Re accessibility, it's a bit of a bend to read the gas in the porch, but I'm still managing so far.
Re energy saving, it will only do that if you're motivated to switch stuff off, and a Dutch study found a lasting saving of only about 0.7% once the initial novelty had worn off.
Re snooping, I can't get worked up about that.
Re pricing, I'm sure that peak-hour charges are coming but I don't think having a dumb meter will save you, you'll just get put on an unfavourable tariff until you change.
The issue I have with them is that all the complaints I see about faulty meters seem to relate to smart, not dumb, meters. I don't want the hassle of trying to prove a crazy bill is caused by a faulty meter if I don't have to, I once had a wrong bill caused by incompetence, and it took a year, and a threat from debt collectors before it was finally sorted out.