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Smart meters are a new kind of gas and electricity meter that digitally sends meter readings directly to your energy supplier, which will end estimated bills, help you understand your energy use and potentially reduce your costs. The government plans for every home in Britain to have a smart meter installed by 2020. Lucy decides to get one installed in her home but discovers it may not be as smart as she first thought.

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ADVICE

• Smart meter installation is NOT compulsory, if you don’t want one you don’t have to have one.
• ALL energy suppliers will be fitting their own smart meters, but some of the smaller ones are not yet providing them.
• There is no upfront cost to get a smart meter installed.
• If you get a smart meter NOW or already have one it will be the first generation technology, which will lose its smart functions if you switch provider, it can be updated in the future to stay smart after switching but that might not be for a couple of years.Ìý
• According to SSE, the second generation smart meters are being built now (late 2016) and they will be rolled out in the coming months so that you can switch provider and keep smart functionality.
• If you want one call your energy provider to find out more details.

To find out more about the smart meter national roll-out visitÌýthe

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There has been a huge increase in the number of complaints about premium rate text message services. John and his partner Peter from Skewen received text messages which appeared to be from a well-known supermarket, offering them the chance to win £500 in store vouchers. They followed the link provided in the message and filled in the survey to enter, but didn’t realise they were actually signing up to receive premium rate text messages at a cost of £4.50 per message. In four months, John and Peter were charged £144 between them. Their phone providers have now blocked the charges.

The Phone-paid Services Authority – or PSA - is the UK regulator for content, goods and services charged to a phone bill. They told us that they will clamp down on service providers who don't make it clear what customers are signing up to and how much it'll cost.

Consumer campaigner James Daley says the number one rule is to be suspicious of any text message that comes into your phone and don't respond to it unless you're 100% sure it's coming from a company that's legitimate.Ìý If you think something is spam, report it by forwarding the message to 7726 (which spells SPAM on your phone) and that's going to stop companies like that sending texts in future.

Star Wars, Action Man, Barbie and Thunderbirds.Ìý If you bought any of these toys when they first hit the shelves, all those years ago, you could be sitting on a gold mine.Ìý The market for vintage toys is huge and if it’s the right item in the right condition, eagle-eyed collectors will snap it up.Ìý

Toy expert Pete White has some tips for investors.Ìý Products in their original packaging and with all the original accessories will be always worth more, as will toys that were initially released in fewer quantities (for example, the last 17 Star Wars figures from the mid-1980s).

Collector Jordan Thomas has amassed a vast selection of Corgi die cast vehicles, worth tens of thousands of pounds.Ìý His advice is to go for TV and film related toys, as they prove more popular and sought after.

When it comes to storing your vintage toys, don’t expose them to direct sunlight as it can cause the colours to fade.Ìý Toys also hate moisture, so think twice about keeping them in a cold, damp shed where the product or packaging could warp. Try to keep your toys indoors at room temperature.