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A poll of 1,000 people, who rent, found 62 percent didn’t know they can make a choice as the main bill payer when it comes to having an energy reading device – or not.<\/p>\n
And 76 percent have never asked their landlord if they can have one installed, with 16 percent not wanting to bother them with the request.<\/p>\n
More than one in 10 (11 percent) think it would be too much hassle to ask their landlord but, if offered one, 59 percent would be happy to accept it.<\/p>\n
It also emerged 51 percent don\u2019t have a working smart meter in their rental property – meaning residents may be self-rationing or not using any energy, and their supplier will be unable to intervene.<\/p>\n
The study was commissioned by Utilita, which has launched the \u2018Smart Landlords, Smart Tenants\u2019 campaign to turbo-boost the national smart meter rollout across the private rental sector – ready for what is going to be the hardest winter for millions of tenants.<\/p>\n
Campaign ambassador, industry expert and founder of Landlord Action, Paul Shamplina, has shared his advice on the subject giving landlords the need to know facts [https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/ Paul said: \u201cThe latest smart meters are a welcome addition to every property, whether it is rented or owned.<\/p>\n \u201cI have to admit, I didn\u2019t know much about smart meters – and I was completely unaware of the role smart meters have as a safety net for households, especially those struggling to make ends meet, making this campaign extremely timely.\u201d<\/p>\n Of those who don\u2019t have a working smart meter, 23 percent are still waiting for one to be fitted by their supplier.<\/p>\n And 14 percent haven\u2019t yet been offered the option to have one – despite suppliers being mandated to do so.<\/p>\n Of those who are aware of the smart meter benefits, only 21 percent knew about the access to money-saving schemes while only 27 percent realise they support the country\u2019s energy security efforts.<\/p>\n Utilita\u2019s founder and CEO, Bill Bullen, said: \u201cWith the affordability crisis continuing to bite and financial resilience at an all-time\u00a0<\/p>\n READ MORE <\/strong> Are you smart enough to solve this brain teaser?<\/strong><\/p>\n low, millions more households will need financial assistance from their energy supplier this winter, and without a smart meter, that\u2019s very hard to do.<\/p>\n “Since 2021, we have helped our Smart PAYG+ households access \u00a310 million of energy they couldn\u2019t afford at the time – without a smart meter, these households would have gone without.<\/p>\n \u201cLandlords and tenants, alike, must consider the safety net that smart meters provide, not to mention all the other benefits.<\/p>\n \u201cThe ‘Smart Landlords, Smart Tenants’ campaign is calling for landlords and letting agents to be proactive in letting tenants know they are happy for a smart meter to be installed – this can be a simple text message which takes a few seconds but could make all the difference.\u201d<\/p>\n FIVE FACTS LANDLORDS NEED TO KNOW<\/p>\n 1. SUPPLIERS ARE MANDATED TO OFFER A SMART METER – Energy suppliers are required to offer a free smart meter installation to every customer.<\/p>\n 2. BILL PAYER\u2019S RIGHT – Whoever pays the energy supplier is entitled to have a smart meter installed.<\/p>\n 3. FASTER SWITCHING – Smart meter technology and their networks have evolved so switching suppliers is quicker and easier than it was previously.<\/p>\n 4. CHOOSE HOW TO PAY – Once a smart meter is installed, the bill payer can switch between PAYG and credit payment modes where credit checks allow.<\/p>\n 5. PAYG ENERGY MODERNISED – Old-style prepay meters can leave households at risk of going without the energy they need but top-ups and much more can be done via the supplier\u2019s app.<\/p>\n We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info<\/p>\n