Meter replacement

[Why Not Indeed]

They can sell your info and still get the double income streams from you, and you won't know how complete strangers got your info.

How much do they make from the two income streams [let's assume the amount of electricity billed as being energy price "cap" amount]?

 

[DiyNutJob]

How much do they make from the two income streams [let's assume the amount of electricity billed as being energy price "cap" amount]?

I don't know. Since I don't have a smart meter yet, it's not something I am concerned about. But, you are welcome to share your calculations.

I think the cap amount is equivalent to a promotional offer. When it ends, they will scoop back all the advanced expenses plus a bit more for bonus.

 

[winston1]

@winston1 How does a dumb meter tell me that I used 600w of energy between 3:00 and 4:00 in the morning?

Easy. Read your meter every hour overnight.

 

[JohnW2]

@winston1 How does a dumb meter tell me that I used 600w of energy between 3:00 and 4:00 in the morning?

It can't. However, it can tell you that an unexpected amount of energy is being used overnight. Whether the meter is 'smart' or dumb, it is then down to you you to investigate, or guess, what id responsible for the unexpected consumption.

If you really wanted to, you could avoid guessing (about the timing, not the reason) by reading a dumb meeting several times during one night.

Kind Regards, John

 

[JohnW2]

I dont need that level of detail, who wants to know by the second what energy they are using ...

I doubt that anyone does - 'by the minute' would be quite adequate for most purpoes.

, but having the information at my fingertips even in 30minute segments has helped me save having 2.5kw of heating coming on all night long in this cold weather.

As I've recently written, you did not need a 'smart' meter to tell you that an unexpected amount of electricity was being used during the night.

I'm happy with my smart meter.

I personally have no problem with smart meters - but a lot of people (including the government) seem to have very over-optimistic ideas about what they can achieve, which makes one wonder whether the 'billions' spent on their deployment (ultimately all paid for by energy users) can really be justified.

Kind Regards, John

 

[Mister Banks]

Easy. Read your meter every hour overnight.

That’s a pretty daft thing to do when I can just look on my IHD at any time.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

On the upside, you can probably overwrite the firmware and completely bypass their systems.

Overwrite the firmware in the actual meter - I think not, just how would you do that, without them noticing?

 

[JohnW2]

That’s a pretty daft thing to do when I can just look on my IHD at any time.

As I've said, I'm not really sure hoe identifying the timing of the unexpected usage necessarily helps you to know what is responsible for it.

Does 'unexpected usage between 3am and 4am' help you to identify the cause any more than would, say, 'unexpoected usage between midnight and 7am' ?

Kind Regards, John

 

[Why Not Indeed]

I don't know. Since I don't have a smart meter yet, it's not something I am concerned about. But, you are welcome to share your calculations.

So when you said:

The info is extremely useful for lot's of people and worth more than the profit from selling electricity.

You were just making it up. Thanks for confirming.

 

[Mister Banks]

As I've said, I'm not really sure hoe identifying the timing of the unexpected usage necessarily helps you to know what is responsible for it.

Does 'unexpected usage between 3am and 4am' help you to identify the cause any more than would, say, 'unexpoected usage between midnight and 7am' ?

Kind Regards, John

You're missing the point. The timing doesn't matter it was an example. You're trying to simplify the process of finding the solution when in fact the smart meter was part of the identification not the sole means. You can argue this point all you want but you will be arguing with yourself from now on

 

[DiyNutJob]

You were just making it up. Thanks for confirming.

Either you don't understand me or I don't understand you. I was speculating the information being EXTREMELY useful for outsiders, some of whom could be dangerous to your wallet or to your safety. When there is great value to the information, someone somewhere will extract that value.

 

[JohnW2]

You're missing the point. The timing doesn't matter it was an example. You're trying to simplify the process of finding the solution when in fact the smart meter was part of the identification not the sole means. You can argue this point all you want but you will be arguing with yourself from now on

I may be missing something but, if so, only because you have not explained adequately.

As I've said, don't really understand why/how knowing that there was unexpected electricity usage between 3am and 4am (or any other time period) gets you any closer to finding the cause than would knowledge that there was unexpected consumption between, say, midnight and 7am. What is it that I am 'missing'?

Kind Regards, John

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

As I've said, don't really understand why/how knowing that there was unexpected electricity usage between 3am and 4am (or any other time period) gets you any closer to finding the cause than would knowledge that there was unexpected consumption between, say, midnight and 7am. What is it that I am 'missing'?

I would suggest that a clue of when something occurs, could help considerably to track down a mysterious consumer.

 

[DiyNutJob]

What is it that I am 'missing'?

I reckon you are missing a china watt meter. I have just used it to verify the newly arrived 80w iron is up to scratch. 77W I got. So my electric bill will be cheaper than planned. Some will say my 30 year old plug is not up to scratch.

 

[omph]

Overwrite the firmware in the actual meter - I think not, just how would you do that, without them noticing?

The same way you bypass pretty much every other piece of hardware. You'd obviously need to extract the firmware, reverse engineer it, update the code, recompile and flash. You could change the meter to return half of your actual usage for example, and no one will know, and any physical inspection won't reveal anything. Not that I recommend it - it is breaking the law, but digital hardware always introduces all sorts of ways you could tamper with it and leave minimum to no trace.