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Smart Meter = smart move?


Tony Davis
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Johns right the next generation of smart meters known as smets2 will be available later this year if you want a smart meter wait until these are available.

 

thats what i'm doing ( i work for one of the big 6).

 

 

Steve

That was back in April ‘17.........you have obviously been playing trains too much :)

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This makes interesting reading . . . 

 

http://watt-logic.com/2018/06/13/smets2/

 

Basically it implies that the Government are going to force this on everyone, come Hell or High Water, and we will have to pay a lot of money for their stupidity because they will not admit they have screwed this up. Nothing new there then . . . !

 

John

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Call me cynical, but how are we going to be able to check, short of manually monitoring the meter 24/7, once we are forced onto variable peak/off peak tariffs (and it will happen), that the charging is actually correct? Seems like a splendid way to rip us off even more, tbh :(

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This makes interesting reading . . . 

 

http://watt-logic.com/2018/06/13/smets2/

 

Basically it implies that the Government are going to force this on everyone, come Hell or High Water, and we will have to pay a lot of money for their stupidity because they will not admit they have screwed this up. Nothing new there then . . . !

In that: "In order to resolve this problem, the Government granted Smart DCC limited, a subsidiary of Capita plc..." There's that name...

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I worked in the gas industry (gas distribution side) all my life  - leaving school to retirement a few years ago.

 

Smart meters have there uses, for both consumers (not many) AND suppliers (very many).

 

The suppliers WILL in the not to distant future, price by the hour using TOU (time of use) tariffs. Peak load (Teatime) will be more expensive, a way of reducing demand for both gas and electricity. Coal power stations are closing and no nuclear replacements will be ready anytime soon. Wind won't supply base (electric) load. Smart meters will "make up the difference" by price forcing energy use reduction at peak times.

 

I won't voluntarily have them installed until forced to do so.

 

Brit15

I've been told the exact same thing by an insider in one of the supply companies. Unless you're too stupid to read your own meter and know that switching something on uses power, there's no benefit to the consumer.

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...however you must also go on to fixed monthly direct debit, which IMO is not a fair way to take money for a product.

I prefer a fixed direct debit.

Means:

 

1) I know how much is coming out every month.

2) I don't really have to worry about huge bills.

 

In the summer, my account will go into credit.

In the winter, it'll bill more than the DD, but use the outstanding credit I already have.

 

Been doing it this way for years.

 

You can say "I'd rather keep that extra money in my account" but the extra it'll be is probably equal to less than £1 a year in interest gained.

 

But I understand people who want to pay for exactly what they use.

 

 

 

I don't really give a monkeys whether I'm have a smart meter or not.

My approach is to delay to get the best meter possible. Those who have already got one will have version 1 (or whatever) so in 10/15 years, it'll be old and out of date.

I'm hoping within 10 years, it'll be version 4 or 5 and will come with various extra features, perhaps Hive connections for example.

Edited by Sir TophamHatt
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My approach is to delay to get the best meter possible. Those who have already got one will have version 1 (or whatever) so in 10/15 years, it'll be old and out of date.

I'm hoping within 10 years, it'll be version 4 or 5 and will come with various extra features, perhaps Hive connections for example.

Oh, fresh honey for the breakfast toast!

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Slightly OT but meter related ............. just had my existing "tin" gas meter moved from under the sink to a box outside by Wales & West Utilities (it cost me £600) BUT for that I got a VERY professional COMPLETE job - not only moving the meter and all the associated gas connections but a brand new connection to the street main excavated down the side of the bungalow with excellent re-instatement after and the guys doing all the work were fab .................. isn't it nice in today's environment to be able to say that about a Utility and I have made a point to tell the W&W contact dealing with my work just that ................ feels like money well spent. :ok:

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  • 2 weeks later...

Having been left to check on a couple of holiday lets I can now say that with the mains switch off on the fuse panel so no electrity is used, the smart meter reading is about 5kW/hr per month that's about £1 per month on top of the standing charge so smart meters do consume electrity to operate. Don't sound much about £12 per year but still an extra charge

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Having been left to check on a couple of holiday lets I can now say that with the mains switch off on the fuse panel so no electrity is used, the smart meter reading is about 5kW/hr per month that's about £1 per month on top of the standing charge so smart meters do consume electrity to operate. Don't sound much about £12 per year but still an extra charge

That's a lot for a bunch of electronics that shouldn't need more than a few microamps to maintain.

Even my PVR wouldn't use that much on standby.

Is there possibly some leakage somewhere?

 

keith

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  • 4 weeks later...
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Although I stopped receiving  "We need to change your Meter to a Smart Meter" Red Letters, they started to appear again. I contacted Eon who advised me that they will "opt me out" for another twelve months at which time I need to ask them to "opt out" again!!

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Although I stopped receiving  "We need to change your Meter to a Smart Meter" Red Letters, they started to appear again. I contacted Eon who advised me that they will "opt me out" for another twelve months at which time I need to ask them to "opt out" again!!

 

Indeed, I have recently received the advice (again) that the had arranged for me to have a smart meter fitted and that they were coming around on such-a-day to install it.

As I have told them twice before, that I don't want anything to do with these new meters, I will now Ignore them entirely.

 

If I switch off everything (I need to) when I leave the house then the smart expensive meter can have no benefit except to allow demand related pricing in the future.

 

 

Kev.

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Just stick them in the recycle bin where they belong. ((Perhaps I mean Eon... ;P ))

A few years ago their CEO was a chap called Wulf Bernotat. He was very vocal in his criticism of the UK government and UK energy policy and regularly spoke to the press about what a bunch of idiots we had running energy policy. Now ordinarily I'd agree with him (DECC as was were in the same class as DafT) but this is a guy who took E.ON on a mega acquisition spree paying top dollar for utter junk, much of which was very quickly written down followed by a share price collapse and asset fire sale. He was notably less vocal commenting on the ineptitude and complete cluster you know what of his own leadership and his board.

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My next door neighbour had a completely unannounced "we've come to fit your new Smart Meter" visit the other day. I happened to be outside cleaning my car and heard some of the conversation.

 

My neighbour is an extremely pleasant and helpful bloke, but he does not suffer fools gladly. I think the installer must have got a bit pushy when the neighbour refused to let him install a meter as, after an exchange of words with the neighbour, he was invited to take his meter and go forth and multiply! It was quite an entertaining few minutes from my point of view!

 

I'm aware of several people who have been personally badgered about having a meter installed and one of them who is a lady of fairly mature years got extremely upset and threatened to call the Police at which point the installer hightailed it . . .

 

John

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My next door neighbour had a completely unannounced "we've come to fit your new Smart Meter" visit the other day. I happened to be outside cleaning my car and heard some of the conversation.

 

My neighbour is an extremely pleasant and helpful bloke, but he does not suffer fools gladly. I think the installer must have got a bit pushy when the neighbour refused to let him install a meter as, after an exchange of words with the neighbour, he was invited to take his meter and go forth and multiply! It was quite an entertaining few minutes from my point of view!

 

I'm aware of several people who have been personally badgered about having a meter installed and one of them who is a lady of fairly mature years got extremely upset and threatened to call the Police at which point the installer hightailed it . . .

 

John

 

..a worrying new tactic?

Sub-contract the work out with performance related bonuses?

 

Poor, very poor - especially to the vulnerable - if this is true.

 

 

Kev.

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..a worrying new tactic?

Sub-contract the work out with performance related bonuses?

 

Poor, very poor - especially to the vulnerable - if this is true.

 

 

Kev.

 

 

It would not surprise me to find out that incentives are being offered to the installers as the whole thing is now desperately behind schedule and the suppliers must be hurting seriously over this debacle.

 

John

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