Smart Meters news from 2022
27 stories, newest first
- December 2022
Christmas prepayment compulsion ban period begins
Electricity and gas suppliers in Northern Ireland have begun a Christmas period during which they will not compel customers in debt onto a prepayment meter unless the customer asks for it.
MPs debate prepayment meter self-disconnection and call for a ban
MPs debated self-disconnection of prepayment meters in the Commons on 15 December 2022 and agreed a motion urging the Government to outlaw the practice and halt forced switches.
Ofgem criticised over continued remote switching to prepayment
MPs have criticised Ofgem for failing to act on remote switching of smart meters to prepayment mode, six weeks after the regulator called the practice unacceptable.
Investigation reveals almost 500,000 court warrants for forced PPM installations since end of lockdown
An investigation for the i paper found energy firms secured almost 500,000 court warrants to install prepayment meters in the homes of customers in debt since the end of lockdown.
Deadline for migrating first-generation smart meters missed
Around four million first-generation smart meters had still not been migrated to the central platform service by the end of 2022, despite a government requirement that the work be complete by then.
equiwatt took part in National Grid's Demand Flexibility Service
equiwatt took part in National Grid's Demand Flexibility Service in winter 2022/23, the company has confirmed, and is now trialling automated energy saving features with Energy Systems Catapult.
OVO Energy introduces temporary ban on forced prepayment meter installations over Christmas
OVO Energy has paused forced prepayment meter installations over Christmas and suspended debt recovery until at least March 2023, but says forced installations will resume in the new year.
Pre-payment meter crisis hits smart meter customers, new data shows
Freedom of Information data shows 48,062 smart meters were switched to prepayment mode for debt in the first half of 2022, more than in the whole of 2021.
- November 2022
Ofgem completes Market Compliance Review of supplier support for vulnerable customers
Ofgem has completed a Market Compliance Review of how suppliers support customers in vulnerable situations, rating all suppliers into three groups and requiring improvement plans from every one.
Ofgem writes to suppliers on remote switching of smart meters to prepayment mode
Ofgem wrote to energy suppliers in November 2022 setting out their licence obligations when remotely switching smart meters to prepayment mode, citing concern over the practice.
Default smart meter reading frequency rule tied to 3 November 2022 installation date
Smart meters installed before 3 November 2022 default to daily readings, while those installed since, or affected by a supplier switch or contract change, default to half-hourly readings.
Demand Flexibility Service launched
The Demand Flexibility Service, which pays households to cut electricity use at peak times, launched for winter 2022/23 after Ofgem approval, with 1.6 million homes and businesses taking part in its first season.
Ofgem writes to suppliers on remote switching of smart meters to prepayment mode
Ofgem has written to energy suppliers telling them to review their obligations and processes on switching smart meters to prepayment mode remotely, after a review found failings across the market.
- September 2022
Citizens Advice calls for winter moratorium on prepayment meter installations
Citizens Advice has called for a winter moratorium until April 2023 on moving customers to prepayment meters under warrant and on switching smart meters to prepay to recover debt.
tado° acquired aWATTar in 2022
tado° has confirmed that it acquired aWATTar, a pioneer in dynamic energy tariffs, in 2022, as part of its push into home energy management and tariff-linked device control.
Citizens Advice published Out of the cold calling for a winter moratorium on forced prepayment meter installation
Citizens Advice has called for a winter moratorium on the forced installation of prepayment meters, warning that millions of households are disconnecting because they cannot afford to top up.
DCC warns up to 500,000 smart meters may not be migratable
The Data Communications Company told the government in September 2022 that technical limits on devices could leave more than 500,000 smart meters unable to move onto the central platform.
- August 2022
Chameleon Technology launches the ivie app
Chameleon Technology has launched the ivie app, a free energy-saving app that uses smart meter data and can be upgraded with live data through the ivie Bud in-home display.
Lunar Energy acquired Moixa
Lunar Energy, a home electrification company founded in 2020, has acquired UK battery software firm Moixa and announced a next-generation home battery system for launch later in 2022.
SSEN launches HOMEflex project for domestic flexibility market
SSEN Distribution has launched a two-year project, backed by £331,000 in Network Innovation Allowance funding, to build household and microbusiness trust in the domestic flexibility market.
Simpson & Partners opens pre-orders for wireless energy manager
Simpson & Partners has opened pre-orders for a wireless energy manager that links its EV chargers with solar and home consumption data through the company's app.
Wireless update intended to fix smart meter switching problem
A wireless update in 2022 was meant to fix older smart meters that stop sending automatic readings after a supplier switch, but the Centre for Sustainable Energy says some problems may remain.
- June 2022
Government introduces four-year smart meter regulatory framework
The government introduced a four-year regulatory framework with binding targets for suppliers in 2022, as the National Audit Office reports the rollout remains years behind its original completion date.
- April 2022
Chameleon Technology launches IHD replacement service
Chameleon Technology has launched a replacement in-home display service that lets households buy and activate an ivie Bud remotely, without an engineer visiting the home.
Carbon Co-op launches smart meter data access independent of energy suppliers
Carbon Co-op has launched a service that lets householders see their gas and electricity smart meter data without going through their energy supplier, for £12 a year or free with membership.
- January 2022
Compensation window opens for forced prepayment meter installations
Ofgem has opened a compensation route for households forced onto prepayment meters between 1 January 2022 and 21 January 2023 where suppliers broke the installation rules.
New smart meter target framework introduced
The government introduced a four-year smart metering target framework on 1 January 2022, replacing suppliers' previous obligation to take all reasonable steps to install smart meters by the end of 2021.