Smart meter questions
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trailingspouse
Posts: 4,035 Forumite
in Energy
I'm sure these questions have been asked on here before, so my apologies - I've looked and not been able to find.
Utility Warehouse are offering us smart meters for our gas and electric free of charge. So, obviously, I'm thinking about it - what I need to know is -
At the top of their letter they say 'Your electricity and gas meters have expired'. Really? Is that even a thing? Apparently if they don't replace our meters as soon as possible, they may stop working or our service may be interrupted. I smell a rat - surely this can't actually happen??
How does the smart meter actually help you to save money? We're already good at switching lights off when the room's not in use, putting a jumper on before putting the heating on, washing at low temperatures, drying outside rather than using the tumble dryer etc etc etc. I'm struggling to see how a smart meter can help us use less. The woman I spoke to on the phone told me I'd be 'able to see how much it costs to boil the kettle' - which would be interesting, I'm sure, but a) it's not going to stop me making my morning cuppa, and b) I would only need to be told once - I'm not going to be checking my smart meter every time I brew up.
Security - if readings are being taken daily, it will become very obvious very quickly if, for example, we're not at home. There will be patterns of usage which would be very obvious. I'm guessing they really can't guarantee information like that won't be misused?
So basically I'm trying to decide whether to bite the bullet, accept that smart meters are the way forward, and get one fitted. Or put it off for as long as possible.
Utility Warehouse are offering us smart meters for our gas and electric free of charge. So, obviously, I'm thinking about it - what I need to know is -
At the top of their letter they say 'Your electricity and gas meters have expired'. Really? Is that even a thing? Apparently if they don't replace our meters as soon as possible, they may stop working or our service may be interrupted. I smell a rat - surely this can't actually happen??
How does the smart meter actually help you to save money? We're already good at switching lights off when the room's not in use, putting a jumper on before putting the heating on, washing at low temperatures, drying outside rather than using the tumble dryer etc etc etc. I'm struggling to see how a smart meter can help us use less. The woman I spoke to on the phone told me I'd be 'able to see how much it costs to boil the kettle' - which would be interesting, I'm sure, but a) it's not going to stop me making my morning cuppa, and b) I would only need to be told once - I'm not going to be checking my smart meter every time I brew up.
Security - if readings are being taken daily, it will become very obvious very quickly if, for example, we're not at home. There will be patterns of usage which would be very obvious. I'm guessing they really can't guarantee information like that won't be misused?
So basically I'm trying to decide whether to bite the bullet, accept that smart meters are the way forward, and get one fitted. Or put it off for as long as possible.
No longer a spouse, or trailing, but MSE won't allow me to change my username...
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Comments
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The same questions have been asked a million times and you'll get the same answers from the same people.
The nay sayers will tell you all the horror stories, not that I can see any except paranoia and those who are in favour will sing their praises.
You need a meter of some sort whether is smart or dumb. A smart one should ensure that all your bill sare accurate so you shouldn't need to get estimated bills or send in your own readings.
They wont really save you money, turning stuff off does that. What they can do is help you see what's on and let you know when stuff is on when it shouldn't be.
It would need a very clever burglar to work out when you weren't around from you meter readings. Our local scrotes just need to see if the car is in the drive or the curtains not being pulled to work it out.
It's up to youNever under estimate the power of stupid people in large numbers0 -
If you are happy submitting your own meter readings regularly online (and giving access to meter readers once a year), are already quite energy efficient, don't really see the need to monitor your useage on a daily basis (or every time you boil the kettle), and are likely to change suppliers at some point, then no, don't bother.
At least for now. Wait until they are installing the SMETS2 smart meters so that when you switch supplier, they will stay smart and not revert to a dumb meter.0 -
trailingspouse wrote: »I'm sure these questions have been asked on here before, so my apologies - I've looked and not been able to find.
Utility Warehouse are offering us smart meters for our gas and electric free of charge. So, obviously, I'm thinking about it - what I need to know is -
How does the smart meter actually help you to save money? We're already good at switching lights off when the room's not in use, putting a jumper on before putting the heating on, washing at low temperatures, drying outside rather than using the tumble dryer etc etc etc. I'm struggling to see how a smart meter can help us use less. The woman I spoke to on the phone told me I'd be 'able to see how much it costs to boil the kettle' - which would be interesting, I'm sure, but a) it's not going to stop me making my morning cuppa, and b) I would only need to be told once - I'm not going to be checking my smart meter every time I brew up.
I can imagine that if you have a houseful of people, mainly youngsters who switch things on and leave them on, which will escalate the numbers, you will be able to give them a good telling off and show them how much it is costing you, and ask them to start paying for what they use.
Other than that, I can't see how a SM will save you money.
ilonaI love skip diving.
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I can't see how a SM will save you money
They don't, but I know how much gas I use to have a shower.
Also my tumble dryer is in the garage and when it is on my IHD has a red light showing.
When it goes off I know the tumble dryer is finished.over 73 but not over the hill.0 -
Switch suppliers?? Is that an issue? I generally think about it every couple of years - we've been with Utility Warehouse for a while, but only because there isn't enough of a difference to make switching worthwhile, not because I don't ever consider it.No longer a spouse, or trailing, but MSE won't allow me to change my username...0
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Yes, do a search for SMETS2 in this forum. The smart meters energy suppliers are currently installing are only guaranteed to work as smart meters (can be read remotely, and work with the IHD to show you usage, costs etc) if you stay with the supplier who installed them.trailingspouse wrote: »Switch suppliers?? Is that an issue?
SMETS2 meters are supposed to be going to work with all suppliers. So if the ability to retain smart functionality is important to you, wait until SMETS2 meters are being installed.0 -
I agree with mac.d, but there are supposed to be some of the SMETS1 meters that can be updated to SMETS2 using an update system.
However, imo, the SMETS1 standard was/is a complete piece of crap and should have been kept for the initial piloting stage and SMETS2 made the mandatory required standard for the actual rollout.
However, the industry and the government (who I'm sure knew that SMETS2 was coming as soon as the SMETS1 document was released) seem to not give a flying monkey's bum about consumers and the right to switch.0 -
How can I tell if my British Gas smart meters are SMETS1 or SMETS2 meters?0
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I think a lot of the British Gas ones are SMETS1 - SMETS2 isn't due to become available properly until 2018 at the earliest (provided the industry doesn't screw it up even more than they already have).0
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The Landis and Gyr G370 zigbee gas meter and the L and G e470 zigbee electric meter work in both SMETS1 and SMETS2 .. British gas install Landis and Gyr smart meters. They should be installing these meters now.
To be fair its not the industry which has screwed it up but Government decision to make the 40 different suppliers individually fit smart meters in order to "sell " the product better than the DNOs who would have been fitting them down the streets in one go, just like they did when token prepayment meters were all changed to slightly more efficient card /key meters..All done in a two or three years ..No complaints about the costs neither..Now we have all these suppliers with their teams of fitters driving around all day doing at the most 5/6 exchanges a day and according to my meter fitting mate, as low as 1 a day. There does `nt appear to be any hurry with no apparent bonus scheme in operation..
When I first saw smart meters being fitted over 10 years ago I applied to join the fitting teams because they were on a cracking bonus system and the fitters I spoke too were "going for it " and making the most of it , fitting as many as possible to earn the big bucks..Now I have nt seen any bonus schemes at G4S (now MDS ) and Eon and BG teams..The BG guy who fitted mine was taking it easy and not concerned at all in speed and efficiency, dragging it out because after all once the roll out is completed hes on the Dole..No wonder its costing £11 billion and counting.I wonder how suppliers such as Spark Energy and First Utility are managing their smart roll out program...probably poorly and super slow and costly0
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