sorted, how is a regular customer supposed to?
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And then there’s Evelyn Francis in Eastbourne, 75 years old, taking care of her blind sister. She’s been hounded with threatening letters from Scottish Power saying her electricity may be cut off. The emotional toll? Panic attacks, sleepless nights, doctor visits. She finally caved in and accepted the meter just to get some peace.
It gets worse. Retired policeman Paul Bryant was also warned that heating and hot water services could be “lost” if he didn’t switch. His take? It’s blackmail. He refuses to give up control of his energy usage, fearing smart meters will strip away the flexibility that Economy 7 gave him.
You see, suppliers are under pressure to meet government smart meter rollout targets — or face penalties. But instead of assisting people through a thoughtful transition, they’re relying on scare tactics and misleading messaging. Even worse, some customers fear they’ll lose their existing low-rate tariffs once they switch, effectively punishing them for adopting the new tech.
Energy companies claim this is about modernisation. But for many, it feels like being forced into something they neither want nor trust — with little regard for customer service or individual circumstances. People like John Dobson, who invested in storage heaters for the Economy 7 tariff, now feel they’ve been duped. Smart meters may work in theory, but in practice, around 10% are faulty, according to the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.
And the irony? Ofgem says there's “no need to panic” — while the letters and emails pouring in say otherwise. It’s chaos masked as progress. If this is what energy transition looks like, it’s no wonder so many feel abandoned, bullied, and completely unheard.
It’s time for suppliers and regulators to hit pause, treat customers with respect, and prioritise human experience over aggressive compliance. Because at the end of the day, energy is not just about kilowatts and meters — it’s about people.
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