The Telegraph

'Npower's shoddy smart meter installation caused a gas leak – and all they offered me was £50'

This reader was only offered £50 in compensation despite her energy supplier causing a gas leak
This reader was only offered £50 in compensation despite her energy supplier causing a gas leak Credit: Andrew Milligan/PA

A pensioner was offered just £50 compensation by Npower despite one of the energy firm's engineers causing a gas leak that went undiscovered for a month.

Sylvia Steele, 65, who lives near Barnsley, accepted her supplier’s offer of a smart meter installation in 2016, believing they were compulsory. However, when the engineer visited he damaged the casing around the meter.

Ms Steele complained to Npower and the same engineer returned to fix the issue but in doing so damaged a pipe which began leaking gas. The issue was only picked up around a month later during a routine boiler inspection.

After her initial complaint she was offered £50 by Npower and, despite the energy ombudsman finding in her favour, this was only increased by a further £100 – two years after the initial installation.

She said: “It was around a month until we had a routine boiler service, we had been living with a gas leak for all that time. If it had been longer the pipe could have fractured even more and it would have become even more dangerous. What upsets me most is that we could have been blown up. It still upsets me now, two years on.”

After Telegraph Money’s involvement, Npower apologised for the poor service received and offered £250 in compensation. A spokesman said: “We’re extremely sorry that Sylvia had these issues when her smart meter was installed.

“This is a very unusual case and our average customer satisfaction with our smart meter installation is 95pc. The issues Sylvia experienced have now all been resolved and we will contact Sylvia once again to apologise and offer a goodwill gesture.’’

Ombudsman Services, the arbitrator for the energy industry, received 88,423 complaints last year. Of the 48,737 complaints that were resolved, 63pc were upheld in the consumer’s favour. Although the complaints process can take months, a spokesman said the most common payout is just £50.

Have you had problems with your energy supplier? Email sam.meadows@telegraph.co.uk