VICTORIA BISCHOFF: Yet more smart meter madness

In the past week, how many times have you reminded someone to turn off the light?

Do you find yourself wondering how much power is really needed to bring the kettle to a boil? Or maybe, like me, you’re now running around like a wild thing pulling plugs out of the wall.

If so, you are far from alone. With utility bills rising, families have become obsessed with tracking their usage.

Even those who have never paid much attention to their energy use suddenly find themselves bending over their bills, desperate to get their heads around unit prices and fixed costs.

And yet the very technology that could make all this so much easier is a disaster.

Smart meters must ensure that bills are correct by automatically providing suppliers with accurate measurements.

A separate display then shows exactly how much power they are consuming in pounds and pence. In the current climate, now should be the time of the smart meter in the sun – time to show why the rollout of over £13bn was money well spent.

But as we reveal, they fail people when they need them most.

Since last week, our mail bag has been flooded with stories about chaotic smart meters.

I knew the rollout had been chaotic, with repeatedly delayed installation deadlines. But I was amazed to see how many readers were stuck with shoddy devices that just don’t work — or, in some cases, never worked.

The same issues crop up again and again, with carriers routinely blaming faulty meters for a poor signal.

And many of you say that you waited not months, but years (!) for your supplier to send a technician to fix the problem — if you can call them to file a complaint.

Even those in charge of installing the meters are now so tired of warning households the day they get a smart meter to expect problems. Hardly reassuring when families are already deeply concerned about rising bills.

We are so concerned about what we have heard that we have now sent a file of your correspondence to the energy watchdog for investigation.

And as more letters come in, we’ll be sending a second batch next week. Someone needs to take responsibility for making sure this technology is fit for purpose before it gets pushed into even more people’s homes.

There is so much that consumers have no control over right now, whether it’s rising wholesale prices, interest rates or the plummeting pound.

At the very least, they should have the peace of mind that those bigger bills that are hitting the mat are absolutely correct.

Vulnerable Failed

Speaking of energy market chaos, I was shocked that more than a dozen suppliers routinely abandoned vulnerable households.

Thirteen companies were discovered by watchdog Ofgem with ‘minor’ or ‘moderate’ problems with the way they support customers in payment difficulties. Another three, including energy giant Scottish Power, showed serious weaknesses.

The regulator added that the investigation also revealed a number of companies had ‘non-existent policies’ regarding those who struggled to pay their bills.

Some failed to identify customers at risk, failed to provide staff with proper training, or worse yet, issue unaffordable payback plans.

This is unforgivable. Businesses must improve their way in anticipation of what will be a difficult winter for millions.

Eyes on the prize

To end on a happier note, the country’s favorite savings product got a timely boost yesterday.

Anyone who reads my column regularly knows how much I love my Premium Bonds. I was therefore delighted that NS&I added an additional £76 million to the prize money.

Admittedly, the odds of any £1 bond winning a prize have only gone up from 24,500-to-1 to 24,000-to-1. But this is still the best they’ve been in almost a decade.

And in the midst of doom and gloom, that monthly whiff of hope and excitement is a welcome reprieve.

v.bischoff@dailymail.co.uk