'Defnydd heddiw': Smart meter displays in England turn Welsh in bizarre language glitch
Some Bulb energy customers are reporting that their smart meter displays have randomly switched to Welsh – even though they're not in Wales.
The displays of some smart meter owners are showing the text "Defnydd heddiw" (pictured above and below), meaning "usage today".
And fixing the problem can be a little fiddly, as you'll need to navigate the menu – which also appears in Welsh. If you're a Bulb smart meter customer, there's information below on how to fix the issue.
See our Smart Meters guide for full information on what they are and how to get one.
'I don't live in Wales and don't know Welsh'
Several Bulb customers have noticed their smart meters turning 'Cymraeg', seemingly without any obvious cause.
We've seen some complaints dating back several months, and have asked Bulb when the issue first started – we'll update this story when we hear back.
One customer, James Tombs, who lives well over 100 miles from the Welsh border, in West Sussex, told us: "I don't live in Wales and don't know Welsh. One day I saw my meter was in Welsh but ignored it as I was busy. I then came back to it later and realised that the screen was locked, the buttons didn't do anything and the unit wasn't updating. The clock was stuck at 15.47.
"I turned it off with the power button on the back and back on and it loaded up again, in Welsh, but was operational. I went on to the Bulb forums, found others with the same problem and followed directions to change language. It has been fine since."
Another, Brian Benjamin told us: "It just started out of the blue. I did email Bulb and they sent me a link on how to fix it."
But another, who wished not to be named, had no such luck, saying he'd followed instructions offered by Bulb, only to have his meter revert back to Welsh.
He said: "We had our meter fitted on 1 May. I gave up after eight weeks of chasing [for a fix] and moved it to a formal complaint in the hope that that would move it along, but no such luck."
How to fix the issue
Bulb says this issue occurs in one in 200 of its smart meters. It says customers should follow these steps to fix the issue:
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Press the 'OK' button at the bottom of the in-home display, and then the right arrow button until you see 'Gosodiadau Wedi anfon yr'.
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Press OK. This takes you to settings.
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Press the right button until you see 'Dewis iaith Wedi anfon yr'. (If this doesn't work, you may need to try the next option, 'Clirio Gosodidau Wedi anfon yr'.)
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Press OK.
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Select English on the left, by pressing the left arrow, then 'OK'.
Some have found this fixes the issue, though others have said that their meter has later reverted to Welsh again. If this happens, it's worth contacting Bulb's customer service team for further information.
What does Bulb say?
A Bulb spokesperson said: "In some rare cases, in-home displays switch to Welsh. While we think Welsh is a great language, we understand that in many cases people will want their display to be in English. Luckily the solution is just a few button presses away, and language settings can be changed in less than 10 seconds."
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22 April 2025
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