How will SMETS1 meters be updated when SMETS2 is rolled out?

These are the only circumstances which you’d normally get charged to replace a meter:

• Vandalism/deliberate damage e.g. you ripped the meter off the wall and smashed it to pieces
• Supply/Meter Tampering/Energy Theft/Abstracting Electricity/Gas - you would ALSO be liable for paying back all the energy you stole in the meantime, paying back every single cost the energy supplier incurred to investigate you, every cost incurred in undoing the damage you did and probably a bunch of other stuff too… And potentially also land yourself a criminal record
• Swapping between Single-Phase and Three-Phase
• Meters fitted under warrant - Suppliers can potentially charge you the costs of doing so
• Non-Standard Installations - Usually triggered in cases where you insist on the supplier NOT fitting smart meters and forcing them to fit something else they don’t want to use

There’s a couple of others as well, but they’re edge cases which most people won’t realistically encounter

Hello,

Thank You for replying.  The engineer said if it failed the first time and was successful the second time, it probably wasn't and it was useless trying to upgrade old teqnology, so she will still get a new Smets 2 meter fitted without charge.  I only ask because she is anxious as I read they charge for a new meter swap even if faulty which doesn't seem right as it's not the customers fault.  My sister's Smart meter stopped sending readings to British Gas  last year.  She didn't realise they never informed her.  The meter was about 10 years old and was replaced free.

Yeah, I’ve seen this situation before. Getting it replaced is free as it’s considered a faulty meter - and most importantly - the root cause has been determined to be something that’s beyond your control.

If you smashed it up with a baseball bat however… Then you would be liable to cough up the cash as that would be vandalism.

Thanks,

My neighbour will be relieved to hear that.