Thames Water meters now compulsory?

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  • Laughing_Boy
    Laughing_Boy Posts: 25 Forumite
    It seems to me that Thames Water have the right to install a meter to monitor usage but they do not have the right to install a Smart meter. I personally am happy to pay for the water I use (seems only fair) but am not happy to have a radiation-emitting, information-collecting, hackable device in my home. I may formally refuse consent for a Smart meter and ask for a standard meter - if they refuse then it is they who are not co-operating, not me.
  • Cardew
    Cardew Posts: 29,036
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    It seems to me that Thames Water have the right to install a meter to monitor usage but they do not have the right to install a Smart meter. I personally am happy to pay for the water I use (seems only fair) but am not happy to have a radiation-emitting, information-collecting, hackable device in my home. I may formally refuse consent for a Smart meter and ask for a standard meter - if they refuse then it is they who are not co-operating, not me.

    I agree with your sentiments about smart meters.

    I wonder if an amendment to terms and conditions would make them compulsory. Or would it take an amendment to 'The Water Act'.
  • matelodave
    matelodave Posts: 8,590
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    edited 4 July 2017 at 6:59PM
    It seems to me that Thames Water have the right to install a meter to monitor usage but they do not have the right to install a Smart meter. I personally am happy to pay for the water I use (seems only fair) but am not happy to have a radiation-emitting, information-collecting, hackable device in my home. I may formally refuse consent for a Smart meter and ask for a standard meter - if they refuse then it is they who are not co-operating, not me.

    You carry a device around with you all day that knows much more about you than anything else.

    It knows where you are (even if you've got the GPS turned off). It knows what phone calls, texts or other messages you send and receive. It also knows a lot of your passwords and even your bank account info if you use mobile banking.

    It's also emitting far more radiation around your nether regions when it's in your pocket or directly into your head when you are using it than any smart gas, leccy or water meter. It's also a lot more hackable.
    Never under estimate the power of stupid people in large numbers
  • Laughing_Boy
    Laughing_Boy Posts: 25 Forumite
    edited 6 July 2017 at 12:24PM
    matelodave wrote: »
    You carry a device around with you all day that knows much more about you than anything else.

    No I do not.
    matelodave wrote: »
    It knows where you are

    No it doesn't.

    More importantly a mobile phone can always be left at home or turned off. The consumer has a choice. Likewise there should be a choice whether to have a smart meter or a standard dumb meter.
  • Raxiel
    Raxiel Posts: 1,398
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    It seems to me that Thames Water have the right to install a meter to monitor usage but they do not have the right to install a Smart meter. I personally am happy to pay for the water I use (seems only fair) but am not happy to have a radiation-emitting, information-collecting, hackable device in my home. I may formally refuse consent for a Smart meter and ask for a standard meter - if they refuse then it is they who are not co-operating, not me.

    Just how smart are these water meters anyway? I have a meter that was described as being 'smart' but all that really means is it can be read remotely. Specifically, when a Severn Trent van drives past and pings the meter with the right frequency, it pings back with it's serial number and current reading. There's no logging of usage against time, and it can't be hacked since the actual reading is mechanical.

    Are the Thames ones more sophisticated?
    3.6 kW PV in the Midlands - 9x Sharp 400W black panels - 6x facing SE and 3x facing SW, Solaredge Optimisers and Inverter. 400W Derril Water (one day). Octopus Flux
  • So what happens if you ignore requests from TW? How long do they give?
  • The smart meter was installed in may 2017, it will run on a trial basis for 2 years before you get pushed across to its billing. It sends latest usage to TW, you can log onto your online account and compare daily usage since it was installed. My yearly bill is £365, smart meter says my annual bill will be about £245 to £280 on current consumption.
  • matelodave
    matelodave Posts: 8,590
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    Wish I could get one like that rather than having to grovel down a hole in the front garden to read it.
    Never under estimate the power of stupid people in large numbers
  • Anyone heard of smart water meters being compulsory outside the Thames area?
    Friend received a letter implying she has to have one. Have searched online, but found lots of the discussions/blogs have confused the issues of metering and smart meters especially over the DEFRA statement (which refers to metering in general, the section on smart metering refers to the supposed safety issues - which I am not interested in).
  • matelodave
    matelodave Posts: 8,590
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    What difference does it make what sort of water meter you've got - the fact that it's "smart" just means it can be read remotel.
    Never under estimate the power of stupid people in large numbers
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