Just to clarify here, as it has an LCD and is supposed to enable power saving within the house (oh yeah!) it most likely also has a power saving mode within it that simply disables the LCD display when not required and a press of a button will re enable it for a short time, long enough for it to be read manually.
The meters themselves are not "turned off", it is just that it has gone into sleep mode. Switching suppliers on first gen smart meters shows that they are not too smart as the new utility company likely cannot read them.
ISTR (read a news article)
The new breed of smart meters that will allow any utility company registered with the central data organization that is going to retain the data will enable easy switch over.
I still won't have one.