I READ on May 13 that Chris O’Shea (Centrica CEO) would like the government to make it compulsory for all homes to have smart meters fitted.

The reason is not to benefit the customer — it is because they want to be able to control when and how much energy the consumer uses which comes down to the energy suppliers and the government having failed to make sure the national grid has enough capacity to supply at peak demand in cold winter periods.

And this will get even worse if they manage to get homes to convert from gas to heat pumps and electric vehicles. Mr O’Shea proposes to use the smart meters to charge more during peak demand to encourage customers to not use appliances at peak times. Without a smart meter they can’t charge different prices for different times of the day.

Also if demand is high they will be able to stop charging of your electric vehicle.

Heating your home is usually the biggest expense and most people need heating in the evening.

It is no good having it on during the night when you are in bed so you will be paying the high rate to have the heating on thus boosting the profits of the companies and increasing household bills.

People have been conned into believing that smart meters are for their benefit to help save money when in reality it will result in companies being able to charge you more when you need it most.

I have always said if a company is encouraging you to have something it is not for your benefit it is for theirs.

I refused to have one fitted because a smart meter can’t save me money — it can only show me how much energy I have used and I can read my own meter to find that out and also I have had none of the problems millions of smart meter users have had.

For those who have not had a smart meter fitted I would recommend refuse one because there is no benefit and the chance of problems you have never had before.

Paul Dakin

Kidderminster

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