The Great Hunt: How smart is your smart meter?

[Deleted User]

Geoffrey52 wrote: »

About a year ago, EDF offered smartmeters so I thought I would try one. Engineer came, I asked him if it would cause radio interference (I like to listen to short wave radio) he said No. He installed the smart meter, I switched on the radio and heard interference, a loud hiss which wasn't there before. I told him to take it out and install a dumb meter, which he did.
OK I still have to read the meter occasionally but that's no big deal, and much more importantly I have clean airwaves.

So is the wifi router you have just used upsetting it or your mobile phone or even your wireless landline ? They are both "dirtying " your airwaves along with every other nearby wifi router in your street and next doors smart meters . The electric smart meter is only emitting very small amounts every two hours. I know that the water meter smart "dongle " works on short distance radio waves. You seem to have condemned the smart meter without a fair trial.

Geoffrey52

sacsquacco wrote: »

So is the wifi router you have just used upsetting it or your mobile phone or even your wireless landline ? They are both "dirtying " your airwaves along with every other nearby wifi router in your street and next doors smart meters . The electric smart meter is only emitting very small amounts every two hours. I know that the water meter smart "dongle " works on short distance radio waves. You seem to have condemned the smart meter without a fair trial.

You are quite right, wifi router and wireless landline are dirtying the airwaves, although my mobile phone seems to have no effect. However, the big difference is that I have the option to switch them all off, all that is except the smartmeter! The trial lasted no more than two minutes (possibly unfair) because I wanted it changed whilst the man was still here. Just because there are many dirtying gadgets around does not make it right to add another.

johnwnormington

I had one installed, by NPower. It is ok, not having to submit readings. But I have solar panels and although the meter reads the kw exported, NPower will not accept it , although my FIT is with them.It seems Ofcom rules prevent them, so they say.

cgphillips8

Had smart meters fitted to student house by BG as I thought it would be better and more accurate when it came to bills.
Installation went fine and the engineer was good and just had router fitted without display in the house.
Had my first bill which seemed quite high compared to previous year so went online to check readings.
The bill was saying that 94 Gas and 420 electric units used but my online meter reading 3 days after the bill reading was 73 gas and 356 units used.
I thought the whole point of smart meters was accurate readings with no estimates.
I have emailed BG twice now without any reply as to why the discrepency in readings.

indesisiv

Does anyone know what mobile network the EON smart meters use?
WHere I live the only network signal that stands a chance is O2, although I am not optimistic about it getting a signal under the stairs even on that network. I have an appointment booked in a week or so, so want to figure out if there is a chance that they will fit it or not.

mgcornwall

The meter was installed by OVO at there request in mid 2014, because a meter reader suspected there was something wrong with the meter wiring connection. I was given a choice, but seleted the Smart Meter over the conventional meter, all the hype said it would save money and time for me and the Energy Supplier and cost me less in the future.
OVO never actually used the meter, I was still giving manual readings when I left OVO a few months after the installatiion for E.on in a switch to save money.
Despite informing E.on about the Smart Meter, no attempt was made to use the meter in a wireless connection. In fact the meter readers who attended frequently to check my manuall readings could'nt understand the meter and I had to read the Smart Meter manually for them. One of the meter readers stated ''it wasn't the same make as theirs so it would'nt work for them.
Yesterday I transfered back to OVO in an attempt to once again save money on my electricty bill.
So I await with baited breath to see if OVO can connect this time to the Smart Meter they installed.

We are being encouraged rigourously to transfer our untility bills to save money, however there appears to be no co-ordination between engery suppliers and the manufacturers/installers of Smart Meters to enable them to talk to their respective energy supplier and in turn the customer.
Another waste of money by the Government: no planning, co-ordination or reveiw of the entire process.

Skie_2

About 5 years ago British Gas told us our meter had reached the end of it's serviceable life and required replacing. They turned up with a new Smart Meter after sending us a pack explaining the features of the new meter including better bill payments and an electricity/gas monitor and no more need to submit readings manually.

Installation was no bother but British Gas themselves seemed pretty clueless about smart metering. We remained on the same tariff but went to a new pay as you go payment system, where each months payment was based on actual usage and not the made up direct debit cash syphon energy companies usually use. About 3 months after this BG swapped us back to the normal DD system without explanation. The automated readings continued to happen, but we also still got regular visits from the meter readers.

The in-home display was neat, but the ranges on the graphs were configured for a 1 person flat, not a large household, so the graphs for monthly usage of electricity were all maxed out and utterly useless to compare 1 month to the next. They also lock down the zigbee data feed from the smart meter, so only their device can use this data which meant the entire exercise was of limited benefit. Supposedly this is for 'security', but I'm not sure what nefarious things someone could do if they knew how much gas or electricity someone was using.

Since moving from BG the usual loss of automatic readings has gone, but having the display has meant no more crawling under cupboards to submit on-line readings to the new suppliers.

Norman_Meyer

My OVO smart meter was smart until I joined the Cheap Energy Club, joined E.ON - now I can't get any readings so asked the question E.ON can't seem to answer yet

ekimhoo

Smart meters or Snooping meters will allow the electricity companies to snoop on everyone's lives if they want to. They will be able to tell when you are watching TV and even what you are watching, whether you are on holiday, or that you are in the kitchen boiling the kettle, even if you just put your baby to bed.

[Deleted User]

ekimhoo wrote: »

Smart meters or Snooping meters will allow the electricity companies to snoop on everyone's lives if they want to. They will be able to tell when you are watching TV and even what you are watching, whether you are on holiday, or that you are in the kitchen boiling the kettle, even if you just put your baby to bed.

Even if all this paranoia is true, why would it be a concern if power companies gathered energy use data ? I m sure they re not going to be passing the info to the local burglars. The thing I m using now, my laptop, knows a hell of a lot about me and tries to flog me stuff all the time, but you are using this without concern I presume..Mr Google is certainly watching your every move.