Are Smart Meters still crap?

[SimonMac]

I believe that if you have a SM, and you change suppliers they stop working, so you are back to sending in your own meter readings.

Notice the adverts around these, very subtle language about being "Green" if you get one.

qh

Gen 1 smart meters were stuck to one providers, the new Gen 2 I'm led to believe do not have the same restrictions.

[JohntheBike]

Just there so they can introduce variable price. I.e. more expensive at peak times.

I’ll refuse until they (inevitably) make it compulsory.

I was persuaded to install one on the basis that I was told that they would eventually be compulsory and there was a reduced tariff incentive for 18 months. I needed to move the meter and thought it was a good idea. The problem was that the reduced tariff didn't seem to reduce my bills. So I deduced that the new meter was recording my usage more accurately, i.e. it was recording a higher usage than the old analogue meter. Gullible again!

[original PM]

Gen 1 smart meters were stuck to one providers, the new Gen 2 I'm led to believe do not have the same restrictions.

Yup brother has just moved house and this is what he is being told.

I was persuaded to install one on the basis that I was told that they would eventually be compulsory and there was a reduced tariff incentive for 18 months. I needed to move the meter and thought it was a good idea. The problem was that the reduced tariff didn't seem to reduce my bills. So I deduced that the new meter was recording my usage more accurately, i.e. it was recording a higher usage than the old analogue meter. Gullible again!

Interestingly (or not I suppose) apparently when you have a pay as you go meter you do pay more for your electricity - which always struck me as strange as people on those are generally low income and so could do with not being penalised if the electric co cannot trust them to pay a bill.

Also as you are all aware smart meters do not save electricity - you get some decent tariff's as 'incentives' to move and get a smart meter but all they do is show you how much you use - but if you always turn stuff off there is no real need for one.

[JohntheBike]

Yup brother has just moved house and this is what he is being told.



Interestingly (or not I suppose) apparently when you have a pay as you go meter you do pay more for your electricity - which always struck me as strange as people on those are generally low income and so could do with not being penalised if the electric co cannot trust them to pay a bill.

Also as you are all aware smart meters do not save electricity - you get some decent tariff's as 'incentives' to move and get a smart meter but all they do is show you how much you use - but if you always turn stuff off there is no real need for one.

but all they do is show you how much you use

a spin off of this is that I remember the attempts in Apollo 11 to reduce consumption below a certain level. It's interesting to note which devices take the most power.

[Zigenare]

a spin off of this is that I remember the attempts in Apollo 11 to reduce consumption below a certain level. It's interesting to note which devices take the most power.

Yes but unless you're Irish, you don't have the electric kettle running non-stop 24-7!

[Antman]

Gen 2 meters are called SMETS 2 meters.

However the big plus for the program was on the supply side where you’d get real time data on usage so making savings at the power station where you can’t store electricity.

But I read somewhere that this information is already available at a local station level (so rolling up usage over a hundred houses or so) so really can’t see any reason for this program, maybe the brains behind the project, Ed milliband could explain it.


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[Benny]

a spin off of this is that I remember the attempts in Apollo 11 to reduce consumption below a certain level. It's interesting to note which devices take the most power.

Apollo 13

[Benny]

I did a 6 month gig on these - just about the time GCHQ got involved in the security aspects - forcing a massive redesign of the security protocols, as others have pointed out the risk is that all supplies could be shut off if hacked - no idea if they are now more secure but live and hope that GCHQ would know their onions

One thing was the meters could detect the presence (and generate an alert) of a local strong magnetic presence - so those using the magnet trick to slow the old meters down be warned

Visiting Arqiva base in Winchester was a bonus, lots of nice totty floating around

It was a crap gig through Crapita so I didn't extend and went on to pastures new

[BR14]

It was a crap gig through Crapita so I didn't extend and went on to pastures new

another reason to avoid them, then

[JohntheBike]

Yes but unless you're Irish, you don't have the electric kettle running non-stop 24-7!

we have electric under plinth heaters in our kitchen and surprisingly these take less than the electric kettle.