Meter certification - what you need to know!

Hello, I currently have a traditional meter that is over 20 years old and I'm interested in updating it. I would prefer to have a replacement standard meter or a "dumb" smart meter, as I'm not keen on getting a full smart meter. I've heard different information from OVO's customer service, so I'm wondering what options are available for these meter replacements.

Good afternoon @Eastlondonlad ,

The answer is none. Traditional Meters are no longer available and "Dumb Mode" is not supported. It's Fully Smart or nothing these days. Any requests to enable "Dumb Mode" will not be honoured because it breaks the license conditions. 

So how comes when I spoke to Ofgem this morning they said your supply can provide a sum meter on request and at a cost of £55? For the meter to switched to dum mode?

Not an option. They're not manufactured anymore and haven't been for around a decade now. Likewise, Smart Meters will NOT be switched to Dumb Mode anymore.

OVO’s stocks of Traditional Meters ran out several years ago. They will NOT be replenished. 

Even if you could, it'd cost YOU at least £200 for a Non-Standard Installation for a degraded experience and a meter that's already at least halfway through service life.

Trust me, it's not worth it. Definitely not worth paying to get a worse experience. 

Hey @Eastlondonlad, 

Older-style meters that didn’t have smart functions stopped production some time ago. This means that they’re much harder to source now than their newer counterparts. 

Smart meters have a range of benefits, from letting you manage your usage better to offering a wider range of tariffs between suppliers. If you choose to upgrade to a smart meter, you’ll also be given an in-home display that can allow you to keep a closer eye on how much energy you’re using. They also allow you to access additional perks that could save money off your bills, such as Power Move, Charge Anytime, and Beyond. 

The Ofgem website says: 

Do I have to have a smart meter?

Unless there is a good reason not to, suppliers must install a smart meter if they are:

• replacing a meter
• installing a meter for the first time, such as in a new property. 

You can choose not to accept an offer to have a smart meter fitted. You can also request to have one at a later date without being charged. Choosing not to have a smart meter might mean you have a limited choice of energy tariffs. Some smart tariffs could be cheaper.

I hope this helps! 

Ovo has contacted me to arrange to have a smart meter installed, as my existing meter’s certification has expired. I know that the wiring in my cottage is not suitable for a smart meter- although most of it has been updated, my fuse board is of the old fashioned variety. I am barely able to pay my energy bills, never mind fund the rewiring involved. Is there a solution?

Hi @Sandi22 ,

Please show us photos of the current setup so we can advise.

With that being said, your fuse board is your responsibility to replace and pay for if it needs to be swapped out. Energy Suppliers don’t cover this work and I’ve never known them offer any kind of financial assistance to do so.

Worth noting that any internal wiring beyond the fuse board doesn’t have any relevance whatsoever to whether you have a Smart Meter or not - it’s purely about the meter tails between the main fuse, the meter and the fuse board only.

That isn’t a criterion for exchanging the meter. While the installation engineer is bound by his electrician’s licence to make note of and inform you about any deviation from current standards that he happens to spot, he won’t take any further action on it unless there’s something positively dangerous. That isn’t likely to be the case if the electrician who’s been doing the updating wasn’t concerned. 

Replacing the fuse board with a modern consumer unit (as they’re called) is the property owner’s responsibility, so that’s a nettle you’ll have to grasp sooner or later. Meanwhile, the electricity supplier is required by law to ensure that there is a meter installed that accurately measures your consumption. If the present one’s certification has expired, there’s no guarantee that it’s measuring your consumption accurately. That means a new one has to be installed, and nowadays that will be a smart meter - again, by law.

Hey @Sandi22 

As Blastoise186 mentioned, a photo might be helpful to tell if the wiring is safe and suitable.

As both volunteers have also mentioned, the fuse board is the responsibility of the property owner and not the supplier.

If the meter is out of certification or nearing the end, it will need to be replaced, as Firedog mentioned, there’s potential for the meter to stop recording usage correctly. We’ve got a really helpful topic all about meter certifications:

Thank you everyone who replied. I know I have to replace the fuse board, but a period of notice would have been handy. My previous supplier, taken over by Ovo, never mentioned this issue, which has now become Ovo’s priority. I’m just not sure how long they will give me to do the work.

I’d say do the meter upgrade for now and handle the rest later once you’re ready. But if you can show us what you see, it may help us give more accurate advice.

While you’re here, please also review https://customer-support-package.ovoenergy.com as I think it may help you. The worst case scenario that’ll happen is that this tool will say it can’t do anything for you. But more likely, it’ll offer you something that you may benefit from.

Thank you @Blastoise186  -here is an image of the fuse board (sorry, just got back from work)

Hmm… Not seeing much here of concern… Let me throw a Master Ball at @Lukepeniket_OVO though. Catching his attention might reveal something I can’t spot.

I've been informed my meter needs replacing. Can the replacement be a non Smart meter?

Hi @Mary Brotherton ,

No, it must be a Smart Meter. Traditional Meters are no longer available. They've not been manufactured for around a decade now.

Suppliers are also legally required to fit Smart Meters by default now as well.

Hey @Mary Brotherton, 

Thanks to @Blastoise186 for helping out with the advice. All meters now are built to be smart as they allow more features to make managing your account easier. They will automatically supply readings to us and more frequently which means you will get more accurate bills and information on your usage. 

This article will be really helpful for you to learn more: 

Let us know if you have any follow up questions and if this helps.

Hi 

I have been contacted by my supplier to tell me I have a radio teleswitch meter and I need to change it for a smart meter. It’s a Landis and Grey white meter B10L type 5246C. I’m not convinced it is as it was new in a few years ago. I do have economy 7 but gas central heating, no storage heaters and my electricity doesn’t automatically come on or anything like that. I think they just want everyone on a smart meter and I don’t want one as I’ve heard of many problems with them. Can anyone clarify if this is a RTS meter please

Can you post photos of the meter and any surrounding wiring ​@Maureens .

It sounds like it may not be an RTS set up. Someone will be able to check from the photos

This doesn’t appear to be RTS.

However, it is getting closer and closer to End of Service Life which triggers at 20 years old - yours is 15 years old - so upgrading it anyway might not be a bad idea.

Please be advised that you’ll be forced to replace it once it reaches End of Service Life.

Thanks for getting back to me I appreciate it. The only thing I’m querying is you say it’s 15 years old, is that the type because I only had it changed 3 or 4 years ago? 

The Meter Serial Number on it begins SD10K - the first two numbers indicate the year of manufacture. Either someone else has had that exact meter before you, or it spent many years on a random shelf.

Either way, the clock starts once it leaves the factory, not when it lands on your wall.

I thought maybe that was the case ok so it definitely isn’t a RTS meter? Once again many thanks Mo

It is not RTS. That much I can tell.

Just so you know, the next replacement will be to a Smart meter when the time comes - there’ll be no Traditional Meters left by that point.

Thanks so much