Should I get a smart meter?

SerialRenter

GingerBob wrote: »

the big disadvantages are the data collection and analysis, coupled with the possibility of remote disconnection

Data collection? You mean that data you're giving them anyway, just manually?

They can take it more regularly, that's true, but i don't see that as anything other than beneficial to keeping the power grid adequately supplied with power stations.

lstar337

Andy_WSM wrote: »

You won't get any of it back! It will be declared as extra profits and fed to the fat cats & shareholders.

Not a hope in hell that anti-theft measures will reduce the prices or even stop further increases in the future!

Well the co's claim that by-passers are increasing bills by x amount. When by-passing is stopped, they will no longer be able to use that excuse.

lstar337

GingerBob wrote: »

Correct. And smart meters won't stop bypassing at all. In fact, with far fewer manual inspections needed they could well make the situation worse.

The data collected will highlight by-passers. Who said there will be fewer inspections? AFAIK, safety inspections will remain unaffected.

lstar337

SerialRenter wrote: »

Data collection? You mean that data you're giving them anyway, just manually?

They can take it more regularly, that's true, but i don't see that as anything other than beneficial to keeping the power grid adequately supplied with power stations.

Also, they're still just meters, they don't have a network connected circuit breaker on them, an extra MCB on each house would push up the costs unnecessarily. So no remote disconnections.

Internally they will will be able to break the circuit, just like a pre-pay does. Actually I believe they can be easily changed to a pre-pay without changing the physical meter.

lstar337

Andy_WSM wrote: »

You won't get any of it back! It will be declared as extra profits and fed to the fat cats & shareholders.

Not a hope in hell that anti-theft measures will reduce the prices or even stop further increases in the future!

Yep, I guess we should just let the by-passers get away with it then, just because I wont get any money back. Good plan.:T

Andy_WSM

lstar337 wrote: »

Well the co's claim that by-passers are increasing bills by x amount. When by-passing is stopped, they will no longer be able to use that excuse.

So they'll just find another excuse!

Haven't people worked out how corrupt these energy companies are yet? Increase the prices at the first sign of a Wholesale price rise, but don't decrease them when it drops?

Andy_WSM

lstar337 wrote: »

Yep, I guess we should just let the by-passers get away with it then, just because I wont get any money back. Good plan.:T

I don't know where you got that from ANY of my posts. My first post in this thread says very clearly that I'd have one if they were made available to me.

My second post pointed out that the energy companies won't drop your bills if theft decreased.

I certainly don't condone stealing and DEFINITELY haven't posted anything to that effect!

[Deleted User]

molerat wrote: »

Of course meter readers always read the meter correctly and don't invent readings if they can't gain access do they

We make mistakes of course, but I`ve never heard of a meter reader "inventing " readings . He would nt last long bunging in any old numbers. We dont have access to the last reading and we read for 50% of the big 6. We would have to have some idea of the last read to get away with that one.

[Deleted User]

GingerBob wrote: »

Correct. And smart meters won't stop bypassing at all. In fact, with far fewer manual inspections needed they could well make the situation worse.

Wrong, ( as usual ).. Smarts will eliminate the casual non professional meter bypasser at a stroke. I have found 20 year old women savvy enough to easily bypass the electric prepay key meter.. Its so easy.Once the prepays are made to operate in smart mode, not only will it stop all the hundreds of thousands of bypassed prepays in the UK it will stop the professional "renter " who moves into a property with credit meters with no intention whatsoever of paying any energy bills until the supplier moves in with locksmith and warrants to fit prepays. Smarts will stop all the idiots hacking away attempting to bypass the meter and burning the house down. People like Gingerbob live in a strange world back in the 1930 s when he has the cheek to complain about wifi as he merrily taps away his guff on his laptop

[Deleted User]

lstar337 wrote: »

The data collected will highlight by-passers. Who said there will be fewer inspections? AFAIK, safety inspections will remain unaffected.

Yes, we still do safety inspections on Smarts, so far I ve never found a bypass in 5 years on a smart. That statistic tells it all