Lady Irvine, 89, who lives in Morpeth Northumberland, said that when she discovered her energy costs were “far higher” than those of friends and neighbours she began to question her smart meter.
“I called British Gas and they said I could take a meter reading each month.
“My meter is outside on an outside wall and it is outside the level or my perifocal so I would have had to sit on a stall outside with a magnifying glass.”
In December last year she requested a visit from an engineer to check the functionality, but was told the cost would be £175 if the meter was working correctly so instead she moved providers.
“It is an inequitable charge,” she said.
Lady Irvine is worried providers are not sharing enough information about how their meters work, and what can be done if they suspect there are issues.
“A tremendous number of people who are old wouldn’t feel right taking the step to complain,” she added.
Vulnerable bill payers have previously said they felt “terrified” after receiving shock meter readings putting them thousands of pounds in debt.
Peta Butler, 97, who lives near Tunbridge Wells, said she had been through “two years of hell” dealing with issues with her meter.
“It’s affected my health. And it’s completely taken away any confidence I’ve got. If I have to do anything, I just panic,” she said, in an interview with the BBC.
Ms Butler’s device was not installed properly and she received a shock bill of £3,500 between January and June last year, she said, adding she was “terrified” to use electricity as a result.
