OfGem proposal to switch off smart meters 7 days after moving house

Another anti consumer proposal from OFGEM, thought thay were supposed to be a 'Watchdog'.

This week I learned that they run on batteries whose life is typically only three or four years - no mains backup. When the batteries die, the meter shuts the gas off without warning and you have to call the supplier to come and replace them, which can take several days.

This from my son, who has a smart meter, and to whom this actually happened. No, I hadn't realised that such incompetence was possible either.

Neither Ofgem nor the MoneyBox presenters said anything about Smart Gas Meters though. I wonder if they will be excluded from this proposal ?.

Without electricity most gas users would not be able to use their boilers anyway.

The risk of leaks when the gas was turned back on has always prevented gas from being turned off remotely, even before smart meters.

I organised my new suppliers on the day I moved in. Why should anyone need a week or longer?

When we had a “gas cut” in our street the supply couldn’t be restored until every house in the street had been visited to turn off the supply at the meter. If the householder wasn’t in and the meter wasn’t accessible they physically cut the gas supply to the house by digging up the pavement.

It’s clearly a major pain in the arse for gas utility companies.

Tim