I WATCHED the Panorama programme on Monday, November 11 and it just confirmed my own thoughts that smart meters have not and are not being installed for the benefit of consumers.

One glaring problem to me is when smart meters do not transmit because of signal problems or faulty meters — and there are millions of these — the consumer ends up paying more for their energy through an estimated bill.

The consumer then has to battle with the supplier to get it corrected. If they have been doing things like using the washing machine and drier or charging the electric car during the night then the supplier charges the consumer at peak rates as there is no record of the actual time the energy was used.

This system works totally in favour of the supplier who has no incentive to make sure the system works accurately because they end up financially better off.

The government or the regulator could easily make sure smart meters work properly all the time by imposing penalties on the supplier.

For example, until the meter is fixed the customer is supplied free of charge or if the meter can be read manually the customer is only charged at the low rate for all they are using.

I guarantee the supplier would make sure the meters worked properly when first installed and fix broken ones far faster.

I find it ironic we are told improvements in manufacturing quality and new technology makes things last longer, work better and saves us money.

I do not recollect millions of people having problems with the old-style meters and certainly not when newly installed.

My house was built in 1967 and I bought it in 1978. The meter was still working in the early 2000s when the supplier changed it.

This year my supplier emailed me to tell me my meter was out of warranty and they were going to change for a smart meter.

But I did not want a smart meter as it can’t save me money.

What saves me money is not filling the kettle, only boiling what I need and using the drier less.

My existing meter is working perfectly well and will probably outlast me so why waste money changing it? After several emails and contacting the regulator I have kept my existing meter.

If it ever stops working and I must have a so-called ‘smart meter’ I confirmed I have the right to have it in dumb mode.

I will read the meter and supply the reading because I have signal problems with my mobile phone and I would avoid the signal problems with the smart meter.

Paul Dakin

Kidderminster