Ofgem has announced that consumers will see greater levels of compensation in the event of smart meter failures.
A spokesperson for the End Fuel Poverty Coalition, commented:
“We must ensure that electricity pricing is fair and that everyone can access cheaper ‘time of use’ tariffs. Millions of people have been left behind in the smart meter roll out already and it is vital that the energy industry fixes problems with existing meters and compensates customers for failures.
“The main issues with smart meters are when they don’t communicate with the supplier and that is the fault of the Data Communications Company (DCC) and we are concerned that this fault will be exempt from compensation as it could be argued to be outside of the suppliers’ control.
“What’s more, when faults with smart meters are ongoing, it means that even people who want a smart meter may not be able to access from the best tariffs available. This is an issue not one which can’t be dealt with simply by a one off payment.
“And with the North Sea geologically unable to meet our gas heating needs for much longer and the UK set to rely on imports for 94% of its gas by 2050, we must be accelerating efforts to reform electricity pricing, not embedding unfairness. Access to smart tariffs must be universal, and smart meter failures must not become yet another reason why the most vulnerable pay more for energy.”