Smart Meter anyone?

renegade

SSE is installing these in my area for their customers.
I am with Atlantic a part of SSE which is going to be abolished soon.

If I want this meter I have to join SSE with the promise that 'Nothing will change, tariffs will be the same and my DD payments. I am in credit with both Gas and Elec, my annual contract is every March, I will get a refund on any over payments.

Is this a scheme worth changing for?

The one thing bothering me is that I will have to stay with SSE , as not all other companies will be compatible with the smart meter.

Thoughts anyone?

Tuesday6

I've just received a smart meter invitation from British Gas and unsure whether to upgrade.
I'm concerned about my Direct Debit payments. If they're to be based on actual usage it worries me how high they'd be in the winter months (December is expensive enough). I'd much rather pay equal monthly payments spread across the year.

Still haven't made my mind up

PS: The Uswitch smart meter Q&A page states you can switch suppliers whether they're smart meter compatible or not.

A._Badger

Why would you want to open your door to a system that is designed to allow energy companies to ration supply once our energy infrastructure begins to buckle - which isn't far off?

reeac

A._Badger wrote: »

Why would you want to open your door to a system that is designed to allow energy companies to ration supply once our energy infrastructure begins to buckle - which isn't far off?

How will they manage to ration supplies to Smart meter households only and not to all?
We had a Smart meter fitted recently only to discover that it uses the mobile phone system to transmit its data and we have no signal strength where we live so a waste of money on the part of the supplier.

GingerBob_3

A._Badger wrote: »

Why would you want to open your door to a system that is designed to allow energy companies to ration supply once our energy infrastructure begins to buckle - which isn't far off?

Yes, the whole smart meter debate can be summed as follows:

"It puts them in control, 100%"

A._Badger

reeac wrote: »

How will they manage to ration supplies to Smart meter households only and not to all?
We had a Smart meter fitted recently only to discover that it uses the mobile phone system to transmit its data and we have no signal strength where we live so a waste of money on the part of the supplier.

That is how they work - they are individualised. Do some research on Google. You might be surprised by what you find.

Robin9

A._Badger wrote: »

Why would you want to open your door to a system that is designed to allow energy companies to ration supply once our energy infrastructure begins to buckle - which isn't far off?

But rationing is not new - remember the rota disconnections of the miners strike ?

The Electricity Companies have had the means of disconnecting customers for many years.

A._Badger

Robin9 wrote: »

But rationing is not new - remember the rota disconnections of the miners strike ?

The Electricity Companies have had the means of disconnecting customers for many years.

You are talking about a single incident in post-war Britain, during an emergency. I am talking about a regular practise, coupled with a floating price structure which could (and almost certainly will) mean different rates being charged at different times of the day to cater for decades of under-investment and wrong-headed energy generation policies.

If you think that is a good thing then by all means go ahead.

My guess is that most consumers are sleep walking into this and won't realise what has been done until after it has happened.

matelodave

I see the Luddites are out again

GingerBob_3

A._Badger wrote: »

You are talking about a single incident in post-war Britain, during an emergency. I am talking about a regular practise, coupled with a floating price structure which could (and almost certainly will) mean different rates being charged at different times of the day to cater for decades of under-investment and wrong-headed energy generation policies.

If you think that is a good thing then by all means go ahead.

My guess is that most consumers are sleep walking into this and won't realise what has been done until after it has happened.

Quite. There's nothing as stupid as "the man in the street"; the epitome of gullibility. Get told by the government or a large company that something is "good" and the idiots believe it.

I'm still waiting for someone to tell me how a smart meter would benefit me, as opposed to the supplier, or society in general, or the environment or some other ethereal structure.

One thing's for sure, it will not result in cheaper energy. Remember when nuclear power came in - well, maybe not, since it was the 1950s and I don't remember that far back myself. But one might recall from history that the government at the time said something along the lines that nuclear power will be so cost effective that it will be an embarrassment to charge for it, and it might even be free. Ha, ha, ha! Most people believed it, like they now believe in smart meters.

So matelo, I'd rather be a luddite than a gullible fool.

A._Badger

matelodave wrote: »

I see the Luddites are out again

Yes, that's right. Because everything new is better and no energy company ever exploited its customers.

In your world.