OVO has let me know my meter needs replacing with a smart meter - Why?

Based on the info in this thread and what I know from around the market, there’s not really any suppliers fitting non-smart meters anymore outside of landlord sub-metering setups which are a completely different beast anyway.

Ultimately, if a meter is replaced these days, there’s a 99.9999999999999999% chance it’ll be a smart meter regardless of supplier because stocks of the older types have pretty much dried up. You can opt-out of having an upgrade, but suppliers can override if they have a legitimate reason. Ultimately, the opt-outs just turn off marketing communications about upgrading until such time that the meter has to be replaced.

My own smart meter is technically outside, albeit in an electrical cupboard with a whole bunch of other meters and random stuff accessed via an external door. It’s pretty safe and secure being in there because it’s sheltered by being in an electrical room.

As long as your meter boxes are in good order, you should be fine.

I can also confirm there’s no plans for SMETS3 anytime soon. SMETS2 is still pretty new and doing a brilliant job so there’s not really a need to replace it at the moment.

Just to add to the excellent advice you’ve had so far, I suspect that the meters for most properties are outside. It made sense when they were installed: you didn’t have to be at home when the meter reader came. The exceptions would be, for example, in a block of flats, where the meters are in a communal space like a cellar.   

Some people may be confused by users’ references to their ‘smart meter’ when in fact they’re talking about the In-House Display. The IHD is a little electronic gizmo that makes it possible to ‘read the meter’ from inside, thanks to modern wireless technology. It receives the same data from the meter as the energy supplier does, so you can monitor your usage in real time. It’s also possible for the supplier (e.g. OVO) to send messages to the IHD, although this has only happened three times in the six years since my smart meter was installed, two of them by accident. 
Smart Meters and In Home Displays - Topic Hub | The OVO Forum (ovoenergy.com)

So, yes, it’s quite normal for a smart meter to be installed outside, even though meter readers are a dying breed.  

Thank you all I very much appreciate the quick response. I feel much happier now.  Kind regards

Couple of weeks ago I received a letter saying my electric meter would soon be out of certification and needed replacement, so I went online and booked an appointment for a new smart meter. The first thing that surprised me was that it’s booked for May 1st, which is a Bank Holiday. I just chalked that up to them being keen to get smart merters into every household so it didn’t ring any alarm bells at the time.

Since then I’ve been spammed on an almost daily basis with reminders, by phone and email, asking me to confirm or cancel the appointment. I must admit, I did click to confirm when the first email came in, which I’m starting to regret now, as clicking links in emails is something I never usually do. Anyway, the texts and emails kept on coming so I just ignored them.

This mornng I received a letter through the post saying they’ve not heard back from me yet regarding the letter they sent me about getting my meter changed!

Is this just the left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing, or should I refuse entry to whoever turns up on Monday? I tried ringing them but they’re not open on Saturdays. I can’t find any way of contacting them via my online account, so I thought I’d try here and see if anybody from OVO is monitoring the forum at weekends.

Live Chat is open and active at https://help.ovoenergy.com/ . Try that.

Otherwise, the social media team are monitoring those accounts.

Please also show me photos of the current meter. I can tell you roughly how much service life it likely has left.

Thanks. I did manage to find the web chat, and they have confirmed the appointment date.

You probably don’t need the photo now 😀

The meter is about 20 years old. Gas meter is even older. Says 1984 on the front panel!

Yup, well past the sell-by date then. :P

The maximum service life of most meters is roughly 20 years and very few get certified for longer than that. Your gas meter is way overdue for replacement so this makes sense to me.

Oh, you’ll also be converted to a metric gas meter as part of the upgrade, so the speed of the dials won’t be the same even for the same gas usage.

I have had it confirmed that my electricity meter was certified in July 2006, according to the Office for Product Safety & Standards Schedule 4, the manufacturer and type of meter i have, (which i have had confirmed by an electrician who looked at it) has a certification period of 25 years. So this would mean it’s certified up to 2031, so why have OVO emailed to say it needs replaced soon? Here is the OPSS link: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/66aa06d549b9c0597fdb0846/electricity-meters-schedule-4-240730.pdf 

Mine is on there, and clearly states 25 years. Are they just getting in touch well in advance?

Hi ​@Ian Phillips ,

The stated lifespan isn’t the ONLY factor at play - it could be that too many of your model have failed In-Service Testing for example.

Please show us what you’ve got so we can advise further.

Thanks

Hey ​@Ian Phillips, 

Welcome to the community! 

You make a great point—different manufacturers do have different certification periods for their meters. However, you don’t have to wait until the end of that period to get your meter exchanged! In fact, many people choose to upgrade to a newer meter before their current one expires. I’ll share an article below with more details and helpful information.

Please let us know if you have any further questions.