Things could be about to go dark in the United Kingdom, as some 600,000 Brits are warned their power could soon be shut off. On an island with a population of just under 70 million, 600,000 residents being left without power is no small number.
Thereare already concerns about energy prices in the UK, and despite the government laying out a new energy cap, prices have risen by around £21/$26 a year. Even though that might not seem like much to some, it's around 50% higher than what levels were sitting at pre-Covid, with analysts predicting another 3% rise in April 2025.
If that wasn't enough to contend with, Octopus Energy says that those who haven't upgraded their smart meter could soon be completely cut off.
Advert
The energy provider has soared in recent years thanks to its promises of keeping prices low, but this means it's now the UK's largest energy supplier and currently serves more than 7.3 million customers.
When you again crunch the numbers, 600,000 of 7.3 million customers is a pretty big proportion of them.
Octopus Energy has reiterated that those who are still on the old radio teleswitch meters (RTS) will have their power cut off on June 30. The move comes after the BBC revealed plans to migrate unique Long Wave content to other broadcasting platforms.
Advert
A release on the Octopus Energy site urges customers to 'act now', with CEO John Szymik warning: "Octopus has boosted its service capability to offer fast-tracked assistance and ensure that no one is left without heating.
"We urge all affected customers, of any supplier, to book their meter exchange now to ensure a smooth transition."
Octopus assured customers that it's 'fast-tracking upgrades' for those affected, with additional engineers deployed to try and ensure no one is left without power on June 30. Still, it asks 133,000 customers who haven't responded to get in touch ASAP.
Advert
Promoting the benefits of smart meters, Octopus says they give a better overview of energy usage, give consumers access to 'smart tariffs', and allows them to make the most of free-energy periods when the grid has an abundance of green energy.
According to Octopus, over two million customers have saved over £100 million/$124 million by taking part in smart tariffs and schemes.
There are still skeptics, and while smart meters are praised for the ease of no longer having to submit meter readings and hopes that customers will reduce their carbon footprint by being able to see what they're using, there are concerns over privacy and difficulty if you want to switch over to a different supplier. There's also the fact that some older electrical systems make the move to a smart meter more difficult, as well as the obvious worry about technical glitches sending your bill through the roof.
Unfortunately for Octopus customers, they'll soon have to make the switch or risk being left out in the (literal) cold.