Smart meter problems and how to solve them

Problems and worries with smart meter installations and how they work have come to light throughout the smart meter roll-out. Here we’ve listed the questions we hear most often along with the experts' answers.

Nearly a quarter of Which? Connect members with smart meters said they’d had a problem with theirs in the past 12 months when we surveyed 8,668 people with smart meters in December 2022.

We spoke to energy firms and worked with Smart Energy GB, the smart meter consumer information campaign, to compile these tips.

There are two types of smart meter: first and second generation. You may see these referred to as SMETS1 and SMETS2 respectively. The type you have depends mainly on when you had it fitted. 

If you have smart meters installed now you'll get second-generation meters, which won't have many of the problems listed. Homes with first-generation meters are gradually being connected to the smart meter network so they work more like second-generation meters. The majority have now been connected.

Find out more about the smart meter roll-out.

My energy supplier isn't getting meter readings from my smart meter

According to our latest energy satisfaction survey of 9,025 energy customers in October 2023, smart meters not sending readings was the third most common problem respondents had with their energy suppliers. This was the case for 9% of people who had experienced a problem.

It also revealed that broken smart meter displays and smart meters not sending readings were among the problems least likely to be resolved by suppliers. 

Smart meters breaking or not working was the third most common reason for energy customers to make a formal complaint to their supplier. This applied to 22% of people who made a complaint.

If you’re concerned, check your latest statement, or in your energy company’s app if you have it, to see whether your readings are marked as ‘smart’. 

If not, check how often your smart meter is meant to send data to your energy provider. This can be monthly, daily or half-hourly. Agreeing for your smart meter to send more regular meter readings should help the accuracy of your bills.

Check if your energy supplier is having connectivity issues, which could explain why your smart meter’s readings aren’t getting through. You might need to submit readings manually to ensure you’re billed accurately while problems are resolved. 

More than four million smart meters aren't operating in 'smart mode', according to government data published in March 2024. So they may be missing their smart functions. You can check your smart meter's connection with Citizens Advice's tool.

Contact your energy provider if your smart meter still isn't connecting properly. Make sure you submit manual readings while the issue is ongoing to make sure your bills are accurate. 

My smart meter monitor is not working

Two in five households with smart meters in our 2022 survey said they had problems with their in-home smart meter monitor in the past 12 months. It was the second most common issue that homes with smart meters experienced.

Try these tips first if your smart meter monitor isn't working:

1. Move it closer to your smart meters. Monitors work best if your smart meters are nearby. Some have a bar showing the signal strength they're receiving.
2. Check if it has a flat battery or is unplugged. Unplugged, the monitors don't have a very long battery life.
3. Check your supplier's website (or the instruction booklet, if you have one) for troubleshooting tips. Many have dedicated guides.

Contact your supplier for advice if the problems persist or you can't move your monitor closer to your smart meters. 

If you've had your smart meter monitor for less than 12 months and it has broken or isn't working as it should be, your supplier should fix it or replace it free of charge. That's according to rules set by energy regulator Ofgem. You may need to pay if you damaged it though.

But after 12 months, your energy firm doesn't have to repair it and can charge you for a new one. Companies are taking different approaches. Find out why your energy company isn't fixing your smart meter monitor.

If you get a new smart meter monitor, your energy supplier should ensure that it works correctly and is paired with your smart meters 'in a timely manner'. That's according to voluntary principles which nine suppliers have signed up to.

If your smart meter has also stopped working this can affect your monitor too. For example if a new provider can't read your smart meters, it might not be able to update pricing information shown by your smart meter monitor either. 

If this has happened to you, your smart meter monitor should still show your gas and electricity use, but your tariff (and therefore what it thinks your energy is costing) may not be up to date. 

Your monitor should work fully again when your smart meters are connected to the national wireless network. If not, contact your energy company.

Do not throw away your in-home display. They are covered by the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment recycling regulations (WEEE), which mean that energy suppliers should collect, recondition and reuse in-home displays as much as they can.

My smart meter is not working after I switched supplier

Some first-generation meters lost their smart functionality when switching supplier.

Around 9% of smart meters in homes are working in ‘traditional mode’, according to government data published in August 2023. That’s more than 2.7 million meters, some of which will have lost their smart functions when they switched. 

Once connected to the DCC's smart meter network, these meters should regain their smart functions. They should keep them if you switch supplier again. 

But there are more than four million smart meters still waiting to be connected. 500,000 of them may be impossible to connect and need replacing.

If you're planning to switch and know you have a first-generation smart meter, check with your new supplier if your meters will stay smart. 

If you do lose your meter's smart functions, it will still record the energy you're using. But it won't be able to send this to your energy supplier so you'll have to send meter readings again.

This is only a risk if you have a first-generation smart meter – the issue has been cleared up for the roll-out of second generation, or SMETS2, meters.

Will my smart meter stop working if I switch energy supplier?

This happened in the past but smart meters installed in the last few years aren't affected. 

That's because second-generation smart meters are connected to the central wireless network that all energy suppliers should be able to use.

First-generation smart meters had some connection issues while they weren't connected to this network. 11.6 million of them are now connected, with more than four million to go (500,000 of which may be impossible to connect and need replacing). 

You can use Citizens Advice's tool to check whether your smart meter will work in smart mode after switching.

Before you switch energy supplier, check the best and worst energy companies.

My smart meter stopped working after my energy firm stopped trading

If your energy supplier goes bust, you will be automatically moved to another energy firm. If your energy firm is bought by another company, you often become the customer of the acquiring firm too.

Some customers' smart meters lost their smart functions as a result. This is most likely to happen if you have a first-generation smart meter that is not yet connected to the central wireless network and the new supplier cannot read it. 

Your meter should become smart again once it is connected to the central wireless network so your supplier can read it.

Your in-home display should start working fully again at this time too. Ask your new supplier when this will be. 

Don't forget to continue to submit manual readings in the meantime so that your bills are charged accurately.

My bills are inaccurate with my smart meter

A smart meter sends your meter readings to your energy supplier automatically. So, in principle, your bills should be more accurate than when they rely on you submitting manual readings and you should never get an estimated bill.

However, one in 10 people in our survey said that they had a problem with their bills being inaccurate in the past 12 months.

If you had a faulty old meter, or did not submit meter readings and got estimated bills, you might find that your payments change. If your meter was faulty, an energy company can charge you retrospectively for the previous year if you have paid too little.

If you've paid too much, your supplier has to refund you for the whole period that the meter was faulty. Find out what to do if you think your electric or gas meter is faulty.

However, if you're concerned that your bills are wrong, or your smart meter is showing an error message, contact your supplier. It is responsible for making sure your meter works properly. If it can't resolve the issue remotely, it should send someone round to take a look.

My smart meter data could be shared without my consent

Only your energy supplier and local network operator can decrypt the information sent by your smart meter. 

They can only use it for specific regulated purposes (such as billing you) without getting your permission. 

If you give your permission, your supplier and third parties can use your data to offer you new products and services such as advice on the best tariff for you. 

Find out how smart meters work and communicate. Then read our tips for how to use your smart meter data.

My smart meter won’t work with my solar panels

We’ve heard from members with solar panels who have been refused a smart meter, and from others who have had a smart meter installed that doesn't work with their solar panels. 

According to the government Department for Energy, Security and Net Zero, all smart (SMETS) meters can measure energy consumed (imported) and exported back into the grid.

Smart Energy GB explains that in-home displays will only show how much energy you’re buying from your supplier, but not necessarily energy you generate. They may be able to do this in future. Solar panel owners already have a PV-generation meter that tells them how much electricity their system is generating.

Tariffs that pay you for exporting solar electricity to the national grid under the Smart Export Guarantee require you to have a meter that can give half-hourly readings – generally this will be a smart meter. Find out if these tariffs are right for you in our guide to the Smart Export Guarantee.

If you have solar panels and are offered a smart meter, make sure your supplier is aware. Check whether your smart meter and in-home display will work fully with them.

Find out: are solar panels worth it?

My home has poor mobile signal - will this affect a smart meter?

Smart meters need to be able to connect to the Data Communications Company (DCC) through a wireless network. 

Smart meters currently being installed (second-generation) don’t rely on mobile phone networks – they have their own separate secure network. By the end of the roll-out, 99.25% of Great Britain will be covered by the network these meters use.

However, if your home is in the remaining 0.75%, you may not be able to have a smart meter that connects to the full network.

Depending on where you live, the network uses mobile phone or radio masts.

First-generation meters used mobile phone networks so may have trouble sending your supplier meter readings if mobile signal is poor where you live. This will change as your meter is connected to the smart meter network. 

If you're concerned, ask your provider when you book your smart meter installation.

Can my supplier switch my smart meter to prepayment?

Suppliers sometimes install prepayment meters for customers who are in debt. With smart meters, it's possible for energy suppliers to switch your meter to prepayment mode remotely.

But the rules are the same whether you have a smart or traditional meter – pay-as-you-go for debt collection should only be a last resort. 

Your energy firm must first check that prepayment is safe, practical and easy for you to access. It must also check that you aren't in a vulnerable situation. 

You should also get at least seven working days' notice if your smart meter is going to change to prepayment. 

Your meter can also be transferred back to credit mode remotely. 

If you think your supplier has moved you to prepayment unfairly, you are within your rights to make a complaint.

Start by making a formal complaint to the provider itself, and if the issue isn’t resolved after eight weeks, you can take your complaint to the energy ombudsman.

For help with changing to or from prepayment, read our guide to prepayment meters.

My gas and electricity meters are hard to access

If your electricity or gas meter is difficult to get at, tell your energy company before it comes to install your smart meters so it's prepared. For example if you meter is

• in a small cupboard or other confined space
• partly concealed in a case outside
• very high up.

Your energy firm might ask you to dismantle the cupboard, remove obstacles in front of your meter or come with the appropriate equipment so your installation can go ahead.

Find out more about smart meter installation.

Are there any dangers of smart meters?

Some have been concerned that smart meters give off radiation. But the evidence to date suggests that exposure to radio waves produced by smart meters doesn't pose a risk to health.

A 2017 study of a selection of smart meters available in Great Britain found that exposure to radio waves from smart meters is below guidelines set by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection.

It also found that smart meters expose people to fewer radio waves than mobile phones and wi-fi equipment.