Millions of smart meters have gone quiet
Somewhere in Great Britain right now, around four million smart meters are switched on, wired in, and saying absolutely nothing to anyone. Smart Energy GB puts the figure at roughly four million of the 36 million smart meters installed nationwide, stuck in what the industry calls “dumb mode”: no signal, no automatic readings, nothing useful happening behind the little screen on your wall.
That’s one of the smart meter problems nobody mentions when the engineer fits one. You were promised the end of estimated bills and manual readings. For a growing number of households, smart meter problems mean exactly the opposite. Nobody rings you up to say so.
Why do smart meter problems like this happen?
Most smart meter problems come down to a lost signal, not a broken meter. The device talks to your supplier over a shared national network, and if that connection drops, or a supplier switch or house move doesn’t complete the handover properly, your meter quietly reverts to manual mode without telling you.
Which? surveyed 813 of its members with smart meters in August 2026 and found that 31% had a problem with theirs in the past twelve months. The Energy Consumer Satisfaction Survey, run jointly by Ofgem and Citizens Advice in May 2026, found smart meter complaints were the single most common reason people contacted their supplier. The government’s own smart metering policy framework response acknowledges that connectivity is one of the rollout’s ongoing weak points.
Losing signal doesn’t mean your meter has stopped counting. It’s still quietly recording your actual gas and electricity use in the background. The problem is that this data has nowhere to go until the connection is restored or you step in with a manual reading, which is exactly the gap an estimated bill fills in the meantime.
What smart meter problems actually cost you
This is where doing nothing gets expensive. If your supplier stops receiving automatic readings, it estimates your bill instead, and estimates have a habit of running high rather than low.
36% of people with a smart meter, around 6.7 million households, are now back to submitting manual readings themselves, a rise of 20% on the year before. Separately, roughly 1.2 million households say they haven’t had an accurate bill since their smart meter went in.
None of that is a one-off blip. It’s a pattern. A slightly worse one than last year, not a better one.
How do you know if you’ve got smart meter problems?
The screen is the giveaway. Frozen, blank, or stuck showing the same reading for days on end. Treat that as one of the classic smart meter problems rather than a coincidence.
Check your last two or three bills too. If they’re marked “estimated” rather than “actual”, or the usage figures look suspiciously round, your meter probably isn’t sending readings automatically, whatever you were told when it was installed.
Most suppliers also show a signal status somewhere in their app, usually buried under meter or device settings. It’s worth a quick look even if nothing seems obviously wrong, since a meter can sit in dumb mode for months before anyone notices.
Key takeaways
- Around 4 million smart meters in Great Britain are stuck in “dumb mode” with no signal.
- 31% of Which? members with a smart meter reported a problem in the past year.
- 6.7 million households are back to manual readings, up 20% year on year.
- An estimated bill, not a refund, is usually what a silent meter costs you first.
- You can claim compensation if a supplier fault leaves a repair appointment unfixed.
4 checks to avoid a shock bill from smart meter problems
Roo reckons this bit takes less time than the tea goes cold. He’s not wrong, even if the fix involves more phone calls than problem-solving.
First, submit a manual reading through your supplier’s app or website every month regardless of what your smart meter is doing. It costs five minutes and closes the gap an estimate would otherwise fill. Our guide on how to take an energy meter reading correctly covers exactly what to note down.
Second, ring your supplier and ask directly whether your meter is reporting automatically. Don’t accept “it should be” as an answer. Ask them to check the signal status on their system while you’re on the phone.
Third, if an engineer visit is booked to fix it and your supplier misses or cancels that appointment through their own fault, you’re entitled to £40 in compensation under rules that came into force in February 2026. Our guide to smart meter compensation walks through exactly how to claim it.
Fourth, if smart meter problems drag on past eight weeks with no resolution, you can escalate free to the Energy Ombudsman. Our energy ombudsman complaint guide covers the process end to end.
Is switching supplier a fix for smart meter problems?
Sometimes, though not automatically. A switch can trigger the very handover glitch that caused smart meter problems in the first place, so it’s worth asking a new supplier directly how they handle an existing meter that’s stopped reporting before you commit.
What a switch is genuinely good for is making sure you’re not also paying over the odds on top of an inaccurate bill. It’s worth comparing rates around the same time you sort the meter itself, rather than treating them as two separate jobs.
Frequently asked questions about smart meter problems
- Why has my smart meter stopped sending readings?
- Usually a lost signal to the national smart meter network, often triggered by a supplier switch, a house move, or a local coverage gap. It’s rarely the meter itself that’s faulty.
- Will I be charged more because of smart meter problems?
- Not directly, but an estimated bill based on a silent meter can run higher than your actual usage, so you may be overpaying until it’s corrected.
- Can I get a replacement if my smart meter won’t reconnect?
- Sometimes. Ask your supplier for an engineer visit to diagnose the fault first, since a straightforward reconnection is usually quicker than a full replacement.
- Do I have to accept a smart meter at all?
- No, a smart meter is optional. You can decline one or keep your existing meter, though you may miss out on some newer tariffs that need one.
- Who do I complain to about ongoing smart meter problems?
- Start with your supplier’s complaints team. If it isn’t resolved within eight weeks, take it free to the Energy Ombudsman.
