Smart meter repair rules now give suppliers 90 days to fix a faulty meter. Britain has greeted the deadline with relief. At last, the cupboard has received an appointment, a clock and the faint possibility that somebody may eventually arrive with a spanner.
The new rules require suppliers to take all reasonable steps to repair a broken smart meter as soon as possible, and no later than 90 days after they are told about the problem. This is splendid news for anyone who has spent several months staring at a screen that stopped being smart but retained the confidence of a senior manager.
A faulty meter may fail to send automatic readings properly, but it can still generate an impressive amount of administration. A household reports the fault. The supplier records the report. Another department acknowledges the record. Somewhere, a computer produces a reference number and quietly treats data entry as an engineering achievement.
The deadline is meant to cut waiting times and help billpayers. Until now, a repair request could enjoy the sort of extended residency usually associated with a distant relative who arrives with a suitcase and no departure date. Customers can ring, explain, repeat and confirm before hearing that the matter has been escalated to a team whose location is known only to the postcode system.
Now the meter has a timetable. On day 89, a household can gather around the boiler for a ceremonial final wait. On day 90, somebody can point at the appliance and announce that the inconvenience has matured into an official plot. The meter will remain silent, because it has already supplied the one reading the organisation values most: how long a customer can be made to wait.
Suppliers that fail to comply may face regulatory action, including fines or legal action. The energy industry has therefore been introduced to the thrilling technology of the calendar. Engineers will arrive with tools, training and perhaps a tiny bell that rings whenever an organisation takes a reasonable step. The bell may need its own repair deadline.
The wider changes include compensation for some problems during smart meter installation. Meters still connected to 2G and 3G networks will also eventually need replacing. Households can therefore look forward to a reassuring menu of institutional suspense: wait for the repair, wait for the replacement, or watch the meter become a museum piece with a direct debit.
At last, a gadget marketed as smart has been given a deadline for demonstrating basic competence. If it misses the appointment, the cupboard will not complain. It will log the failure, generate a case number and wait 90 days for someone to repair the apology. That is progress, provided the apology is not connected to 3G.
Source: GOV.UK.
