Smart Meters 'forced' on people?
- Thread starter JohnW2
- Start date
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Why?
Fair enough - but, out of interest, what is it that makes you so keen to have one?
As I've said, whilst I think that the fears/concerns about them are unfounded, at least in the short-/medium term, I also can't really see what the advantages are meant to be, either.
Kind Regards, John
I am a very busy person and having my meter readings submitted automatically saves my time. My electric smart meter updates my usage every 30 minutes which I can view via and app which helps me track who/what is spanking the electric in my house driving down costs. Since having my smart meter I have replaced all bulbs for LEDs and it’s interesting to see the difference. While some may argue I don’t need a smart meter to do this it still in my opinion makes my life that bit easier.
I see no negatives with having a smart meter only positives.
The negatives people mention with the likes of having my stuff turned off remotely is nothing more than scaremongering with no evidence this will ever happen.
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Fair enough - but, as you say, all of that could be achieved without a smart meter, and with you being totally in control. Indeed, if you were prepared to invest a bit more, you could get a lot more data from a local monitoring system (e.g. what circuits were using how much power) than you can get from a smart meter at present.
As I said, I think they have all promised not to do that - as I suggested, remotely switching power off or on could could possibly cause injuries or deaths (or, in their language, would risk serious litigation!).
However, some of the other things that people fear probably will come eventually, but I doubt for a good few decades - e.g. differential charging for particular appliances used at particular times of day, and even preventing certain appliances/loads working during periods of high demand (within one's house or more widely).
Kind Regards, John
You need to change your life as a matter of urgency.
If you struggle to find a few minutes every quarter (and that's all it is) to provide meter readings to your supplier then you must be leading the sort of life which is likely to cause you to die prematurely. William Davies had a good point.
So you have time to look at an up-to-the-half-hour app, but not to read your meters every 3 months?
And you live with people too thick to understand the idea of turning things off when they don't need them on?
So before you had the meter, you genuinely had no idea that light bulbs using orders of magnitude less electricity would be cheaper to run?
Really?
You don't need it, and if it does make your life easier then you must truly be desperately hard of thinking.
Wait until a hostile agent hacks into it.
And no - that is not scaremongering, and yes, it is a matter of when, not if.
[Not that you will read this]
"Fear", or "look forward to"? Integration with smart appliances will be the inflexion point, and it won't be via the stick of preventing certain appliances/loads working during periods of high demand, it will be via the carrot of lower prices if your appliances can negotiate with the supplier and with each other when to run.
[/but others will]
Fear not, I am not resting from reading. I read most things, the main exceptions being those posts which I regard as too long and tedious to bother with.
Kind Regards, John
With this discussion, you may (or may not) be interested in the situation in the State of Victoria, Australia - as indicated in http://www.smartmeters.vic.gov.au/
On the "home" page of this Governmental site it states: -
"Smart meters are the standard electricity meter in Victoria.
Electricity distributors are installing a smart meter at every home and small business - enabling Victorians to better understand and manage their energy usage."
With the earlier installations, where meters were enclosed in a "metal box" an external "antenna" was fixed to the outside of the box.
With newer installations, this is no longer being done. So, I presume that these meters are now communicating with their "base" via transmissions on the "power lines" themselves.
On the "home" page of this Governmental site it states: -
"Smart meters are the standard electricity meter in Victoria.
Electricity distributors are installing a smart meter at every home and small business - enabling Victorians to better understand and manage their energy usage."
With the earlier installations, where meters were enclosed in a "metal box" an external "antenna" was fixed to the outside of the box.
With newer installations, this is no longer being done. So, I presume that these meters are now communicating with their "base" via transmissions on the "power lines" themselves.
I don’t appreciate being insulted for my choice of how or what I do so I will be adding you to my ignore list so I do not need to read your crap again. Thanks for your valuable input tho you have only made me feel better about having a smart meter also knowing people like you have funded it who have had a price hike but refused fitting yourself
Interesting. Do you yet have any 'smart appliances' to/from which these meters can communicate?
Kind Regards, John
To be perfectly honest, he makes valid points. The main point is that you really don't need an intrusive and dangerous "smart" meter to find out that a 100W incandescent bulb uses more lecky than a 14W LED replacement
The sales pitch for "smart" meters is almost completely a pile of lies - almost all of it could be done without the massive security and privacy risks built in by design with the current plans. I'm with a small supplier that's not currently doing them - but I'd "politely refuse" anyway. If they ever become mandatory, then they'll find that there's no mobile signal where my meters are placed (must remember to hide the nickel loaded paint tin)
As I've said, I'm with one of the big suppliers, who are currently doing anything but 'pushing', although if one goes out of one's way to look for 'information', they are using much the same sales pitch as all the others.
However, it seems that many suppliers are trying very hard to persuade people to have 'smart' meters as soon as possible, and I'm not sure I fully understand that, unless it's just a matter of 'meeting targets'. It seems to me that for the foreseeable future, there's not going to be much advantage to them other than a reduction in meter-reading costs, which I imagine is not a massive deal, given the extent to which they use estimated or customers' readings.
As I've said, same here - so if they ever wanted to force a (usable as such) 'smart' meter onto me, they would have to first get one of their "Plan Bs" up and running.If they ever become mandatory, then they'll find that there's no mobile signal where my meters are placed (must remember to hide the nickel loaded paint tin)
Kind Regards, John
Since having my smart meter fitted I’ve found that my lights are brighter and my gas central heating boiler burns more efficiently. My bills have also gone down by 90%. Everyone should have one without delay.
To be perfectly honest, he makes valid points. The main point is that you really don't need an intrusive and dangerous "smart" meter to find out that a 100W incandescent bulb uses more lecky than a 14W LED replacement
The sales pitch for "smart" meters is almost completely a pile of lies - almost all of it could be done without the massive security and privacy risks built in by design with the current plans. I'm with a small supplier that's not currently doing them - but I'd "politely refuse" anyway. If they ever become mandatory, then they'll find that there's no mobile signal where my meters are placed (must remember to hide the nickel loaded paint tin)
But if I can why not? If I can have a smart meter that shows me an accurate reading of everything why not?
I had the same conversation with another member on here who called me an idiot for having a smart meter and being an eye opener on how much a tumble dryer uses. I am a smart well educated person but it does not mean I can know that a tumble dryer uses X amount of electricity when on for so many hours. So if I can have a device that makes my life no worse but only better and helps save me some money why not?
Not a single person has been able to say something which I see as an actual true negative about smart meters.
I have heard you may get hacked, the government may turn it off, I can have my electric usage monitored by 3rd parties, your house may blow up due to poor fitting, etc etc
The last one which is poor fitting is a risk you take with any work, and I am sure many trades people on here are guilty of fitting things poorly the first 2 are just conspiracy and the one regarding my electric usage being monitored by 3rd parties who the hell cares? I submit my gas readings to my supplier they I am sure share them details with whoever they see fit anyway.
Instead of being so scared of the future all the old folk who do not like change you should try and embrace it you might actually be surprised. Stop reading scaremonging conspiracy theorists stories made up by bored people sitting in basements with nothing better to do.
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