smart meters, its all a con for energy companies to spy on us right? they still visit

dude89

PollySouthend wrote: »

Smart meters will cost the end users (you and me) 11bn to roll outQUOTE]

Is this additional to the current metering costs in terms of the end of life/consumer requested meter changes? or will that amount be deducted from the 11bn??

What does the 300m saving consist of? Is it just meter reading costs? or does it include:

1. money saved from debt collection action?
2. cost of changing customers to ppm at their request - normally done for free though there is obviously a cost to the supplier.
3. money saved from customers attempting to steal gas and electric.

I personally have no concerns about the security aspect of smart meters - so what if it gets hacked and people no when im out, they could always just watch my front door or ring my house phone.

But I would mind if the cost/savings difference is excessive.

macman

Cardew wrote: »

I fool them - I switch on 3 kettles at the same time! They think I am having a shower (8 times a day)

Then after you have your smart meter fitted, you can expect them to sell your details on to purveyors of shower gel and soap. Genius!

Andy_WSM

Cardew wrote: »

I fool them - I switch on 3 kettles at the same time! They think I am having a shower (8 times a day)

Genius! Cleanest poster on MSE

lstar337

Andy_WSM wrote: »

Genius! Cleanest poster on MSE

Ah, but only in the eyes of British Gas. The rest of us are in on the secret.

silverwhistle

dude89 wrote: »

PollySouthend wrote: »

Smart meters will cost the end users (you and me) 11bn to roll outQUOTE]

Is this additional to the current metering costs in terms of the end of life/consumer requested meter changes? or will that amount be deducted from the 11bn??

I've just had credit meters put back as the tenant's behaviour lead to key meters (the leccy one taking back £3 a day!) and was wondering whether I'd get a smart meter. It wasn't but it's still smart enough to recognise I'm generating my own power.:-)

I can see some concerns over cost and standardisation of smart meters, but they should help the supply industry understand and cope with usage peaks. Cutting that peak demand would make a tremendous difference in the investment cost of plant needed to cope, although I doubt the OP has considered such alternative costs. If there is a debate to be had I don't there's much useful input coming from that direction.

Norman_Castle

LittleMissAspie wrote: »

Well this is how water meters work. Our meters have always been inside our house and no-one from the water company has ever come to read one, and the bills are actual usage not estimated. I wish our gas and electricity meters were like this because it's a pain having to remember to take a reading once a month.

I really don't see your problem.

Water meters are read through contact with a black plastic disc outside the property or by radio signal which transmits locally. They are not smart meters.

Norman_Castle

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/energy/10310720/British-Gas-contract-creates-600-jobs-as-smart-meter-roll-out-begins.html

"Consumers should therefore be left with the benefit of reduced consumption because the meters would make them “much more conscious of their energy usage”.

Nonsense. People are either interested in their consumption or they're not. Having a display in the home will make no difference.

"Almost 600,000 of the 1m smart meters British Gas has installed to date are likely to need replacing by 2020 because they are not deemed smart enough under government regulations."

Clowns.

PollySouthend

silverwhistle wrote: »

dude89 wrote: »

I've just had credit meters put back as the tenant's behaviour lead to key meters (the leccy one taking back £3 a day!) and was wondering whether I'd get a smart meter. It wasn't but it's still smart enough to recognise I'm generating my own power.:-)

I can see some concerns over cost and standardisation of smart meters, but they should help the supply industry understand and cope with usage peaks. Cutting that peak demand would make a tremendous difference in the investment cost of plant needed to cope, although I doubt the OP has considered such alternative costs. If there is a debate to be had I don't there's much useful input coming from that direction.

Why the need to be critical at me for starting a discussion?

Don't see why the energy companies would need to monitor at the granularity of each individual home, they could monitor the substations to look for usage.

We have a coming energy shortage, giving anyone the ability to shut down sections of the grid when capacity is not enough is worrying.

PollySouthend

Norman_Castle wrote: »

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/energy/10310720/British-Gas-contract-creates-600-jobs-as-smart-meter-roll-out-begins.html

"Consumers should therefore be left with the benefit of reduced consumption because the meters would make them “much more conscious of their energy usage”.

Nonsense. People are either interested in their consumption or they're not. Having a display in the home will make no difference.

"Almost 600,000 of the 1m smart meters British Gas has installed to date are likely to need replacing by 2020 because they are not deemed smart enough under government regulations."

Clowns.

It it really was about helping customers understand their usage then they would still supply clip on owl devices that cost 30 each and can be installed in mins and give all the same information as a smart meter.

But it isn't.

silverwhistle

PollySouthend wrote: »

silverwhistle wrote: »

Why the need to be critical at me for starting a discussion?

Because you haven't come on here to start a discussion ["what do people think of...?"] but with a fixed opinion which you have continued over many, many posts.

Don't see why the energy companies would need to monitor at the granularity of each individual home, they could monitor the substations to look for usage.

They probably could, but as anyone who has had any dealing with data knows, you can build up from detail but you can't separate from aggregated data.

We have a coming energy shortage, giving anyone the ability to shut down sections of the grid when capacity is not enough is worrying.

So what do you suggest as an alternative? Loads more investment in mostly redundant plant - the point I made earlier which you ignored? In those circumstances perhaps cutting off the profligate might be a good idea? I'd rather my local hospital had the power than households who could easily cut their consumption without critical problems.

I'll repeat; I'm not criticising you but your opinions, OK?