smart meters resisted

JohnW2 · 11 Mar 2020

Leofric said:
eon did say they are fitting second generation meters ,that was the first thing I asked them when I started considering having them fitted . Thanks everybody, I didn't expect this much response but a lot of people will be in the same boat I suppose.

At risk of repeating myself, I really don't think that there is anything for you to worry about. If any new supplier is prepared to enter into a contract with you to supply electricity, you can rest assured that they will do anything necessary (if anything is necessary) to enable them to meter that supply!

As has been said, the very worst that should really be able to happen (and that theoretically only with a first generation 'smart' meter) is that a smart meter fitted by a previous supply could not be used by them as a 'smart' meter - but that only means that you would have to continue to take 'manual' readings, as you are doing now.

Kind Regards, John

winston1 · 11 Mar 2020

JohnW2 said:
but that only means that you would have to continue to take 'manual' readings, as you are doing now.

Kind Regards, John

Which means it is better not to get one. Why waste money and resources (part of it yours) on something that does not work.

conny · 11 Mar 2020

So what is it that actually prevents one supplier being able to use the meter of another supplier?
Is it something as simple as different computer programmes? After all, the electricity supplies and the meter connections are all using the same cables.

JohnW2 · 11 Mar 2020

conny said:
So what is it that actually prevents one supplier being able to use the meter of another supplier?

Dunno (but someone probably does) - but that certainly appeared to be an issue with the 'first generation' meters.

If it were merely a question of software/firmware, they could presumably be re-programmed, but what we've been hearing about is their replacement by 'second generation' ones, so I don't know.

Kind Regards, John

winston1 · 11 Mar 2020

It is something to do with the communication protocol.

JohnW2 · 11 Mar 2020

winston1 said:
It is something to do with the communication protocol.

That would surely just be a question of firmware, which could presumably be updated without having to replace meters?

AndyPRK · 11 Mar 2020

When they dreamt up the idea of SMart meters, they told the big suppliers to go design their own protocol and meter and ICD etc.
So they did! and some use the EE network and some vodafone etc.

Some supplier meters are compatable with others. (I guess if they use the same brand of smart meter)

Unsurprisingly if you move supplier, there is a good chance the new supplier can't read it.

As they years went by, and the goverment were forcing SM roll out and as the Ver.2 design standard was still not fixed, they decided they had better make sensible use of the Ver1 meters fitted around the country.

They had a cunning plan. A central hub would read all these different v1 protocols and log the readings in the central database. The system would not be as smart as was first intended, but it would do the very basic thing required of logging the reading into a central database.

Have they completed this yet? Probably not!

clifford1 · 11 Mar 2020

Leofric said:
-

ps I assume there isn't a third generation of meters now

Of course there is - Germany has been on generation 4 for years.

plugwash · 11 Mar 2020

JohnW2 said:
If the system/government gets its way, the day will come when you will not be able to get any tariff (i.e. get any electricity!) unless you have a smart meter!

I suspect that day will come eventually, but I suspect that long long before that happens, all the discount tarrifs will require smart meters and those who insist on refusing upgrades will be stuck with their suppliers "standard" tarrif.

JohnW2 · 11 Mar 2020

plugwash said:
I suspect that day will come eventually, but I suspect that long long before that happens, all the discount tarrifs will require smart meters and those who insist on refusing upgrades will be stuck with their suppliers "standard" tarrif.

Indeed - in fact that is already happening. Some people are saying that it "shouldn't be allowed", but I'm not sure I understand that. Suppliers are under no obligation to offer 'discounted tariffs' at all and, if they do offer them, I would have thought that they would (and probably should) be free to impose whatever conditions they wish - leaving consumers to decide whether or not they regard the benefits of the discounted tariff to outweigh whatever downsides they perceive of accepting those conditions.

Kind Regards, John

EFLImpudence · 11 Mar 2020

That does not sound like the energy companies - no obligation to offer discounted tariffs - why are they doing it, then?

It is the Government's decision that smart meters be fitted (and already charging everyone), therefore any coercement from the supplier to have the meters fitted is merely to comply with Government enforcement and probably avoid fines. It makes no difference to the supply at the moment.

Charging more (i.e. not charging less) for the legal right of refusing to have one is not justifiable.

JohnW2 · 11 Mar 2020

EFLImpudence said:
That does not sound like the energy companies - no obligation to offer discounted tariffs - why are they doing it, then?

Primarily because they have competitors.

Furthermore, most of the deals on offer are fixed-term/fixed price deals which are often initially more, not less, expensive than the 'standard variable rate tariff' at the time. So, just as with 'fixed-rate' mortgages/loans etc., there is an element of gambling. If the supplier is better than the consumer at guessing how prices are going to rise, the consumer could end up paying more with the fixed-price deal.

Kind Regards, John

EFLImpudence · 11 Mar 2020

JohnW2 said:
Primarily because they have competitors.

So - nothing to do with the meters, then; other than avoiding fines and charging more to offset the amount.

AndyPRK · 11 Mar 2020

JohnW2 said:
Primarily because they have competitors.

Furthermore, most of the deals on offer are fixed-term/fixed price deals which are often initially more, not less, expensive than the 'standard variable rate tariff' at the time.

Kind Regards, John

Only those on E7 !!

The 1 year deals are normally cheaper

JohnW2 · 11 Mar 2020

EFLImpudence said:
So - nothing to do with the meters, then; other than avoiding fines and charging more to offset the amount.

If you're talking about tariffs specifically discounted for having a 'smart' meter, then that's obviously the reason, but I thought plugwash was talking about 'cheaper than standard tariff' deals in general.

Mind you, are you suggesting/implying (you may be right!) that suppliers are not offering 'smart meter tariffs' to consumers who already have smart meters?

Kind Regards, John

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smart meters resisted

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