Not sure if that will breach your contract with your supplier so be careful. There is surely a clause in the contract that says their engineers must be able to come and make a reading.

Put an A4 laminated sign inside the box that says:

"ATTENTION

Under no circumstances must a Smart Meter be installed
at this address without the express permission of [insert your name]. Any attempt to do so will result in legal action being taken"

Smart meters were being discussed on the radio yesterday. Apparently the 'first generation' all those installed to date will have to be replaced because the software they use will be obsolete in a couple of years time. They already have an inbuilt problem in that the data collected by them can only be sent to the power supplier who installed so if a customer changes supplier they don't work and it is too expensive to modify them them.

The second generation of meters are still being tested and won't be ready for installation till the middle of next year yet the power companies are still installing the ones which will soon be obsolete. Madness.

We are all going to have to pay for this mess up in our bills.
I won't be having one installed, my meter box is outside and if need be I will fit a padlock on the box so it can't be accessed .

They can take a reading from the elctricity box OK because it has a clear 'window' in the front to see through.
The gas meter is behind a padlocked gate, so they can't get to that one unless I am here to let them in.
Thanks for the warning though.

You were conned io.

No-one has to accept a new meter at their property. In fact you can refuse entry to your property to any engineer. You energy supplier may well throw their dummy out of the pram if you do and cut you off, but it remains your choice at all times.

I would have simply refused their entry to your property and changed supplier.

If your new meter is small and round then it's a smart meter. If so, you have my sympathy. You should ascertain whether it has 3G connectivity and if so put a Faraday cage around it to protect yourself and any family from the constant radiation it will emit (like having a mobile phone mast strapped to your house).

You can make a Faraday cage very simply using Faraday mesh which you can easily buy online. Just Google "Smart Meter Faraday Cage" for all sorts of info on this.

The "You have no choice" line is a pushy bully boy tactic being used by various suppliers but it is entirely illegal and untrue. British Gas have already been fined a considerable sum of money for fraudulently telling customers that new meters are mandatory.

Stand up for your rights.

If you do have a smart meter now, consider asking other suppliers if they would put back the old style meter if you swap to them.

Does anyone know what happens if you move to a house with a Smart meter but you don't want one? Can you ask for it to removed?

Just call me Pesta, and I'll be round with me spanners...

Does anyone know what happens if you move to a house with a Smart meter but you don't want one? Can you ask for it to removed?

No Pesta. I strongly suspect that once a property is changed to a Smart Meter there will be no going back. No supplier is going to go backwards.

What we must therefore do is refuse to go forwards, refuse to have a Smart Meter. Refuse entry to your property and so on.

Ultimately if suppliers threaten to shut off your supply then they'll have to do that to a lot of people who refuse to comply.

If they force you to have a meter (and for me that would result in legal action) then simply build a Faraday cage around the meter to protect yourself and family from the constant mobile telecoms signals they emit.

Ultimately it's basically time to get solar panels installed and gel batteries in your garage/basement to get yourself off the grid. Heat pumps (ground pumps) are going to be huge soon. Worth getting in on that early.