Millions of smart meters in the UK will stop working after 2G / 3G switch-off

[Alfonso Maruccia]

Facepalm: London authorities aim to have the industry deploy smart meters in the majority of UK homes and small businesses, offering people and companies a convenient method for measuring their actual energy consumption. However, the rollout is still a considerable distance from completion, and a significant number of the smart meters already deployed will cease to function in the coming years.

Millions of smart meters installed in the UK use 2G and 3G networks, two aging mobile infrastructures that providers plan to phase out by the end of 2033. While the latest 4G and 5G networks offer faster and more reliable services, they also pose compatibility issues for meters designed to work on the older networks.

A recent report from the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) highlights how the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) missed multiple targets in the planned smart meter rollout. The original plan aimed to complete the rollout by 2019, but as of March 2023, only 57 percent of meters (32.4 million out of a 57.1 million-install base) were considered "smart."

Additionally, the UK Parliament's report states that around three million (nine percent) of these devices were not functioning properly, and approximately seven million more (a fifth of the total) "will lose functionality" when 2G and 3G mobile networks are phased out. These recently installed smart meters will require replacement or a "costly" hardware upgrade, placing the economic burden on billpayers.

The department has repeatedly delayed its targets and timeframes for smart meter deployment, the report continues. UK authorities are currently aiming for 74.5 percent of homes and approximately 69 percent of small businesses to have a digital meter by the end of 2025. A new regulatory framework intended to encourage further investments in the rollout was introduced in 2022, but only one major supplier was able to meet its installation targets for smart meters covering both gas and electricity supply.

Members of PAC are interested in understanding the actions that regulatory agencies (DESNZ and Ofgem) are taking to increase smart meter adoption and how they plan to address the upcoming issue with devices relying on 2G and 3G mobile communications. The UK Parliament is inquiring about the steps these agencies will take to compel suppliers to replace non-working smart meters and establish a new "timetable" for replacing the communication hub on those 2G and 3G smart meters.

The smart meter deployment program is estimated to cost £13.5 billion ($16.4 billion) from 2013 to 2034. The new devices have the potential to deliver significant cost savings (£19.5 billion or $23.6 billion) for homes and offices.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/100632-millions-smart-meters-uk-stop-working-after-2g.html

 

[yRaz]

But what about when they make 4g and 4g obsolete? Why are people so incapable of forward thinking? I can't wait for all the 5g smart devices to stop working when they finally release the 7G pigeon network.

"Looks like you have to upgrade all the furniture in your house, it's not pigeon compatible"

 

[Sabby]

Just make them Wi-Fi enabled, and offer customers a minor discount if they connect them to their network.

 

[yRaz]

Just make them Wi-Fi enabled, and offer customers a minor discount if they connect them to their network.

I have so many things I want to say about this subject, and I 100% agree with you on what your suggesting. The thing is, the utility companies wanted to implement these devices so they didn't have to pay people to go and service meters so they could bill you for your usage. The utility companies should be required to pay for new meters because internal decisions they made as cost saving measures have to now be re0paced.

 

[BabyFaceLee]

Just make them Wi-Fi enabled, and offer customers a minor discount if they connect them to their network.

Absolutely agree.

Our energy provider has made 2 failed attempts to fit a smart meter. The (not so smart) meter wouldn't 'talk' to their network which was most likely a network connection issue. We had a 3rd attempt booked but they never turned up probably because the fitter knew it was a lost cause.

Why is the bleedin' obvious so difficult for the decision makers to see.

 

[fadingfool]

The estimates for savings have been woefully over-exaggerated and are based on data from Northern Ireland just when TVs were switching away from large CRTs and incandescent light bulbs phased out for the low energy lamps. As such adding a monitor that uses more energy than a traditional meter is unlikely to be in the customers interest.

 

[Theinsanegamer]

My city is doing this with water meters, and you have no choice to opt out. Tens of millions, wasted on devices with limited lifespans when the old meters have worked for decades without issue.

The estimates for savings have been woefully over-exaggerated and are based on data from Northern Ireland just when TVs were switching away from large CRTs and incandescent light bulbs phased out for the low energy lamps. As such adding a monitor that uses more energy than a traditional meter is unlikely to be in the customers interest.

We've already seen what they want to do with "smart" meters in colorado, where the utility was remotely turning off air conditioning during a heatwave because "muh load". Of course, large corporate customers were unaffected.

Just make them Wi-Fi enabled, and offer customers a minor discount if they connect them to their network.

Better idea: since these are a utility, and the internet is also a utility in the UK, make them wired, connect them to the fiber network. There is no reason these need to be wireless other then convenience, which clearly has not helped their rollout.

 

[zavrix]

Sometimes the wheel just doesn't need to be reinvented.

 

[toooooot]

Instead of helping home owners measure their power consumption, they should have thought about better power production methods rather than making electricity as expensive as gold and always have barely enough. There should not be conversion to green energy before it is enough, and before it makes power the most expensive utility

 

[Karlos95]

Absolutely agree.

Our energy provider has made 2 failed attempts to fit a smart meter. The (not so smart) meter wouldn't 'talk' to their network which was most likely a network connection issue. We had a 3rd attempt booked but they never turned up probably because the fitter knew it was a lost cause.

Why is the bleedin' obvious so difficult for the decision makers to see.

Because they live in their cozy airconned office bubble.They wouldnt know how to deal with real life situations. Happens everywhere.

 

[VaRmeNsI]

Some parts of the UK use non-mobile systems, some bright spark decided to use mobile for the rest, probably because they saw the opportunity to make £££ when the government realised they'd have to replace them every decade.

 

[Mr Majestyk]

I would argue that the brain dead Tories need smart meters implanted inside their thick skulls.

 

[DonquixoteIII]

Meter readers rejoice!

 

[return]

Just make them Wi-Fi enabled, and offer customers a minor discount if they connect them to their network.

I wouldn't trust British Gas with my wifi.

 

[Aranarth]

BTW this is an issue in the US and Canada too.

Remote monitoring for all kinds of things not just electrical usage but propane tanks, natural gas, water meters, underground gas/diesel storage tanks for leak monitoring, and yes even some alarm systems are affected by turning off 2g/3g cell service.

 

[VaRmeNsI]

I would argue that the brain dead Tories need smart meters implanted inside their thick skulls.

All mainstream parties support smart meters and further erosion of liberties.

 

[Srksi]

So muh about preserving the enviroment

 

[Underdog]

Thanks folks. I hadn't realised that smart meters used the mobile network to send their data. In UK we were fed the b*llsh*t that it was going to be sent over the mains power grid by some sort of digital overlay. All we know for sure that it is a money saving scheme that loses jobs for meter readers. It was (and still is) hyped up to be a big savings on our energy bills. I knew for a fact that was untrue. The bottom line is that if everyone cut their usage by any significant percentage, the energy companys would jack up their prices to regain the lost profits.

 

[BobHome]

If they don't want to pay a person to read a meter, send a robot.

 

[hwertz]

T-Mobile made all kinds of money in the US by keeping a bare sliver of 2G up for power meters, parking meters, alarm systems, people with old Onstar systems, etc., as AT&T dropped 2G service. T-Mobile kept a single 220khz sliver up, enough for like 3 calls or 220kbps of EDGE data, and keeping texting going. These things need a 2G connection but generate very little traffic so apprently it worked fine, that said T-Mo shut down most of their 2G already here in the US. (Here in Iowa, they bought IWireless about 2 years ago which astoundingly still had about half their network that had not been upgraded past 2G, so they've kept 2G going a while longer in this area specifically, but not most of the country.)

For that matter, Verizon Wireless delayed their 2G shutdown a total of about 5 years do to embdded stuff using it. They've shut their 2G down here too though, at the beginning of the year.