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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Business
Zoe Wood

Energy bills: why are so many smart meters in Britain turning ‘dumb’?

A smart energy meter, used to monitor gas and electricity use
Some readers say the failure of their smart meter to operate properly is costing them money. Photograph: Tolga Akmen/EPA

As energy prices spiral upwards, many households are eager to monitor their gas and electricity usage in real time – and, crucially, how much it is all costing them – with this feature one of the big attractions of smart meters.

Last month, Guardian Money published a letter from a reader whose Shell Energy smart meter stopped working just as the new higher energy price cap took effect in April, and we asked other readers to tell us whether they were also experiencing “a loss of smart-ness”.

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