Smart meter confusion

[akist]

I just called my electricity company to ask about moving the electricity meter to the garage. The operator said that I was due to have my meter removed and replaced with a smart meter in the following two weeks. This is the first I hear of this. Also when I asked where does this meter connect to, he said it is like a small laptop or tablet and it is wifi so it does not connect to anything and through wifi tells the electricity company how much electricity I have spent.

I am very confused as to how this meter knows how much I have used if it is not connected to the underground mains in.

 

[EFLImpudence]

It just goes in place of the present meter.

You do not have to have one if you don't want it. Some think they are a bit Big Brother.

Search for "smart meters"

 

[Nige F]

Refuse it - it's our consumers' right

 

[pete50]

No you do not have to have one although the electricity/gas/water companies will tell you different. The reason is that a smart meter will not save you money but it will make more money for the scamming utility companies.

 

[JohnW2]

You do not have to have one if you don't want it. Some think they are a bit Big Brother.

Indeed. Has anyone heard of any (announced) plans to ever make it compulsory? My understanding is that the current government plan/policy (which undoubtedly will not be met) is that everyone should be offered a smart meter by the end of 2020 - but, as you say, consumers are, at least currently, free to decline any such offer. Do I take it that such remains the case (with no announced date for a change to that situation)?

Some suppliers appear to be offering inducements, by offering (slightly) cheaper tariffs to those with smart meters.

Kind Regards, John

 

[akist]

Ah I get it, there will be a "box" of some kind in place of my old style meter.

 

[JohnW2]

Ah I get it, there will be a "box" of some kind in place of my old style meter.

Indeed - and, in fact, it probably wouldn't look any different from any other 'modern' style (electronic) meter. However, as has been said, before you agree to have one, read about it and decide whether you really want one.

Kind Regards, John

 

[akist]

Well my problem is I want to power both house and a new annexe from the same electrical meter (smart or otherwise). The UKPN folks said that my supply is only 60A and the underground cable was only 60A too, and therefore too weak for the house and annexe. They then proceeded to quote £5,500 to install a new 100A supply just to the property boundary, let alone to main house! In comparison SGN (gas) quoted £550 to do the same work, ie dig up and cross the street and install new gas supply.

A quick calculation I did: oven 13A, immersion heater 13A (when used), various lights and electrical equipment around 15A (computers, lights, TVs, kitchen appliances, hair dryer etc), therefore total around 40-45A leaving 15A-20A for the garage. So I could run a long 30A cable to the annexe ?

 

[Iamchamps]

They are excellent don’t be put off by all the haters on here. Makes my life easier instead of having to keep submitting readings. I can monitor usage a lot easier and change habits accordingly.

You are not paying for it others will say it is in the price hikes that is probably true which already happens so if you don’t have it fitted you are being scammed.

The danger sides yes there are probably some bad smart meter fitters, but that is the same with any trade or work.

Good luck with whatever you choose to do.

Anyone who attempts to argue with me I will just block you, this has been done to death on here nothing you will say will change my mind. You have no evidence of what you say a few news clippings of bad installs means nothing.

 

[JohnW2]

They are excellent don’t be put off by all the haters on here. ... Anyone who attempts to argue with me I will just block you, this has been done to death on here nothing you will say will change my mind.

I hope that you are not counting me amongst those 'haters'. The important thing, so long as people have a choice, is that they become informed and thus make an informed choice. As I wrote ...

However, as has been said, before you agree to have one, read about it and decide whether you really want one.

You have no evidence of what you say a few news clippings of bad installs means nothing.... Makes my life easier instead of having to keep submitting readings. I can monitor usage a lot easier and change habits accordingly.

For what it's worth, my own position about smart meters is ambivalent. I'm perfectly happy with my present situation (without a smart meter), since my own monitoring system gives me far more information than any smart meter would, and I don't regard submitting readings two or three times a year to be any burden - but I would have no problem with having a smart meter.

Those who have fears are not usually concerned about "bad installs" but, rather, about the longer-term 'Big Brother' possibilities (controlling what electrical appliances you can use, and when; remotely switching off your supply as part of a program of 'rolling cuts', should electricity supplies becoming inadequate etc. etc.). However, I'm pretty sure that any of that will, if it ever happens, be decades away, and very unlikely to happen during my lifetime!

As you say, the financial 'anti' argument is not valid. We are all paying appreciably higher electricity bills because of the horrendous cost of the 'smart meter roll-out', but that is true of everyone who pays for electricity, whether or not they personally have a smart meter.

Kind Regards, John

 

[oldbutnotdead]

Make sure they are fitting a meter with the latest version of the software (SMECS 2), otherwise when you change supplier your smart meter becomes a dumb meter. I've had one since Dec- so far so good, handy not having to remember to read the meter every month (tricky when I'm away a fair bit), useful for seeing what the base load is and reminding me I've left the garage lights on (there are other ways of doing this, the cheapie current clamp meters are fairly good).

 

[winston1]

They never save money. They actually cost more as you have to buy batteries for the remote unit.

 

[clifford1]

Some suppliers appear to be offering inducements, by offering (slightly) cheaper tariffs to those with smart meters.

Some quotes hide in the small print the fact that it includes agreement to have a Smart meter. You need to read all the T&C very carefully to spot tricks like this.

 

[JohnW2]

Some quotes hide in the small print the fact that it includes agreement to have a Smart meter. You need to read all the T&C very carefully to spot tricks like this.

I don't understand that. One doesn't really have to read the small print, carefully or otherwise, to know that when they offer ".... (slightly) cheaper tariffs to those with smart meters" a condition of that is that one must have a smart meter in order to have such a tariff!!

Kind Regards, John

 

[Taylortwocities]

Make sure they are fitting a meter with the latest version of the software (SMECS 2),

Did you mean SMETS-2. ??