Any opinions on smart meters?

[graduate_owner]

Hi all,
Does anyone have any experience of electricity smart meters? Are there any disadvantages to having one fitted?

K

 

[dcmguy]

I can offer you an opinion but I don't have any experience of them. Not sure, therefore, if this helps.

Disadvantages ...

Opinion. :

If you aren't wealthy it's possible in the future that smart meters will be used to 'brown out' lower cost tariff users at times when supply is variable and low. (If you are wealthy there may be higher tariffs which stop you from being 'browned out')

Basis for opinion :

Friend is a consultant to the power industry.

 

[Rorschach]

Don't get one.

 

[flying haggis]

why are the government so keen to push smart meters on everyone?
the gaz and leccy ads are not funded by the power companies who you would think would be keen to promote them as it will mean employing fewer meter readers

 

[Phil Pascoe]

From today's Times -
" ... That problem could go right to the top. When asked to name ministers who had had a smart meter installed, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy was unable to name one.

Some consumers warn that they do not work at all. Stewart Amos, 70, a retired chartered surveyor who lives near Chelmsford, Essex, had smart meters installed by Ovo Energy. When he later switched to EOn, the meters stopped sending data on his energy use. By the time the meters were checked by a meter reader, he had accumulated bills of £470. “It’s been a nightmare and I’d advise everyone to reject these meters,” he said."

The energy department said: “Smart meters will end estimated billing, provide real-time information about energy use and help cut bills. There are 7.7m meters installed and 80% of people recommend them. They are a vital upgrade to our energy system and will cut bills by £300m in 2020 alone.”
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They will need to fit 40,000 per day to meet the target by 2020. The two main ojections are that they don't necessarily work when you change suppliers - which many of us do every year - and that they can potentially be hacked. Also, your property might be vulnerable to unscrupulous people passing on information about you are away and your energy use dips dramatically.
The benefits are not great, you don't have to read your meter, but the smart meter doesn't tell you the consumption of an appliance, just the overall consumption. Everything has a ratings plate, so with a little thought it's not hard to work out what uses most - you don't really need a meter to tell you.
Incidentally there are 89 comments on that article and only a couple in favour.

 

[finneyb]

My opinion
1. Generation 1 smart meters do not switch supplier - I'm told than Generation 2 meters will allow you to switch and maintain functionality of the meter.
2. I don't see a benefit to the customer except in meter reading - it will allow the supplier to read the meter remotely, so bills should be more accurate, but I find estimated bills are not too far off and my supplier allows me to input meter readings online when I remember.

My conclusion - not me for yet. BUT I'll put money on the supplier charging for meter readings if you don't have a smart meter in the future.

Brian

 

[treeturner123]

I've got one for my small workshop as I only use small amounts of power and was fed up with the daily charge was more than the cost of the electricity that I used!! I therefore now have a credit system which tells me how many more days I have left at the present rate of use. 450 days!!! and I only have £10.00 credit in it!!

One thing to watch, they run off mains electricity OR battery. I have mine on battery only

Phil

 

[RogerS]

Don't get one. And although they won't admit it, they can switch you off remotely. Do you want the headache of trying to explain to the numpty on the other end of the phone line that their records are wrong ?

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/sho ... ?t=5607490

And how vulnerable are they to being hacked ?

 

[Bm101]

Looked into this a while back. Started a thread on here in fact as well as doing a bit of research. Resounding no at present. Will be compulsory eventually, until then the consumer advantages don't add up.
A while back there was a report on radio 4 about fire risk of shoddy installation by badly trained operatives. Too much work, very little training. 2 weeks in some cases (*) from memory!

Edit:
Have found a bbc link to watchdog report here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/article ... tallations Reading it now it seems a lot more conservative.
Unfair reporting at the time or more accurate? Legal issues? Not sure, certainly wasn't the gist of the radio 4 report at the time if memory serves. Worth bearing in mind and looking into. Don't think you can generally accuse Radio 4 of sensationalism generally.
Just a thought.
Cheers
Chris

 

[worn thumbs]

Call me cynical,but I was offered a "free" smart meter,only a week or two before the tariff went up 12.5%.I think I can guess how the "free" meters are paid for.

 

[Lons]

I've refused one now on two occasions and won't have it until there is absolutely no choice.
Far to many reports of bad fiting and reliabilty issues and there were also reports of the actual costs being hidden but would feed into general energy increases.

I have quite happily been on a plan for several years, not always the same provider, where they email me every month and I supply a reading online so I pay for exactly what I've used so no heafty bills or "lending" the company my money by overpaying DD. If on holiday they estimate that months usage and it adjusts the following month

Most meters are digital these days so no probs reading them.

Bob

 

[stuartpaul]

We've had one for about 12 months now. Not experienced any issues and I've found it useful to have a better idea of what we're spending but I'm not a slave to it.

It'll be interesting to see what happens when we almost certainly change supplier next year and whether that'll cause any issues.

Certainly not as paranoid about one as some seem to be!

 

[Rorschach]

Looked into this a while back. Started a thread on here in fact as well as doing a bit of research. Resounding no at present. Will be compulsory eventually, until then the consumer advantages don't add up.
A while back there was a report on radio 4 about fire risk of shoddy installation by badly trained operatives. Too much work, very little training. 2 weeks in some cases (*) from memory!

Edit:
Have found a bbc link to watchdog report here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/article ... tallations Reading it now it seems a lot more conservative.
Unfair reporting at the time or more accurate? Legal issues? Not sure, certainly wasn't the gist of the radio 4 report at the time if memory serves. Worth bearing in mind and looking into. Don't think you can generally accuse Radio 4 of sensationalism generally.
Just a thought.
Cheers
Chris

Training for one of the big suppliers is 2 weeks and fires have been caused.

 

[Robbo3]

My opinion - biggest scam going.
It's to save on either contracting out or having to employ people to read the meters thus increasing their already bloated profits. See who actually receives the profits from the water, power & train companies.

 

[Rorschach]

My opinion - biggest scam going.
It's to save on either contracting out or having to employ people to read the meters thus increasing their already bloated profits. See who actually receives the profits from the water, power & train companies.

If it were that simple then they would just introduce a charge to have your meter read and those that submit their own readings would pay less.
It's about control, being able to quickly and easy shut down the power supply.

 

[Marineboy]

I asked for gas and electricity smart meters to be fitted (EDF). This on the basis of being able to track my expenditure. Fitting carried out very effectively. Worked for 2 weeks then gas stopped transmitting. 3 further visits from engineers to try and sort it. Finally said it wasn't working as the gas meter sends signal to the electricity meter and the meters were too far apart. I do live in a bigger than average Victorian house with the electricity meter in the front porch and the gas in the back extension. However, it is not Buckingham Palace, as I pointed out to the engineer. He said could be fixed in 2nd generation meters, but I'm not holding my breath.

 

[MrTeroo]

As Nancy Reagan told us, just say no:

http://stopsmartmeters.org.uk/

 

[Racers]

Their has been a few fires after the meters have been fitted, it was on Watchdog, seems they aren't fully trained electricians that swap them over.

Avoid!

Pete

 

[Rorschach]

As Nancy Reagan told us, just say no:

http://stopsmartmeters.org.uk/

What a shame that website is a looney bin.

 

[transatlantic]

Generation 1 can't switch supplier? ..what were they thinking in having them installed? .. complete utter waste of time, money, resources ...