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

Thanks Chris_OVO 

But my point is, i DO want to wait until nearer the end of that period, we are going through a terrible family bereavement right now, and do not want to deal with this for a good while. I am worried that the other member said that there may be other factors at play because we want to go by what the Office for Product Safety & Standards says, and they do state 25 years.

Good morning ​@Ian Phillips,

Firstly, may I offer my condolences to you and your family. The communications you’ve been receiving about meter recertification are automated. Please feel free to ignore them for now until things have settled down. We’d recommend getting the meter changed when you can, but please don’t feel that you’re under pressure to get this done ASAP, especially whilst you’re going through a bereavement. We can sort this out at a later date.

Best wishes,

Ben

Thankyou Ben_OVO for your kind and thoughtful response, 

I am tempted to share the Manufacture and type of my meter on here just now, to clarify, but am reluctant to do so because although the Office for Product Safety & Standards clearly states that mine is certified for 25 years, which would be until 2031, someone on here may reply with words to the effect of, ‘ah but there are are other reasons why that’s not the case’ and we would see that as very bad news right now with everything we are going through. I can promise you though that it is 25 years on the OPSS schedule. I will follow your advice for now, thankyou. One quick thought, our meter is actually on the wall on the flat landing outside our home, they surely wouldn’t try to alter it without our consent anytime in the near future?

Whilst fully understanding your current circumstances ​@Ian Phillips , the meter certification timeline is fairly simple, given the manufacturer’s recommendation from their process.

It is true that any meter can drift in its accuracy during its time in service and therefore although it may be a little inconvenient at present, you should be mindful that a new meter would help to ensure that the usage recorded is fully accurate.

As Ben mentions, you do not have to take up the new meter suggestion immediately but it’s would be best to schedule a meter exchange in the not too distant future. I hope that you are able to focus on the family needs at present with just an eye on other things.

Thankyou BPLightog, 

I do need to state however, that the email i received from OVO does say that this is because of the Office of Product Safety & Standards recommendations.  As i said, their schedule 4 lists my meter as having a good while yet. (more than 5 years) i have since spoken to the OPSS by phone, and they have confirmed this. I will seek legal advice should need be, but for now i will leave things until a later date.

​@Ian Phillips Your meter won’t be exchanged without your say-so. There are few situations where a meter might be installed against the will of the customer (e.g. where there’s a significant debt on the account, the customer hasn’t come to an arrangement with the supplier over a lengthy period and the supplier’s last resort is to install a prepayment meter). That said, a supplier is bound by the supply license only to bill against readings from a certified meter. You’re not in that situation, so you can happily ignore OVO’s nagging. 

Meter certification only indicates that the meter manufacturer guarantees that the meter will measure to the prescribed precision for the time it’s certified. Things can always go wrong with any piece of machinery, so manufacturers and suppliers keep track of faults to see whether there’s any identifiable pattern of failure with a particular type. As Blastoise186 remarked, this is just one of several possible reasons for recommending a meter exchange before something goes wrong. I’d guess that the most likely reason is simply that the meter’s getting long in the tooth, so it’s a good idea to pre-empt any catastrophic failure in its twilight years - a bit like replacing the timing belt in your car engine every 75000 miles whether it needs it or not. It’s also possible that there’s a squad of meter engineers in your area, so it would make sense for OVO to take advantage of this and replace as many meters as possible while they’re nearby.

As others have said, there’s no cause for alarm and no immediate rush. Just book an exchange when you feel able to cope with it. Meanwhile, my best wishes in your sad situation.