Is a smart meter mandatory? As an amateur radio operator I'm worried the signals may interfere

Hi @Marc 

I hope this helps. This is independent information from both ofgem and citizens advice. 

Citizens Advice gives advice on smart meters. You can contact them for more information. This in bold is from their website.

If you need to replace your old-style meter because it’s unsafe, you might not be able to refuse a smart meter. This is because not many old-style meters are made now - your supplier might not have any in stock.

Similar information on the Ofgem site

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. 

It is only when you are offered a smart meter when your meter is working fine that you can decline and keep your current meter. 

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I prefer to control my energy usage myself - my usage is minimal and easy to manage.

Smart meters don't control your energy usage. They don't stop you managing your usage if your usage is minimal. 

Moving everyone onto smart meters will help address the climate emergency by giving a much clearer picture of energy demand at a local level which will help future planning.

The country needs everyone to move to smart meters as soon as possible in reality. 

There’s another good reason for Ofgem having that rule. Complex and exotic legacy metering setups like THTC cannot be supported for much longer and the last time just about any manufacturer made those meters was donkeys years ago.

OVO keeps a handful of such meters in inventory as spares, but they cannot be used for anyone who doesn’t explicitly need those meter types and there’s only a finite number of them left anyway. The world is moving on, so THTC is no longer suitable these days.

So, after reading the replies and considering the details supplied, I take it that if I have my faulty traditional type electric recording meter replaced by OVO I will have to accept a smart meter. This is due I believe, from what I’m being told, is it is now policy to fit smart meter and that the old type meters are virtually non available, and if available may not, and this OVO policy, be accepted by the energy provider. Also if I was able to source a meter I would have to fund its purchase and fitment costs. I’m a traditionalist and don’t like change being forced upon me - from what I understand from the information given me I do not have to let the smart meter control or provide information feedback and I can have the meter in a manual mode and continue to provide my monthly readings ? Are there others similar, were in a similar position to myself who could advise the route I should go ? Thank you and grateful for feedback.

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Long story short answer. Have it installed anyway and if you really are so badly desperate to not notice anything, put the IHD away in a cupboard, set the meter to Monthly readings and then completely ignore it. It’ll then just sit there quietly doing it’s thing for the next 10 years or so.

Everyone who has come here previously with similar questions has had more or less the same info iirc.

My property is circa 1970’s so the present electric meter is installed in a large box mounted in the wall - in, not on the wall. My gas meter is inside my small utility store built next to the house - the box holding the meter is within the wall of this utility store with a door to access the meter. From what I’ve seen on this site the measurements of the smart meter are such that it would fit inside this box basically replacing the present meter - this would suit me perfectly- and yes, being in this location means I only access it once a month to provide readings.

As long as you found the dimensions for a Flonidan UniFlo then yeah, they fit pretty much the same spaces that any traditional diaphragm gas meter does. It’s the ultrasonic ones like the Flonidan SciFlo that are different to that!

It is an electric meter that is being replaced - believe the Uniflow is for Gas ?

Correct. But both meters will likely be done at the same time which is pretty common.