EON want me to have smart meters

System

We are in a transition phase. i cannot speak for E.oN's SMETS1 meters.

SMETS 2 meters will connect to the central Data Communications Company not to individual suppliers. The network is being delivered on the ground by two Communications Service Providers, Arqiva and Telefonica, and a single Data Service Provider, CGI. Arqiva is installing the network infrastructure in the north of England and Scotland while Telefonica is installing across central and southern England and Wales.

Source: Data Communications Company Roll-out Plan.

Former_E.ON_Company_Representative:_Malc

FOREVER21 wrote: »

I have nothing against smart meters in general, but the installation of a smart meter will not benefit me . I submit monthly readings on line which takes me seconds, the system then automatically shows my credit/debit position.( Thanks to E-on)

I have not had an estimated account for years. Additionally I do not need a separate monitor to tell me that when I use central heating, boil a kettle,turn the immersion heater on, that I use extra energy, I only do these things when I need to and I am well aware of the cost of this.

With regard to the savings smart meters acquire over energy cheats and professional renters, the"professionals" will still be finding ways to beat the system.

Also any savings must also be offset by the money wasted installing smart meters which revert to dumb meters when a customer changes supplier, these meters will need replacing again or at best updated to be compatible. Has anyone quantified this cost? there must be many hundred meters needing attention.Why are companies continuing to install meters that will require replacing / updating in the near future? only to satisfy government targets.

It seems to be that the whole smart meter business has been implemented at a rush without being properly thought through.

When (if) a universal compatable meter is introduced by 2018, I will consider a smart meter but even then all I expect will happen is the inconvience of having to arrange an appointment , which will likely be cancelled, and rearranged, and the nett result in my energy consumption / charges will not change.
On the other hand I notice BG has now offered a bribe to get their customers to have a smart meter, if E-on was to to follow suit I may well change my mind!

Morning FOREVER21

No need to have a Smart Meter if you don't want one. As I posted above (post 20), although we're offering them to as many customers as we can, they're not available everywhere yet. It depends on things like the area, type of property, strength of the mobile phone signal and the current metering set up. We're working to improve this as well as continually developing the technology behind Smart. Eventually, we want to be in a position to be able to offer acceptable smart technology to all our customers. It'll then be up to them if they take it up.

Fully appreciate you're on top of your usage and glad our online tools have helped. Regrettably, not everyone is in a similar place. Automated meter readings will help keep estimates to a minimum and increase billing accuracy. It's also hoped the Energy Display will help raise awareness and encourage people to use less.

As per previous posts, we're working towards a situation where customers will be able to change supplier and keep smart capability. The DCC and SMETS2 developments spoken about on here will help with this.

I'm not aware of any tariffs in the pipeline similar to what you mention. Keep an eye on our website. This is a good place for information about any new offers we might have.

Hope this is of interest FOREVER21.

Malc

Former_E.ON_Company_Representative:_Malc

Hengus wrote: »

Hi Malc. Thanks for the helpful update. I hope that your competitors communicate with their customers in a similar way. FWIW, I would advise people to wait until SMETS2 is the only available Smart Meter standard, and we know that DCC and the industry back systems can cope with the amount of data that will be needed to support 30 minute recording (as recommended by the CMA). I sense that this project still has many significant challenges ahead.

You're welcome Hengus. Glad to help. You're right, we're continuing to develop this and other technology to better meet the challenges going forward.

Malc

brewerdave

poppasmurf_bewdley wrote: »

Thanks for that.

The reason I asked is because I use 02 and have a signal booster which gives me five bars throughout my cottage but it only works on 02 and you have to programme the device with the phone numbers using it.

Does the smart meter receive the phone call or make the call?

Never really thought about the signal strength issues - we struggle to get a usable mobile signal -sometimes texts come thru literally hours after being sent -and phone calls are frequently broken up/disconnected - I had a guy do some work recently, and he had to stand in the middle of the road to get his payment terminal to connect!
So how are the Utility distribution cos. going to cope with these issues longer term??

Former_E.ON_Company_Representative:_Malc

Frozen_up_north wrote: »

So E.On wasted my time and money by installing an obsolete meter that will need replacing again :mad: Thanks!

I wouldn't have thought so Frozen_up_north. Your new meter will have all the benefits of smart technology now. Provided, that is, we can sort out the problems spoken about yesterday. Once these are sorted and as your Smart Meter was only installed on 24 May, I wouldn't expect it to be changed any time soon. I suspect it'll be okay to take advantage of the DCC when it comes online, too, so you'll be able to switch supplier and keep smart technology.

I could be wrong. This is developing technology and we're looking to improve it all the time. As more advances are made and if we believe these would be beneficial to customers, we'll offer them out. As discussed above, though, Smart Meters are optional and customers can decline these offers.

Malc

poppasmurf_bewdley

Well, after everything, the eON man came today, fitted the smart meter and took it out again.

Apparently, it couldn't pick up a signal long enough to make communication with base so it couldn't be left in situ. So now I have a little white plastic thing with just a numbers display, which doesn't look very robust to me.

So it looks like I'll be left out of the smart meter revolution, at least until the phone companies get their acts together and provide a proper signal in this area. :mad:

Sosumi

Could somebody very kind explain to me why, if these things are so "smart", they can't just use the dwelling's domestic Internet connection, wirelessly if necessary, to transmit their readings back to base securely when they can't get a usable mobile 'phone signal? :huh:

System

Sosumi wrote: »

Could somebody very kind explain to me why, if these things are so "smart", they can't just use the dwelling's domestic Internet connection, wirelessly if necessary, to transmit their readings back to base securely when they can't get a usable mobile 'phone signal? :huh:

Network security is the main reason. Smart meters are designed not to communicate directly but via a WAN (wide area network). This establishes a mesh of smart meters in any given area. The problem at the moment is that suppliers are doing their own thing (in fairness, this is how they were told to do it by Govt). When SMETS2 meters are deployed, the meter WAN will communicate via a local communications hub to the Data Communications Company and then on to suppliers.

https://www.smartdcc.co.uk/media/338770/15574_building_a_smart_metering_network_v3.pdf

Consumers with smart meter issues today may well find that by 2020 the problem will be solved. The one problem that might not be solved is the HAN which is used to connect the IHD to the smart meter. As anyone who has got Sky Q or Sonos knows, home meshes are very problematical. Sadly, SMETS2 meters cannot, at the moment, connect to pad or phone apps.

[Deleted User]

Sorry to say this Malc but from my experience with both Eon and British Gas meter fitters they will not start the conversations off when fitting a meter with the words "I am about to fit a smart meter , you have the s right to refuse it ".Take it from me , they just fit one and will only fit a normal meter if the occupier is clued up and refuses one.
Water meter fitters are exactly the same.They are requested to tell the occupier by their boss the same spiel but they don`t say a word.
Both my smart meters were fitted by BG and the fitter certainly never brought it up until I asked him.I remember I actually told him he was supposed to tell them. I get this info from a former meter reader who now fits smarts for Eon.They will fit a smart meter in unless the occupier stops them.

Sosumi

Hengus,

Many thanks for taking the time to post that explanation.

What does remain unclear, at least to me, is whether a SMETS 2 smart meter will be any improvement on a SMETS 1 meter if it still cannot access a usable mobile 'phone signal at the consumer's location.

Hence why it seems to me that an inbuilt facility to use (encrypted and securely) the consumer's domestic landline Internet connection instead, in such situations, would be sensible.

After all, that is what a smart 'phone does with data, albeit in reverse. (By which I mean that a smart 'phone normally defaults to a wi-fi signal if it can find one, rather than using up the user's mobile 'phone data allowance. My point is that it has an inbuilt facility to use either.)