Smart Meters

[ban-all-sheds]

Another concern for people thinking about having one:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b08njlmc (fortunately the first piece, no need to skip forwards).

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=smets+1+vs+smets+2

 

[aptsys]

I still don't get what's in it for the customer. I had a call last week asking when they could come to fit a pair of smart meters and how they'd help me save money.

If I'm boiling the kettle, it's because I want a kettle of boiling water. A screen showing that my consumption is now 3kW+ won't help.

 

[flameport]

A screen showing that my consumption is now 3kW+ won't help.

That's ok then - because the fancy display shown in the adverts is an optional extra which you generally have to pay for if you want one.
The display also requires power via a wall wart adaptor, so it will actually waste energy rather than save it.

 

[bernardgreen]

The display also requires power via a wall wart adaptor,

And is connected by wireless transmission from the "Smart" meter. A friend had a Smart meter fitted and since then the remote controlled lamp switch two feet from the meter became erratic in operation.

 

[EFLImpudence]

They won't be able to charge you more for boiling your kettle at tea time without a smart meter.

 

[mwatsonxx]

I have just started seeing British Gas advertising them. As BG has the same level of "couldn't give a damn" for its customers as BT, that tells you all you need to know.
The only purpose of smart meters is to impose punitive Tarriffs to reduce power demand due to the lack of power station capacity. They can also be switched OFF by the power company at will, they never mention that in the advertising.
Also we are all paying for them, about £200 extra on all our bills and increase in their profits of £300,000,000 from staff cuts.
A right royal middle finger British government sanctioned RIP OFF of Joe Public.
Rant over, no prizes for guessing if I'm getting one.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

They won't be able to charge you more for boiling your kettle at tea time without a smart meter.

No but they will charge me more for electricity in order to pay for a smart meter whether I have one or not.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Rant over, no prizes for guessing if I'm getting one.

Until 2020.

 

[aptsys]

That's ok then - because the fancy display shown in the adverts is an optional extra which you generally have to pay for if you want one.
The display also requires power via a wall wart adaptor, so it will actually waste energy rather than save it.

"Free" with EDF.

 

[Mottie]

We've got them and I can't say they're a problem. Saves me having to take a meter reading and send them off every month to stop getting estimated bills. Anything to do with the infrastructure supply has to be costed in. Same with water meters but you generally find that those on a water meter are more careful. Same with the smart meter gadget - it just makes you more aware when you see how much you actually waste by having the house lit up like a Christmas tree. Not worried about them shutting off my power remotely as they can do that now. Same with price hikes - they can and do do that now. Works well with the British Gas app on my iPad. Got my gadget free. Not compulsory that you use them but it advised that if you do use it, it is cheaper to run it from the mains and not on batteries as batteries are the expensive option. So, if you want to use it but can't afford a quid a year (2p per week) for batteries, use the mains - you'll probably save a penny a week that way, if you're a tight bugger.

 

[ericmark]

If there is some thing in my house that could use excessive resources without me knowing then having a device which could alert me and auto switch off the resource is an advantage.

So a dehumidifier which has gone faulty, a water leak, a central heating boiler not switching off, if I go away from the house and my cheap wireless thermostat loses contact with base station and the house is at 27°C it would be nice to get an auto text message and for it to auto switch to defrost mode, we can get "If this than that" devices that will do this, they are what I call "Smart" however as well as switching off remotely one would also need to be able to switch on remotely.

But having a water meter which if you use over "X" gallons per hour auto turns off, and sends a signal with also switches off anything which could be damaged without that water supply would be great. Also where meters are located in an inaccessible area so remote reading device would be great.

But the idea of being able to switch off remotely, but requiring manual intervention to switch back on is rather worrying, one realises mistakes will be made from time to time, a knock on the door and some one saying I am here to turn your power off means you have the chance of pointing out errors and it is not your house which should have the power turned off. If they turn off the power and you phone up and they say sorry it should not have been your house turned off, we will get some one around latter today to switch it back on is not what we want.

It will happen, and some day it will mean a death as a result, my mother's alzheimers is at the point where she has problems using a telephone, the call station is alerted if there is a electric power cut, but not gas or water, and she would not answer the door to a stranger to turn things back on, now we live with her, but a year ago some one turning off the gas would likely mean the house got very cold before some one realised something was wrong, I walked into the house with central heating both stuck on and stuck off when we had a faulty thermostat, lucky the camera had a temperature readout so I realised there was a fault, but not call from carers and I found my mother sitting in a house at 15°C and cooling.

It really does not matter why, be it unpaid bill or house being sold, it needs a physical visit before you can turn off supply. Be it animals or human domestic premises should never be disconnected without ensuring the occupants are safe. I do have one non cordless phone, but my father-in-law does not, so power failure he can't even phone for help.

 

[JohnD]

If there is some thing in my house that could use excessive resources without me knowing then having a device which could alert me and auto switch off the resource is an advantage.

Yes, I find my Owl useful for that. It cost me about a tenner (used) on fleabay. It's very obvious if the oven or a heater has been left on, but accurate enough to show lightbulbs overnight. There are others that were issued by the electricity companies that people are selling on; some of then unused in box.

I am resisting a smart meter for the reasons you mention - not just remote switching, bugging and reprogramming, possibly due to error, but also hackable by a Foreign Power or some teenage hacker.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

it just makes you more aware when you see how much you actually waste by having the house lit up like a Christmas tree.

True - I can see that that would be a benefit to people too challenged to know that having lights on when they are not needed means that they are wasting money.

Not worried about them shutting off my power remotely as they can do that now.

No they can't.

Same with price hikes - they can and do do that now.

Not on a minute-by-minute basis. At the moment you don't get up one morning and find that your shower (assuming it's an electric one) is going to cost you 50% more than it did the day before, and 75% more than it would cost if you waited until you were late for work.

 

[Mottie]

True - I can see that that would be a benefit to people too challenged to know that having lights on when they are not needed means that they are wasting money.

Yeah, that's right. Same people that have to be told that eating too much makes them fat, smoking can give them cancer, drinking too much can give rise to liver problems... Sod them eh? Just worry about yourself mate.

In our case, it was showing red, high usage, when nothing was on indoors when I returned home late one afternoon. Turned out that the tumble dryer that is not in the house hadn't switched off that morning and had been on all day. Possibly saved myself a fire.

 

[EFLImpudence]

Just get a monitor, then, if that's what you wanted.

There's no need for big brother giving you one that's costing you £200 that also contains all the other disadvantages.