A strange conspiracy theory has been making its rounds on social media, leading to Money Saving Expert founder Martin Lewis to publicly debunk it.
The Good Morning Britain host has been addressing consumer concerns over the past few weeks in regards to the soaring cost of living, mainly brought about by a rise in the energy price cap across the country. He has been appearing on GMB recently to respond to questions from consumers while also addressing them via his Twitter page, Chronicle Live reports.
On social media he clapped back at the growing theory which claims taking away an energy meter means you won't get charged for the energy you use. Quick to break down this theory, Martin wrote: "There's a conspiracy theory suggestion I keep being asked about that energy charges are 'for having a meter' not for fuel use.
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"Therefore 'remove the meter & you use energy for free'. It's just nonsense. You pay for the units of fuel you use, and a standing charge. One of his followers quickly added to the discussion: "When I first got a smart meter it didn’t report gas usage for 6 months.
"I switched last September and again it didn’t report usage for another 6 months. It’s annoying as you have no idea how much you are using unless you can be bothered to manual work it out yourself."
A second responded: "Sorry to say it, but, yes you can remove the meter and have free gas and electricity, but obviously, it's illegal and very dangerous," while another of Martin's followers asked for clarity on another energy-related post they'd seen doing the rounds. They tweeted: "Is there any truth to the suggestion that energy companies are using the data collected from smart meters to set up a system to charge more during peak periods?
"I've seen this reported by a number of people news outlets. Just wondered if it's just scaremongering."
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