Is there a charge for a missed smart meter appointment?

The money in this area moves in the other direction. Where a supplier misses an agreed appointment, changes it without your agreement on less than one working day's notice, or sends an unqualified engineer without the right tools, compensation of £40 is payable⁴. If that £40 is not paid within 10 working days, a further £40 follows⁴. In Northern Ireland, NIE Networks pays £50 for a missed appointment at domestic premises⁵.

What a household does face is indirect cost: the rollout levy on every bill, and the practical consequences of a meter that stops communicating, which can mean estimated bills and manual readings until it is fixed⁶.

The short answer: no charge attaches to a missed appointment

Nothing in the published rules creates a fee for a household that is out when the engineer calls, or that cancels a visit. The installation itself is free across the sources: Ofgem's guidance says to contact your supplier "to get a smart meter for free"¹, Smart Energy GB describes installation "at no extra cost to you"⁸, and the Smart DCC, which runs the national communications network, states "You can get a smart meter installed by your energy supplier at no extra cost"⁹. Age UK's guidance is explicit that suppliers "must install smart meters at no extra cost, so you shouldn't be asked to pay to have one installed"¹⁰.

The Consumer Council for Northern Ireland's fact sheet goes further on the specific point of a separate charge: "There will be no separate fee for a smart electricity meter installation"¹¹. Smart Energy GB's installation page repeats the position, noting that smart meters "are provided at no extra cost, so you will not have to pay your smart meter installer"¹².

Smart meters are optional in Great Britain, and the Welsh Government's guidance notes that without one a household "miss[es] out on easier billing and innovative tariff options"². That optionality matters here: because a household cannot be compelled to accept an installation, there is no contractual basis on which a supplier could levy a missed-visit fee, and none appears in the guidance.

The one structural cost is shared rather than individual. The rollout is paid for through bills: "the overall cost of the rollout is covered by adding a small extra fee to your energy bill"⁶. Ofgem's consultation on the guaranteed standards takes the same line on the compensation regime, stating that "Costs imposed on suppliers would not normally pass through to consumers"¹³.

Why the installation costs you nothing

The reason no charge arises is that the smart meter remains the supplier's asset and the rollout is a licensed obligation, not a customer purchase. Suppliers are required to take all reasonable steps to install smart meters, and the cost sits in the supply business rather than in a transaction with the household⁹.

That has a practical consequence for anyone weighing up whether to accept a visit. There is no quote to compare, no installer to select and no deposit to lose. The Consumer Council for Northern Ireland's fact sheet confirms there is "no separate fee" for the electricity meter installation¹¹, and Smart Energy GB's installation guidance confirms meters are "provided at no extra cost"¹².

The cost recovery is collective. Every bill carries a small levy that funds the programme⁶, so a household that declines a smart meter still contributes to the rollout through its standing charges and unit rates. That is the honest position on independence: the meter itself is free at the point of installation, but the household is already paying for the programme whether or not it takes part.

For the household's energy independence, a smart meter is a data and access device rather than a generation asset. It gives half-hourly consumption data, enables time-of-use tariffs and prepayment in smart mode, and supports export metering. It does not reduce reliance on the grid or on a supplier, and it introduces a dependence on the national communications network and on the supplier's systems. Where that communications link fails, the meter can drop into what is often called dumb mode, and the household loses the automatic reading function until it is restored¹⁴.

What can cause an appointment to be missed

Missed appointments arise from both sides, and the causes differ in who carries the consequence.

On the supplier's side, scheduling is grouped geographically. Smart Energy GB explains that "Smart meter installers group appointments by location so they don't have to travel long distances between installations, reducing the carbon emissions given off when they travel"¹⁵. That efficiency means a slot cannot always be refilled at short notice, and a visit can slip when an earlier job overruns.

On the household's side, the common causes are simply not being in, a change of circumstances, or a meter position that turns out to be inaccessible. None of these carries a published charge.

There are also cases where an appointment cannot be offered at all. The National Energy Action guidance on the Radio Teleswitch Service notes that "There are some situations where your electricity supplier won't be able to offer you an appointment for a smart meter upgrade yet and the supplier will get in touch when ready"¹⁶. Where a supplier is physically unable to install a smart meter, the proposed guaranteed standards treat a timely appointment as not necessary, under an exemption in the regulations¹⁷.

Demand-side evidence suggests booking itself is not always smooth. Official research following 274 consumers trying to get a smart meter found that "only 73% were able to book an appointment"¹⁸. That figure is about the booking stage rather than missed visits, but it sets expectations: a proportion of households will need more than one attempt to get a date agreed.

Rearranging a missed or cancelled appointment

The route back to a new date runs through the supplier. Ofgem's guidance on meter problems is to "contact your supplier to arrange to have a new smart meter installed"¹, and Smart Energy GB describes the normal booking contact: suppliers "will telephone or email you to agree a time to come and change over your meter"⁸.

Where gas and electricity come from separate suppliers, the Smart DCC notes that "you'll need to book individual appointments with both", and recommends changing the electricity meters first¹⁹. That is two visits, two sets of arrangements and two chances of a scheduling problem.

The offer window is set out in Citizens Advice guidance: "Your supplier should offer you an appointment within 30 working days of the day you ask for a smart meter"⁴. That is the benchmark to hold a supplier to when a rearrangement drags.

The guaranteed standards apply to "all smart meter installation appointments, whether that be a first-time installation or the replacement of an existing smart meter", including work by third-party engineers contracted through meter operators¹⁷. So a missed visit by a subcontractor counts the same as one by the supplier's own staff.

Costs that could arise indirectly

No direct charge exists, but three indirect costs are worth knowing about.

The first is the rollout levy. Every energy bill carries a small extra fee that funds the programme⁶, so the cost is spread across all households rather than charged to those who book.

The second is the consequence of a meter that stops communicating after installation. Smart Energy GB's troubleshooting guidance sets out what happens: "Your bills may temporarily become estimated", manual readings may be needed, and the in-home display may stop updating correctly⁷. Estimated billing is corrected once a real reading arrives: "Any differences between the estimate and your actual energy use will be corrected on your next bill"²⁰. The Energy Ombudsman has handled cases where a missed meter exchange led to incorrect estimated billing, with the root cause identified as "a delay in the supplier updating its systems"²¹.

The third is accidental damage. Smart Energy GB notes that "Accidental damage charges may sometimes apply" to the in-home display²². That is the one place in this subject where a household can face a bill, and it relates to the display rather than the meter or the appointment.

Your rights when the supplier keeps missing appointments

The guaranteed standards regime is the main protection, and it is being strengthened. Ofgem's January 2026 final decision sets out a standard for failed installations: "If a smart meter installation fails due to a fault within the energy supplier's control, the consumer will receive compensation"¹⁷. A separate proposed standard would pay compensation where "a consumer's smart meter is not operating in smart mode for over 90 days"¹⁷. That second standard is proposed rather than in force, and the consultation allows suppliers an extra 30 days where communications hub or wide area network issues have been raised with the DCC²³.

The eligibility test for appointment compensation is set out in independent guidance: "you'll be eligible for compensation if the supplier: misses the appointment; changes the appointment without your agreement with less than one working day's notice; or sends an unqualified engineer without the right tools"²⁴. The £40 figure and the further £40 for late payment both come from the same source⁴.

In Northern Ireland the framework differs. NIE Networks' customer standards state: "If we don't keep an agreed appointment you will receive £50 or £125 for other premises"⁵. Domestic premises attract the £50 figure.

The government's guide on smart meters sets out the standards suppliers should follow "from arranging an installation appointment to resolving any issues which might occur after installation"²⁰, and confirms that any household that pays for energy, "whether you own or rent your home, should be able to book to have a smart meter installed where it is expected to work in the property"²⁰. Where a meter stops working after installation, responsibility sits with the supplier: "If your smart meter stops working, contact your supplier. They are responsible for maintenance and will fix or replace your meter as needed"².

For households on prepayment, a separate compensation route exists where a supplier forced a prepayment meter between 1 January 2022 and 21 January 2023 without following the rules properly²⁵. That is a distinct scheme from the smart meter appointment standards and should not be confused with them.