{"id":145606,"date":"2026-02-23T18:30:30","date_gmt":"2026-02-23T18:30:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vale50plus.org\/clone\/households-with-smart-meters-could-qualify-for-40-payments-from-today\/"},"modified":"2026-02-23T18:30:30","modified_gmt":"2026-02-23T18:30:30","slug":"households-with-smart-meters-could-qualify-for-40-payments-from-today","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vale50plus.org\/clone\/households-with-smart-meters-could-qualify-for-40-payments-from-today\/","title":{"rendered":"Households with smart meters could qualify for \u00a340 payments from today"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div id=\"article-body\">\n<h2 class=\"LeadText_lead-text__wd_PA __className_b122e5\" data-testid=\"leadtext\">People who have a new problem with their smart meter could get compensation<\/h2>\n<div class=\"Byline_byline-container__K_Owl\" data-testid=\"byline\"><span class=\"Byline_byline-content-wrapper__Imque\" data-testid=\"byline-content\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"Byline_author-badge-date-wrapper__Q7jj1\">\n<p><span class=\"\" data-testid=\"byline-publishedDate\">16:21, 23 Feb 2026<\/span><span class=\"ArticleTimestamp_updated-date__7qD4Q ArticleTimestamp_updated-date-with-published__iFKpF\" data-testid=\"byline-updatedDate\">Updated 16:21, 23 Feb 2026<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/div>\n<p><button class=\"SlideViewerButton_slide-viewer-button__BDJoG\" aria-label=\"Open image viewer\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-controls=\"image-lightbox\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-embed__0T8WX ImageEmbed_image-lead__Ti3qQ\" data-testid=\"leadimage\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"33473450\">\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-container__2AIQm\">\n<figure class=\"Figure_figure__Uce4f\" style=\"--figure-aspect-ratio:1.5\"><\/figure>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"ImageCaption_caption__j7HRu\" data-testid=\"image-caption\">\n<p aria-label=\"New smart meter rules are in force from February 23\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">New smart meter rules are in force from February 23<cite aria-label=\"Image: GETTY\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-credit__wlx1W\" data-testid=\"caption-credit\">(Image: GETTY)<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<p><\/button><\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Households equipped with smart meters could be entitled to automatic \u00a340 payments each time they experience one of three specific issues, as new regulations take effect. However, Ofgem is still contemplating an additional issue that may be added to the eligibility list later this year.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">In the past, companies merely had targets for installing smart meters for customers, leaving many with malfunctioning devices and subpar customer service. These fresh rules, introduced on February 23, are designed to compel energy firms to prioritise repairs and ensure every smart meter operates correctly.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Problems that can result in \u00a340 compensation:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"UnorderedList_unordered-list__gzblI\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"unordered-list\">\n<li class=\"LiItem_li-item__IF4xI\">Waiting more than six weeks to have your smart meter installed<\/li>\n<li class=\"LiItem_li-item__IF4xI\">Installation appointment fails due to fault within the supplier\u2019s control<\/li>\n<li class=\"LiItem_li-item__IF4xI\">You don\u2019t receive a \u2018resolution plan\u2019 within five days of reporting an issue with your smart meter<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Melissa Giordano, deputy director of systems and processes at <a aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ofgem.gov.uk\/press-release\/ofgem-roll-out-tougher-smart-meter-rules-february\" rel=\"nofollow\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_self\">Ofgem<\/a>, stated: &#8220;Smart meters offer customers accurate bills, cheaper tariffs, and real-time energy use tracking.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">&#8220;Every customer who wants a smart meter should get one quickly, and it should work from day one. These new rules will set clear expectations of suppliers, drive better performance, and protect consumers when things go wrong.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">The first category only applies to new or first-time installations. It does not apply if you are waiting more than six weeks for an appointment to repair or replace your smart meter. Problems classified as &#8216;within a supplier&#8217;s control&#8217; for the second category include situations such as failing to have an engineer with the appropriate expertise available or lacking the proper equipment to safely carry out the installation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Resolution plans must outline what steps the company has taken to assess the problem you&#8217;ve reported and what measures the firm is implementing to fix it. Resolution plans apply to both smart meters and connected in-home devices.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Ofgem initially introduced the proposals for these smart meter compensation rules in August 2025. At the time, the list of circumstances that could trigger automatic compensation also included if your smart meter was functioning in &#8216;dumb&#8217; mode.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">These are smart meters that fail to transmit readings to the supplier. The original proposal stated households would qualify for the compensation if this wasn&#8217;t rectified within 90 days but this rule is still under consideration.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Ofgem said, according to <a aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.moneysavingexpert.com\/news\/2026\/01\/smart-meter-compensation-update\" rel=\"nofollow\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_self\">MoneySavingExpert<\/a>, that it &#8220;intends to take forward further work&#8221; on the matter &#8220;with a view to implementing it later this year&#8221;. However, the regulator is awaiting the Government&#8217;s response to its own review of smart meter performance standards.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">If you encounter one of the qualifying problems, your energy provider ought to issue the \u00a340 compensation within 10 working days and you should not need to take any action to claim it. It may be applied as credit to your energy account or transferred directly into your bank account, with the supplier deciding which method to use.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Should you find yourself waiting beyond 10 working days for the payment, you could receive an additional \u00a340 on top of the initial compensation, though this will only occur once per incident.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.walesonline.co.uk\/news\/cost-of-living\/households-smart-meters-could-qualify-33473481\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>People who have a new problem with their smart meter could get compensation 16:21, 23 Feb 2026Updated 16:21, 23 Feb 2026 New smart meter rules are in force from February&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":145607,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/i2-prod.walesonline.co.uk\/article33473450.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200f\/0_Smart-meter.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[25,29],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-145606","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-housing-news","category-recentpost"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i2-prod.walesonline.co.uk\/article33473450.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200f\/0_Smart-meter.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":true,"date":"2026-08-23 18:30:30","action":"change-status","newStatus":"trash","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vale50plus.org\/clone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/145606","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vale50plus.org\/clone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vale50plus.org\/clone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vale50plus.org\/clone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vale50plus.org\/clone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=145606"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vale50plus.org\/clone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/145606\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vale50plus.org\/clone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/145607"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vale50plus.org\/clone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=145606"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vale50plus.org\/clone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=145606"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vale50plus.org\/clone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=145606"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}