One in ten smart meters are broken. Here’s how to tell if YOURS is overcharging you…

The number of ‘smart’ energy meters that are not working properly stood at close to four million by the end of last year, according to new figures from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.

The £13.5 billion rollout of smart meters — paid for through higher gas and electricity bills — enables usage in the home to be read remotely by energy companies.

But although the number has fallen from 4.31 million in 2022, 3.98 million smart meters are still not working properly.

The idea is that once households have a smart meter fitted, they can get a hand-held screen gadget that lets them see in near-real time how much energy they are using — and, by reading the usage, might use less energy and lower their bills.

Energy suppliers save money by not having to come and read your meter.

Teething problems: The £13.5bn rollout of smart meters – paid for through higher gas and electricity bills – enables usage in the home to be read remotely by energy companies

But how can you tell if you have become one of the now four million households saddled with a meter that doesn’t work properly? 

And how can you ensure that suppliers will not start overcharging you for gas and electricity if one of the new-fangled boxes suddenly goes haywire?

If you have one of the earliest versions of the smart meters installed eight years ago, it may automatically go ‘dumb’ if you switch to a new energy supplier. 

Those living in areas with poor mobile phone reception — or homes with thick walls — can suffer from smart meter failures.

There are also fears that meters that rely on 2G and 3G mobile signal technology could become dumb as these signals get turned off. Yet smart meters are not fully rolled out to handle the more modern 4G or 5G communication technology.

Also, the meters can fail if the batteries run out, so check yours regularly (they have a typical shelf life of 15 years). If yours has stopped working, looking at the smart meter installed under the stairs or in an outside box will provide few clues.

Readings from smart meters are sent to your energy supplier via wifi-like signals. But if the hand-held device screen goes blank or freezes, it may indicate a problem.

A spokesman for Smart Energy GB, the body that promotes smart meters, says: ‘Meters occasionally temporarily lose communication. If the screen does not appear to be working on your in-home display it should not affect your meter — so just turn it off and on.

‘If the data is still not showing after 24 hours, contact your supplier. In many cases they can fix the problem by turning your communications hub off and on.’

The good news is that if the screen does go blank or freeze due to a fault, nothing more sinister happens than it reverting to working like a traditional meter. It means you will get bill estimates from your supplier unless you regularly provide an accurate meter reading.

Readings from smart meters are sent to your energy supplier via wifi-like signals. But if the hand-held device screen goes blank or freezes, it may indicate a problem

When contacting the supplier be armed with previous energy bills. If there is a sudden spike — or fall — in the amount demanded, it may indicate a switch to estimated energy use if the meter has stopped taking remote readings.

Suppliers are obliged to fix faulty meters under regulator Ofcom rules. Energy firms are required to take all reasonable steps to ensure they are able to communicate with their customers’ smart meters.

It does not matter which energy supplier you are using — the chances of a gadget failing are much the same.

Mike Foster, chief executive of trade association the Energy and Utilities Alliance, says: ‘The Government must hold the energy suppliers’ feet to the fire and make sure these meter problems are solved.

‘It leaves a bitter taste in the mouth knowing we all pay for this badly managed rollout and meter problems with higher bills.’

A spokesman for Smart Energy GB says: ‘If your smart meter is not sending automatic readings to your energy supplier, please be reassured that it will still be recording your energy use correctly. 

‘We would recommend that you send your supplier meter readings to make sure you receive accurate, rather than estimated, bills until all the features of the meter have been restored.’

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This post first appeared on Dailymail.co.uk