Citizens Advice issues warning to millions who could be missing out on smart meter benefits

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

Citizens Advice has issued a warning that millions of households are not reaping the full benefits of their smart meters. The consumer charity revealed that over half of British homes now have a smart meter, but suppliers often fail to provide adequate support when issues arise.

The charity is calling for new regulations to ensure energy suppliers promptly identify and rectify problems. It expressed concern that customers could face large unexpected bills if their supplier fails to take an automatic reading for a prolonged period.

Current rules permit suppliers to "back bill" customers for up to a year, regardless of whether they have a smart meter. However, Citizens Advice believes this period should be reduced to six months to prevent substantial catch-up bills. Read more: DWP investigated by human rights watchdog over crackdown on benefit claimants A survey conducted by the group found that 20% of households with a smart meter, equating to 2.86 million households, still need to regularly submit manual meter readings as their device is not automatically doing so.

Almost a third (31%) reported issues with their in-home display (IHD) screen, which helps households monitor their energy usage and costs.