Smart meter [poll]

[Redwulf]

Every time I hear about a “smart” device for the home, I’m reminded of how the internet used to be. No ads. I could, say, watch a video without having to sit through a pitch.
Then smart homes started happening. Smart appliances, too. And all I can do is wonder, how long will it take before someone tries to flush the toilet and is greeted with “Raid: Shadow legends is an online portable game that lets you.....”

smart meter? Pass.

Ahhhh the good old Internet, computer science students, bootleg copies of doom and low definition porn....all delivered line by line at 9600 bps.

 

[Justin Dean]

Smart meter does not save money, it makes it more expensive . It might make you think oh a meter, better use less water, but per litre, more expensive, Water company is not charity after all. Makes me laugh when people say do not waste water, it does not get wasted it goes back into the natural water cycle, Wasting electricity is different that can be wasted and the meters use electric to report back......ipso dipso, they are bad

 

[DavieC]

Ours have never worked properly, the electric sends a reading as it should but dispite having a major customer services dispute with Brit gas and another new gas smart meter fitted(all have been SMETS2) we still have to submit readings the old fashioned way. The counter top display shows the correct usage but the monetary sum for the electric show the wrong tariff. Our contract is up in a few weeks so shall change supplier and we can go through the whole process of explaining it doesn't work to the new company...

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Needed an extra choice - 'No I don't have one and I am sitting on the fence, convince me'

I think the existing poll will have made the fence sitters minds up for them!

 

[johncrobinson]

I made a HUGE saving (75%),Not by getting a smart meter but by converting from electric storage heating to gas central heating.

As far as a smart meter is concerned they are just data mining its a " Big Brother" thing no use whatsoever to the consumer.

 

[MmmBeer]

I made a HUGE saving (75%),Not by getting a smart meter but by converting from electric storage heating to gas central heating.

Yet the eco-nazis are determined to bully everyone into giving up the convenience and comfort of gas central heating and replace it with electric heating. Stupidity.

 

[AlBrew]

I was more or less bullied by EDF into having one, and to be perfectly honest, it's leccy whatever way you look at it.
However what I would say is; that the "Savings" you are "Supposed" to make are nothing other than you cutting down on what you use, the blasted leccy costs the same!
The second point I'd make is linked to the one above: Would you get halfway through the Christmas turkey and suddenly throw your hands in the air and shout "Switch it off!" because although the turkey is only half done, you have used too much power on it?
Don't be daft
The reason for smart meters is so they (power companies) can get accurate minute by minute power usage figures across the country so THEY can save money by cutting back by predicting production, not YOU by eating half-cooked turkey.
My so-called smart meter has never connected to their server (lack of mobile signal in our area) so I still have to read the meter manually! The in-house monitor has never worked because the meter is too far from the house. But they paid me a refund of 6 months leccy, so a big thumbs-up to EDF.

Or supplier gave everyone free electric on Christmas morning for cooking this year, wouldn't have been possible without a smart meter.

They,.. sorry THEY, your supplier is forced to do all of this and won't be making any money. The generation companies on the other hand should be able to run more efficiently and be more profitable, but that's the whole point, if the generation can be more efficient then by extension the goal of reducing CO2 emissions is aided.

We have a car charging tarrif that's only 5ppkW from 12:30am to 4:30am, we can schedule things like the dishwasher and washing machine to start during these times and make quite a saving. Nothing I can see in the small print says you actually need an electric car to sign up for it either. Day rate is also cheaper than the previous, apparently best tarrif, from EDF that we were on.

 

[chopps]

I had smart meter fitted when I was with Eon, then moved to OVO and it still worked. When I moved to British Gas they used a different system so couldn’t read it remotely and nor did the in home display work. Coincidental to this thread, on March 10th British Gas can now read it as they moved to v2, and the in home display came to life again.

I rarely look at the display. The only benefit is not having to read the meters myself. Same with the water meter too.

 

[BeerCat]

My energy bill goes up 10% end of the month so I guess I will be paying for it whether I want one or not.

 

[Gerryjo]

Don't have one and my leccy is around £1100 a year allowing winter and summer with six in the house never mind cold feed washing machine twice a day 7 DaW,a kettle that never stops and lights that seem to never turn off.
One thing I done last year was to replace all the downlights inside and outside with 6w LEDs and there was 29 of them and there is a noticeable difference as I can let them run for the price of a few 100w lamps.
Installed a new burner and pump as they were nearly 20 years old and a bit of insulation.roughly saving around £30 a month but it's all paid for within 2 years of savings though I still have a meter man who needs a job.

I must amend my previous yearly estimate as the yearly statement came yesterday and a total of £1258 had been paid.... Need to get that down a bit..

 

[Dutto]

............. so what is the point?

probably because that is not what the question in the OP below was about.

Er ... it was an attempt to explain the five words that ended the OP (mainly because it had a question mark) which is why my own Post ended "Who benefits? The Power Companies of course!", to answer your question.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

The last 5 words were "two so what is the point" this related to the poll answers it was aimed at members who have and don't have meters not about the power companies which were not mentioned.

 

[Tess Tickle's Brewery]

Hope nobody minds that I've re-awoken this thread, but I was hoping someone would have the answer to my question which follows.

We are having gas and electric smart meters fitted tomorrow, but we have over £200 of credit on the account as the monthly payment has just gone out. Will I lose this credit when my new meters have been installed or will it somehow be transferred over? I recently paid a top-up payment as well as they were trying to put my monthly payments up to a stupid amount.

I've taken readings today and sent them in and I'm going to take them again before the engineer comes tomorrow.

Anyone know what will happen to my credit please?

 

[Stu's Brews]

Hope nobody minds that I've re-awoken this thread, but I was hoping someone would have the answer to my question which follows.

We are having gas and electric smart meters fitted tomorrow, but we have over £200 of credit on the account as the monthly payment has just gone out. Will I lose this credit when my new meters have been installed or will it somehow be transferred over? I recently paid a top-up payment as well as they were trying to put my monthly payments up to a stupid amount.

I've taken readings today and sent them in and I'm going to take them again before the engineer comes tomorrow.

Anyone know what will happen to my credit please?

Probably best to check with your gas/electricity supplier but I would have thought it would remain in credit as the account would stay the same.

Probably a good idea to get readings for the old meter before it's removed and for the new meter as soon as it is installed. That way there should be no issues with being over charged as you have the readings to show exactly how much you've used.

 

[Tess Tickle's Brewery]

Ok thanks Stu.

I honestly wish I had prepayment meters, they are a lot simpler and you can't be ripped off.

 

[Donegal john]

Ok thanks Stu.

I honestly wish I had prepayment meters, they are a lot simpler and you can't be ripped off.

But they are also more expensive per unit and standing charge. Well usually.

 

[Tess Tickle's Brewery]

Not bothered about the slightly higher cost, given the convenience we're getting.

@Donegal john will I be able to ask the engineer to put a prepayment smart meter in?

Are they separate meters (credit and prepayment) or can the settings be altered to make them either type? Hope you know what I mean lol

 

[Rodcx500z]

It should stay on your account as credit ours did with eon,

 

[Donegal john]

Now this is reopened
I don’t have a smart meter and don’t really want one
I was offered a job as a smart meter installer recently and with the money they were offering I can only assume they get government money/grants for installing them as the wages were pretty good. Didn’t take the job as it would have meant me actually having to work instead of the constant bluffing I currently do
Main change I made to the house energy costs is a bought an instant water boiler as my kettle was never off and my wife and kids have the annoying habit of filling it to the top to make ONE cup of tea.
This one boils a cup of water in 30 seconds and only boils what you need. And for £40 in b&m it won’t take long to make its money back

 

[Tess Tickle's Brewery]

Thanks Rod.