Anita Grant, a 94-year-old resident of Harrow, faced an unexpected £4,000 bill following the installation of a smart meter in her home. The installation took place in August and led to the failure of her gas boiler, which could not be restarted. Initially, SSE assured Anita they would address the boiler issue but later denied any liability, leaving Anita and her family to navigate the complex situation.
Anita's son, Neil Grant, flew in from Ireland to support his mother during this challenging time. He dedicated countless hours to contacting SSE through phone calls and emails in an effort to resolve the boiler problem. Despite SSE eventually agreeing to replace the boiler, they initially offered only £500 as a gesture of goodwill, which fell significantly short of covering the full costs incurred by Anita, including the new boiler and necessary redecorations.
The situation was further complicated as SSE initially claimed the smart meter installation was unrelated to the boiler's malfunction. However, an SSE-appointed contractor later revealed to Neil that Anita's Glow-Worm boiler was incompatible with the newly installed smart meter and should never have been installed in the first place. This revelation contradicted earlier assurances from SSE and highlighted a critical oversight in the installation process.
“I kept telling her not to have the meter as there were no benefits, but she went ahead, anyway.” – Neil
The power had been turned off during the smart meter installation as a routine safety measure. Unfortunately, Anita's over 35-year-old boiler failed to restart once power was restored, leading to its eventual replacement.
“A routine part of the smart meter installation is to turn the power off to keep the engineer safe. Unfortunately, Mrs Grant’s boiler didn’t restart when the power was turned back on. Although the boiler was over 35 years old, we have decided to replace it as a gesture of goodwill.” – SSE
Anita's reliance on a wheelchair and daily home help compounded the difficulties she faced during this period. The ordeal left her not only without heating but also dealing with significant financial and emotional stress. Neil expressed his frustration with how SSE handled the situation.
“After two weeks of getting nowhere, I had to get the plumber to install a new one. I have emails from SSE promising to pay – but then they said they would pay £500 as a gesture of goodwill. The way my mother has been treated is appalling – I’m astonished,” – Neil
The incident occurs against a backdrop of the ongoing smart meter rollout across the UK, which has experienced repeated delays, pushing its deadline back to June 2025. Ofgem mandates all installers perform safety checks during installation; however, it remains unclear if these checks were conducted in Anita's case.