You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more
Switched to Eon on a fix tariff last year just before things went silly with tariffs. They just called me to schedule a meter upgrade to smart meter. Its not compulsory just now so I said no. Is there any reason I should, or should not, get it upgraded? I submit monthly reads via the app and happy to do so for the foreseeable
Do you want any form of off peak tariff where you get cheaper energy?
Are you interested in seeing where your energy peaks are and doing something about it?
Doesn’t sound like it.
I don't want one and where I live we don't get a consistent signal (I use wifi calling to use my mobile) yet I am constantly hassled by Eon to get one fitted as part of the contract and doesn't matter how many times I tell them A) it won't work and B) fitters actually came round and said it won't work.
I also have no interest in seeing my energy consumption as it will have no bearing on what power I use or don't use.
Doesn't matter either way unless you want an off peak tariff for ev/battery storage charging.
Little reason not to outside of fringe cases. Just make sure it's a newer SMETS2 meter (which it should be these days).
Do you want to report your meter readings every month to ensure accurate billing or do you want to just let the meter do that for you. We have both a gas and leccy smart meters. Total non-event, they just sit in the cellar working. Unlike the STW hamsters sometimes.
I think the better question is 'for what reason would you not want a smart meter?'...
I also have no interest in seeing my energy consumption as it will have no bearing on what power I use or don’t use.
I thought this... but having got a smart meter in a new house we moved into, it's oddly mesmerizing and terrifying. Just seeing the £££ rack up over a week forces you to think about saving energy. My bet is even if you think it won't affect you, it will...
The main point of smart meters is so they can turn your supply off when there is a shortage and the ICU needs it more than you do. So I probably wouldn't bother.
I'm with EDF and they asked if they could come and install one recently. I didn't see why not so booked a visit. Electricity meter is in an indoor hallway cupboard at chest/head height, gas is in an outside cupboard at knee height. Fitter came round and said he couldn't reach the electricity meter very well and for health and safety reasons wasn't allowed to turn his steps sideways or borrow a step from me. Apparently the gas meter was a bit hard to get to as there is a shelf 8 inches above it. He even called his manager to check if he could risk life and limb by using my step and/or ducking under a shelf, computer said no. Fitter said they would have to send a taller engineer round for the leccy meter, no mention of the gas meter but presumably a shorter one would be required for that.
My point? Even if you decided you want one, you might not get it. EDF haven't bothered to follow up so I guess they got paid whatever grant they are getting and the box is firmly ticked.
If you have a smart meter fitted your tariif(s) will soon be live linked to wholesale energy prices and change more times in one day than forecourt fuel prices.
i’m with OVO and like mine, don’t use the in house display but it’s great for logging onto the app to see all the usage breakdown.
Good in winter with the current costs as you can see if your changes are resulting in a saving.
Guess it depends on your household - for me personally, I don't really see the point as the only things permanently switched on are fridge freezer and router.
Other things like washing machine, kettle, oven, light bulbs etc, well they get used when they need to be, so I don't really see any added value by being informed there's an energy spike when I cook dinner or something.
Although I do tend to leave my speakers/amp on standby, and the power supply is always warm to the touch, so there might be a saving to be had there, but I already know that.
The main point of smart meters is so they can turn your supply off when there is a shortage and the ICU needs it more than you do. So I probably wouldn’t bother.
Remote disconection of non payers is in the spec. Given they're all made in China I suspect the Red Army has switching off all domestic meters as part of its cyber warfare arsenal. Luckily they're pretty trivial to bypass...
I installed a smart meter about 10 years ago (clamp on meter) which records every minute - was fasicnating at first, but once you've made all the obvious savings (eg LED bulbs) there's not a lot you can do without unplugging the freezer etc.
Also with EDF, turns out when Scottish Power came to install a meter switch a few years ago that wasn't enough and I now need a fuse. Trouble is access is via my neighbours house where the main fuse is.
I've sacked it off.
I may have posted this before.
A few years ago when with eon I think, they hassled me enough that I said “ok, come and fit a smart meter”. They sent someone round. He was unable to turn the big handle to isolate the gas supply where it came in to the meter and so referred it to cadent who he cheerfully told me would be in touch at some point in the future to arrange to come and dig up my drive to lay a new gas pipe to the house. (“And completely put right any damage caused”). This has never happened. Several years have passed by. I’ve had a new boiler. The plumber that fitted that was able to disconnect the gas temporarily to change the boiler, and then switch it back in again, and everything has worked fine since. The energy supplier I have now is bulb. They rang me a couple of days ago to ask me if I wanted a smart meter as I’d not responded to their many emails. I said no thanks.
I’m guessing the smart meter installer just thought it was too hard a job and wanted an excuse to not do it.
I’m happy sending readings in once a month.
If I didn't have a smart meter I'd submit massive false meter readings before my tariff goes up so I'd still be getting my power at today's prices.
If I didn’t have a smart meter I’d submit massive false meter readings before my tariff goes up so I’d still be getting my power at today’s prices.
The 'Smart' meter itself will use an additional trickle of energy, which I'd see as a waste.
I'm the sort of person who prefers not to have any additional 'smart' tech anywhere in the house.
I've not got one and see no need, as we already run the house as efficiently as we realistically can.
Allegedly the smart technology is going to be used to charge you more at peak times.
It's all about the variable tariffs and they are coming whether you end up getting an electric vehicle or not. At least it's free at the moment even if the process of getting them fitted is fraught at the best of time.
It’s all about the variable tariffs and they are coming whether you end up getting an electric vehicle or not. At least it’s free at the moment even if the process of getting them fitted is fraught at the best of time.
The variable tariff makes a lot of sense, economy 7 did just that. I do wonder however, if the widespread adoption of EV's makes it less important, what with all those millions of cars on charge over night
It’s all about the variable tariffs and they are coming whether you end up getting an electric vehicle or not. At least it’s free at the moment even if the process of getting them fitted is fraught at the best of time.
They're not free, you're paying for them as part of your bill whether you have one installed or not.
Variable tariffs are coming and most likely those that refuse the smart meters will be forced onto eye wateringly expensive standard tariffs, it's what I'd do 😀
You'll get one mandatory soon anyway. I don't really care - just had mine swapped over.
Don't believe the hype about meter readings. Neither my current nor previous supplier have the means to remotely take readings from my smart meter for billing purposes. I have to submit readings online each month to ensure the account is up to date.
Though they can show me my consumption in 30minute intervals... Bonkers.
Edit:. Oh, and if you do get one fitted make sure it gets recorded properly on the national database. Mine wasn't so am still having trouble with current supplier 3 months on from my enforced switch.
Neither my current nor previous supplier have the means to remotely take readings from my smart meter for billing purposes
Mine can.
As for remote turn offs .. very very easy to bypass the meter. Yes it's "illigal" and very obvious but by the time they are cutting your power to your property specifically and remotely using the meter it's fair game.
I finally let them send an engineer after months of me telling them not to bother as they won't get any signal. The electric meter is in the bit of the house I leave my work phone in when I don't want to be bothered and the gas is buried on the opposite side of the same wall. We use wi-fi calling to avoid having to use the phones perched in the hall window, in the loft or up in the garden.
Engineer walked around for 5 minutes, said not a chance. Apparently most places in our village don't get any signal and with ours having thick old walls and nearly being underground, less likely than most.
Anyone got any idea if they will just install an electricity meter? The gas meter is about 15m away and behind a couple of stone walls so I can’t see the signal making it. I want the electric one due to getting an EV
As I understand it, on a dual-fuel supply the gas meter is the 'smart' bit which phones home and the electricity meter talks to the gas meter. Whether electric-only smart meters exist or not I don't know but I'd be doubtful.
Supplier pestered us to have smart meter (dual fuel) in 2019, went to a lot of trouble ,according to daughter tasked with staying in to oversee- had to be over eighteen due to safeguarding issues FFS !
Checked fastidiously including trick display for moving around house to check usage at different appliances , wifey very much in favour of all this , me not so much.
It has NEVER worked. We got in touch, " don't worry it'll come on stream by itself in time", no it hasn't. Don't worry we'll send an engineer, no they haven't. I send monthly readings and unless it's a stealth meter run by the Chinese there is no evidence of a signal going any where , I wait to be corrected but up to now I think the installing contractor is the only one to benefit.
My bet is even if you think it won’t affect you, it will…
Nope, it will have absolutely zero impact on the way I use energy. Happy to bet £10,000 on it if you are?
I thought this… but having got a smart meter in a new house we moved into, it’s oddly mesmerizing and terrifying. Just seeing the £££ rack up over a week forces you to think about saving energy. My bet is even if you think it won’t affect you, it will…
That's interesting. I'm not fussed about a Smart meter and also have a shonky Internet connection, but I do wonder if seeingbthe money tick away may focus our minds a bit more. There's a lot of clocks and devices permanently plugged in and running in the background
As I understand it, on a dual-fuel supply the gas meter is the ‘smart’ bit which phones home and the electricity meter talks to the gas meter.
Other way round really. As mentioned the smart meter needs an electricity supply to work, which is easier in the electricity supply. Also given decarbonisation and off-gas-grid homes you wouldn’t design it to be gas meter centric.
@Kerley - have a look at the Boston Spa Energy Efficiency Trial by Northern Powergrid. We reckon we can find a way of knocking 4% off energy use - also Google conservation voltage reduction. You can still use that 4% if you want to, we’re not going to stop you, but you won’t want to - CO2 reduction and a bit off your bill, but no real effect on your life.
Also the variable rates mean that I know someone who now chooses to heat their home electrically. They’re getting an effective rate of around 9 pence a unit.
We had one, I dropped it, it started reading a consumption of £30k a day, it went in the bin.
Stupid pointless exercise unless they make sure they actually work.
Apparently no-one in the whole of Scotland is trained to fit them to the kind of gas supply I have, so a half finished job and still need to send in regular meter readings.
The only people making money here are the scammers who convinced the government of this non functional scheme!
but I do wonder if seeingbthe money tick away may focus our minds a bit more. There’s a lot of clocks and devices permanently plugged in and running in the background
Yeah but...I've no idea what thing is consuming the most energy. I presume it's the giant fridge that the previous owners of the house left and we inherited, but without turning it off for the day to see what difference it makes, I've no real idea otherwise. The rest is just standby devices which is teeny draw (a telly and the internets box)
The only people making money here are the scammers who convinced the government of this non functional scheme!
Hmm, I wonder how you [i]convince[/i] the UK govt to get on board with your scheme...
The main point of smart meters is so they can turn your supply off when there is a shortage and the ICU needs it more than you do. So I probably wouldn’t bother.
Even if that were true, I'd be happy to let my sausages defrost to save someone's life in a hospital. Wouldn't you?
@Cougar we have a smart meter for electricity but not gas. I wish I had a gas one mind, because it would allow me to determine what effect my changes to the house have on the heating cost, and determine for example if it's more efficient and/or cost effective to heat water on an immersion heater during the cheap overnight period rather than gas.
I’ve no idea what thing is consuming the most energy. I presume it’s the giant fridge that the previous owners of the house left and we inherited, but without turning it off for the day to see what difference it makes, I’ve no real idea otherwise
You can get a thing that plugs into the wall socket that you can use to measure the consumption of an appliance if you haven't got a smart meter:
EDIT that's not an endorsement by the way, just the first Google hit.
Fitter said they would have to send a taller engineer round for the leccy meter, no mention of the gas meter but presumably a shorter one would be required for that.
The Elec meter contains the communications element which talks to the Industry, the Gas doesnt and only talks to the Elec meter, they wouldnt do the gas only typically.
As I understand it, on a dual-fuel supply the gas meter is the ‘smart’ bit which phones home and the electricity meter talks to the gas meter. Whether electric-only smart meters exist or not I don’t know but I’d be doubtful.
As above its the reverse
The main point of smart meters is so they can turn your supply off when there is a shortage and the ICU needs it more than you do. So I probably wouldn’t bother.
I believe suppliers arent allowed now to disconnect physically or remotely, what they will do is remotely or physically change your meter to a PAYG meter
I'd just get the smart meter, I for one would welcome time of use tariffs, would get me to run my dishwasher, washing machine or dryer at night as opposed to in the day ad hopefully save me some money!
I for one would welcome time of use tariffs, would get me to run my dishwasher, washing machine or dryer at night as opposed to in the day ad hopefully save me some money!
You'll be able to offset your savings against the pumped-up rate they'll be charging if you want a coffee at breakfast time, to prepare lunch at lunchtime and if you want to feed your family at the usual time in the evening.
As I understand it, on a dual-fuel supply the gas meter is the ‘smart’ bit which phones home and the electricity meter talks to the gas meter. Whether electric-only smart meters exist or not I don’t know but I’d be doubtful.
As above its the reverse
Yeah, I was misremembering. Makes sense, I guess more homes have electricity than gas.
Do you want to report your meter readings every month to ensure accurate billing or do you want to just let the meter do that for you.
When we built my Mum's place next door we had to have a SmartMeter installed as it wasn't a choice - new line. I get an email to say 'input meter reading' and I need to logon on and basically press a 'button'. It then works out the bill and changes the DD. I also get an email for our place asking the same, and for this I've to read the meter (but it's in the kitchen and very accessible).
For me, I see no (current) benefit for a SmartMeter.