Martin Lewis' MoneySavingExpert website has warned British Gas customers that they need to take action after receiving "many" reports of smart meter issues.
The website said it has been made aware by readers that some have been left unable to check their energy usage on the provider's app, website, and in-house display, with a portion of customers saying they have experienced the problem for over a year. The experts urged affected households to take meter readings manually while the issue persists to keep on top of their usage.
Several British Gas customers have reported issues with their smart meter on social media recently, with one person asking the provider on Twitter: "When are you going to fix your app so that it shows gas usage? It's been months now and no end in sight! I'd like to know what I'm supposed to be using per day but you keep saying 'you're working on it!'"
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Posting a screenshot of an error page, another customer complained: "My IHD is highly inaccurate and have never been able to access usage in your app. Please tell me what the point of a smart meter is?"
Someone else tweeted: "British Gas, it's been over five months now since I reported my smart meter issue and still you haven't managed to get it sorted."
And another person remarked: "My electricity smart meter has not worked for over a year. Online chat tell me it will be fixed in the future and it never is."
The Martin Lewis site confirmed British Gas had told MSE earlier this year that a technical glitch had left some smart meter customers unable to see their energy usage. British Gas added at the time that some of the issues may have been caused by the firm moving customers to a new system, and that it was working to fix the problems.
It's not clear how many customers are currently being affected by the issue. The MSE team said they have asked British Gas whether the problems have been resolved, as well as whether or not bills will be impacted - the provider said this should not be the case earlier this year - and that they will update readers when they receive a response.
Replying to one person who complained that their smart meter wasn't working on April 4, British Gas said on Twitter: "Our Smart Tech Team are aware of the fault and working hard to put a fix place by the end of June. I'm sorry for any inconvenience this may cause."
In the meantime, MSE has advised any affected households to track their usage by taking regular readings directly from their physical meter. Customers can also contact British Gas directly online or by phone to provide them with their meter readings if they're concerned about their usage being recorded accurately.
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