So-called Smart Meters

[daveo138]

Originally Posted by KWIL

The truth is, it to enable load shedding by pricing, ie if you want to use your cooker at a peak time then you pay more 1600 - 1900. So it's washing machines on at midnight.

It's not a good idea to run washing machines and other appliances overnight.

Fortunately, I was in the kitchen when this happened...




In the near future, there probably won't be any cheap overnight electricity anyway, as that's when everyone will be charging their EVs.

[SD1too]

Originally Posted by macafee2

what have people got against a smart meter?

Yes, I'm curious to know too. Two advantages are that the householder doesn't have to read the meters any more and the supplier is less likely to create estimated bills.

Originally Posted by KWIL

The truth is, it to enable load shedding by pricing, ie if you want to use your cooker at a peak time then you pay more 1600 - 1900.

Do you know of a real tariff that currently uses this principle Ken? I agree that the potential is there for the future.

Simon

[Lancpudn]

We've had smart meters for around ten years now, They've since been upgraded to SMETS2 a few years ago.
It makes sense for us to be on them even more so nowadays to take advantage of cheap overnight tariffs to charge the car.

[mileshawk56]

Had a "smart meter" for both gas and electric for years and no problems, I got it from someone called Mum&Dad- called eyes and brain. Chris.S.

[KWIL]

Originally Posted by SD1too

Do you know of a real tariff that currently uses this principle Ken? I agree that the potential is there for the future.

Simon

Octopus Agile

[MSS]

[QUOTE=macafee2;2993236]what have people got against a smart meter?

macafee2[/QUOTE

Originally Posted by SD1too

Yes, I'm curious to know too. Two advantages are that the householder doesn't have to read the meters any more and the supplier is less likely to create estimated bills.

Do you know of a real tariff that currently uses this principle Ken? I agree that the potential is there for the future.

Simon

The word "smart" I suspect. We don't like smart things around here!

Originally Posted by SD1too

Do you know of a real tariff that currently uses this principle Ken? I agree that the potential is there for the future.

Simon

Originally Posted by KWIL

Octopus Agile

Agile Octopus is a tariff offer for those whose consumption profile makes it economically desirable. A bit like Economy 7 only more sophisticated.

We've had a smart meter for a number of years. It makes it easy for an energy consumer to be aware of their cosumption habbits. Our smart meter eliminated the need for a similar device which I purchased myself and utilised for many years prior and have not noticed any downside to the smart meter.

[roverbarmy]

Our "smart" meter hasn't talked to the internet for around 4 years now. I have to send the readings in but they say that my readings tally with their smart readings?????

[SD1too]

Originally Posted by KWIL

The truth is, it to enable load shedding by pricing, ie if you want to use your cooker at a peak time then you pay more 1600 - 1900.

Originally Posted by KWIL

Octopus Agile

Hello Ken,

Having looked at Octopus' description of its Agile tariff, first of all it's optional meaning that the customer has to positively request it.

Secondly it's marketed as suitable for customers who don't need to use their cooker between 16.00 and 19.00.

I don't therefore see how the Octopus Agile tariff can be used to argue that smart meters are undesirable.

Simon

[WillyHeckaslike]

Originally Posted by chillyphil

It is very clear that Yu Energy are the very worst suppliers in the world!

Sounds bad and more so if all you describe happened in little more than one year. Is that on a business tariff? I had to resolve a problem with a former and now defunct supplier via the ombudsman. It found in my favour eventually but it took a year to get there and I had to fight both for most of the time. The default position of the ombudsman in the main was seemingly to believe everything that the energy company stated while dismissing anything I put forward unless I could evidence it - which unfortunately for the pair of them I could and I did. Another trick the ombudsman played was to try to time-out the complaint and dismiss it in favour of its cohort by allowing me days to respond while allowing weeks for the energy company to do the same. The problem with the ombudsman service I guess is one of overstretch because, quite simply, the outfit operating as OFGEM is unfit for purpose. It has been for some years now hence why so many energy suppliers have gone bust and why anarchy prevails with the trickery and harassment to impose smart meters on people.

Originally Posted by Arctic

I was under the impression that if you change your supplier, they will only accept you if you have a smart meter fitted, another ploy to get one installed i think.

My understanding is that certain types of tariff might require a smart meter but if you switch to one that doesn't then they cannot force a smart meter on to you just for switching. Well done for standing up to them.

Originally Posted by macafee2

what have people got against a smart meter?

I understand why some like them but I don't need one and I don't need the hassle that I've read about when these meters stop being so smart. While it is not an offence to have one it is an offence to harass someone which is what is being done. So the harassment is as much a concern as the meters themselves.

[wraymond]

No smart meters here. It’s a modest place, one floor, one study, one bedroom for actually sleeping in and two others, and the usual two ‘offices’. Plenty of smart though.

I’ve always used the old fashioned method: removal of vacuum cleaner, then the folding steps, then two gardening coats and kneeling to read both meters. With a torch. This immediately followed by on-time uploading to relevant site.

I made a change some 6 months ago by actually getting a ‘balance’ figure of my standing on my account. It came as a shock to read a positive figure of nearly 2K. In October. That’s an overpayment beyond that which was required to maintain an averaging seasonal balance.

There then followed a suitable, and polite, request for a refund of the Shylock unnecessary overpayments. ‘They’ are not as smart as they think they are. And I’ll fight tooth and nail (figuratively) to retain the control. The accepted use of ‘smart’ is anything but, as it is elsewhere.