British Gas, OVO, EDF, EON, Octopus customers issued warning over 'six month delay'

Some households wait SIX months for their energy supplier to fix a broken smart meter, it has been warned. British Gas, OVO, EDF, EON, Ovo customers have been warned over a six-month delay in having their smart meter fixed.

Around 2.6 million households have asked their energy supplier to fix to their smart meter or display because it is broken, with 1.4 million waiting six months or more to get it sorted. Three quarters of households with a broken smart meter or display (74 per cent) have asked their supplier to fix the device, according to research by comparison firm Uswitch.

The average household has contacted their supplier four times to try and get their device repaired, while one in ten (10 per cent) have chased eight times or more. Uswitch director of regulation Richard Neudegg said: "Millions of customers are not benefitting from the smart technology, which allows for accurate billing without the need to manually submit meter readings.

READ MORE Exact date UK hammered by -9C 'snow bomb' which will last 'five days'

"While the vast majority of smart meters are working as they should, it's vitally important that the industry takes urgent action to sort out all the disconnected smart meters, to give those customers back the benefits and help reassure households who have delayed getting one so far.

"There are multiple ways the roll-out could have been improved, but the important thing is helping more consumers reap the benefits as quickly as possible." Energy suppliers have a target to install smart meters in at least 74.5 per cent of homes in Great Britain by the end of 2025.

There are now around 30.6 million smart meters in UK homes. There are an additional 3.5 million smart meters in 'traditional mode'. Uswitch found that nearly one in ten (9 per cent) of households with a smart meter say their device is not communicating with their supplier.

And a tenth (11 per cent) say the display unit is not working properly.