Landlords may be about to be on the receiving end of a hard sell on installing smart meters, especially if they have tenants considered to be poor.
Letting agent accreditation service says this week - Smart Meter Awareness Week - is the ideal opportunity for letting agents to emphasise to their landlords clients the benefits for tenants of installing smart meters.
Citing research from Smart Energy GB, Safeagent says tenants in the private rental sector are more likely to want smart meters when compared to other groups, but they are less likely to get them installed.
Safeagent says this could be due to confusion around who’s responsible for installation - it is usually the right of the bill payer but some tenancy agreements have clauses preventing smart meter installation without the landlord’s consent.
Safeagent claims that if tenants on lower incomes have a prepay meter, installing a smart meter could ultimately save them money by not having to step up to a more expensive tariff.
Traditionally, if a tenant fell into debt with a traditional analogue meter, their energy supplier could charge to install a new analogue prepayment meter in their home. However, with smart meters, customers can be switched from credit to prepayment mode without the cost of a new meter being added to their existing debt.
Smart meters also enable tenants to have more choice and ease of how they top up – online, with an app, on the phone, or via text message, without having to go to a shop.
Safeagent chief executive Isobel Thomson says: “Letting agents can play their part by explaining the many benefits of smart meters and supporting tenants by showing them how simple it is to have a smart meter installed.”
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You have to ask yourself why they are pushing all this so called 'smart' tech
They can give me the hard sell, I will reply with a hard NO.
I don’t know what’s so good about smart meters I have them installed in my house years ago, I had a little display unit in living room telling me what I was using that didn’t save me anything other than that the smart meters were In the cupboard and I got robbed by British Gas. I switched supplier and it reduced my Bill by £1’000. per year I kid you not. Apparently BG would not allow the new supplier to use their smart meters so they are still in my house unusable while I have the send the readings.
its my tenants call not mine - but I'm nothing one in my home. I know that the kettle uses a lot of electricity and I don't need an electronic device to tell me!
You have to ask yourself why, after Germany halted their roll out because it 'wasn't in the interest of consumers', our Govt continues to force them on us.
They keep telling everyone that SMART meters save you money. As a retired electrician let me tell you they don’t. This is because if you have a electric meter that is NOT SMART and you have an electrical device on for one hour and it costs you 20p. If you had a SMART meter and had the same electrical device on for one hour it would still cost you 20p.
Also if your property burns down shortly after having them fitted due to a bad install you will have a job getting the insurance company to pay out as they normally aren’t qualified 18th edition electricians who fit them they are semi skilled trained up in a few days.
Also big brother is watching you. They know when you are at home using electricity or gas and when you are away not using electricity or gas. To some people that matters.
Tenants need to be aware that Smart meters allow the phased disruption to electrical supply by the Utility companies at times of excessive demand.
So when their electricity gets cut for two hours, across different parts of the country - they'll know who to blame. ( Them selves and the Govt. )
Comments above interesting and informative. Personally I don't see the point of them and having read the above even less likely to get one. That said if a tenant wants one I have no objections, but it is their choice.
Don’t let these be installed. The energy companies then quote what you owe without proof. The screens go blank after the tenant moves out. Big problem to sort for the LL. They will average the usage from before even if the house is empty!!
I hear all the time that the are free.A CEO from one off the big six suppliers was asked if they are free does the money to supply them come from the business. He replied that the customers pay for them, but not upfront. A total waste of time and money for the customers.
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