Citizens Advice responds to the government's latest smart meter statistics

28 Aug 2026 12:45 PM

Gillian Cooper, Director of Energy at Citizens Advice responded to the government’s latest smart meter statistics

“Smart meters are meant to help people track their energy use and lower bills, however, yesterday’s figures show three million are failing to deliver.

When smart meters fail, people pay the price, enduring months of inaccurate, estimated bills that leave them out of pocket, while suppliers and the network provider - the Data Communications Company - trade blame.

"Consumers should not suffer the consequences of this ongoing accountability gap. Ofgem must urgently bring in stricter rules that actually hold companies to account and guarantee faulty smart meters are fixed quickly.”

Latest research from Citizens Advice shows: 

• Over a third (36%) of people with smart meters - 6.7 million households - regularly have to submit manual readings to their supplier, a 20% increase since last year.
• 1.2 million households with smart meters haven’t been receiving accurate bills as expected since having their meter installed. 
• So far in 2026, the most common reason for people complaining to their energy supplier was due to a problem with their smart meter.

Notes to editors:

1. The charity’s latest research on smart meters, Fully Operational, is available online. 
2. The number of smart meters failing to deliver is calculated using the latest DESNZ figures, Smart meters in Great Britain, quarterly update June 2026, which states that 92% of all smart meters operated by large energy suppliers were operating in smart mode, leaving millions that are not.
3. According to the Energy Consumer Satisfaction Survey (May 2026), jointly commissioned by Ofgem and Citizens Advice, smart meter complaints were the most common reason people complained to their energy supplier.
4. Citizens Advice is the people’s champion - supporting people across England, Wales and the Channel Islands through: the national charity Citizens Advice; the network of independent local Citizens Advice charities; and the Citizens Advice consumer service.
5. Our network of charities offers impartial advice online, over the phone, and in person, for free. 
6. Citizens Advice helped 2.71 million people face to face, over the phone, by email and webchat in 2024-25. And we had 44 million visits to our website. For full service statistics see our monthly publication Advice trends.
7. Citizens Advice service staff are supported by more than 19,500 trained volunteers, working at over 1,900 locations across England, Wales and the Channel Islands.
8. Citizens Advice is the statutory consumer advocate for energy and postal markets. We provide supplier performance information to consumers and policy analysis to decision makers. 
9. Citizens Advice consumer service can help with consumer issues like broken or faulty goods, or problems with energy, heat networks or post. You can get advice from the Citizens Advice consumer service on 0808 223 1133 or 0808 223 1144 for Welsh language speakers.