Research by Citizens Advice suggests that the number of gas and electricity smart meters that are not working properly may be higher than government statistics, perhaps 20% to 30% of the total.
The charity said millions of households were missing out on the promised benefits of smart meters due to “technology issues” and poor customer service from suppliers.
Smart meters are considered a key part of the transition to net zero, as they allow homeowners to more easily track their energy usage and take steps to reduce consumption. When in “smart mode”, smart meters remotely transmit real-time data about customer usage to suppliers.
But the rollout of the technology has been slow and difficult, and last year parliament’s public accounts committee said ministers had not done enough to convince households of its benefits.
In March, data from the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero showed that 398 meters in the UK were not working properly late last year – or, in official parlance, had “temporarily lost smart functionality”.
This figure represents just over 10% of the 34.8 million smart meters installed in homes and businesses.
But Citizens Advice says its research shows this is “just the tip of the iceberg” – the poll, conducted among 4,000 domestic energy consumers across the UK between August and October 2023, found that 20% of households with smart meters installed still need to submit regular manual meter readings because the devices do not do so automatically.
Almost a third (31%) of those surveyed said they had a problem with their meter home display, a screen that helps them track their energy usage and costs.
What’s more, a quarter of people who sought help from Citizens Advice about smart meter issues were also having problems with their bill.
The charity said it was particularly concerned that people could end up receiving “huge unexpected bills” if suppliers failed to provide automatic metering for an extended period of time.
Problems with meters have meant some households have fallen into debt because readings are not transmitted automatically, and in some cases customers have been sent four-digit “catch-up bills” because their meters had not been checked by their suppliers for more than a year, a spokesman for the charity said.
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Citizens Advice said its data showed millions of households were being “let down” by problems with meters that suppliers were unable to fix.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Energy Security and Net Zero said that statistics show that the majority of installed meters (about 90%) are operating in smart mode.
“Energy suppliers are required to keep customers’ meters running and Ofgem has a responsibility to regulate electricity suppliers against this requirement,” they added.
“Any issues relating to smart meters and home display screens must be addressed swiftly and we will shortly announce our plans to drive better services for new and existing smart meter customers.”
