One in ten smart meters are broken. Here’s how to tell if YOURS is overcharging you…

According to new figures from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, the number of ‘smart’ energy meters that are not working properly reached almost four million at the end of last year.

The £13.5 billion rollout of smart meters – paid for by higher gas and electricity bills – allows energy companies to remotely read home consumption.

But while the number has fallen from 4.31 million in 2022, 3.98 million smart meters are still not working properly.

The idea is that once households have a smart meter installed, they can get a wearable screen gadget that allows them to see how much energy they are using in near real time. their accounts.

Energy suppliers save money because they do not have to come by to read your meter.

But how do you know if you have become one of the four million households saddled with a meter that is not working properly?

And how do you ensure that suppliers don’t start charging you too much for gas and electricity if one of the new-fangled boxes suddenly goes haywire?

If you had one of the first versions of smart meters installed eight years ago, it can automatically become ‘stupid’ when you switch to a new energy supplier.

People living in areas with poor mobile phone reception – or in houses with thick walls – may experience disruptions in smart meters.

There are also fears that meters that rely on 2G and 3G mobile signal technology will become mute if these signals are turned off. However, smart meters have not yet been fully rolled out to accommodate the more modern 4G or 5G communications technology.

Additionally, the meters can malfunction if the batteries die, so check yours regularly (they have a typical shelf life of 15 years). If yours no longer works, looking at the smart meter installed under the stairs or in an outside cupboard will provide few clues.

The readings from smart meters are sent to your energy supplier via WiFi-like signals. But if the portable device’s screen goes black or freezes, it could indicate a problem.

A spokesperson for Smart Energy GB, the body that promotes smart meters, said: ‘Meters sometimes temporarily lose communication. If the screen on your home display does not appear to be working, this will not affect your meter. So just switch it off and on again.

‘If the data is still not visible after 24 hours, please contact your supplier. In many cases, they can solve the problem by turning your communications hub off and on again.’

The good news is that if the screen goes blank or freezes due to a glitch, nothing more sinister happens than it goes back to working like a traditional meter. This means that you will receive invoice estimates from your supplier unless you regularly provide an accurate meter reading.

When contacting the supplier, be armed with previous utility bills. If there is a sudden spike (or drop) in quantity demanded, this may indicate a switch to estimated energy consumption once the meter has stopped taking remote measurements.

Suppliers are obliged to repair defective meters in accordance with the rules of the regulator Ofcom. Energy companies are required to take all reasonable steps to ensure that they can communicate with their customers’ smart meters.

It doesn’t matter which energy supplier you use: the chance that a gadget will break is virtually the same.

Mike Foster, chief executive of industry body Energy and Utilities Alliance, said: ‘The Government must hold energy suppliers’ feet to the fire and ensure these metering problems are resolved.

“It leaves a bitter taste in the mouth knowing we are all paying higher bills for this poorly managed rollout and meter problems.”

A spokesperson for Smart Energy GB said: ‘If your smart meter is not sending automatic readings to your energy supplier, you can rest assured that it is still recording your energy consumption correctly.

‘We recommend that you send meter readings from your supplier to ensure you receive accurate, rather than estimated, bills until all meter functions have been restored.’

toby.walne@dailymail.co.uk