Stop Smart Meters!

anotheruser

Just came across this:

http://stopsmartmeters.org.uk/

Not read any of it as yet, but does anyone else have any opinions?
Are smart meters just a new stealth tax?

[Deleted User]

Hi,

how can smart meters be a stealth tax?

You pay for what you use, unless of course you have bypassed the meter and stealing.

matelodave

The idea behind smart meters is that you pay for what you use when you use it rather than ending up with a ginormous bill or overpayment at the end of the year.

I can't think of anything better unless you actually read your own meter every week or month and send the results to the energy supplier who then bills you for what you used.

It would save a lot of people getting into serious debt and then whinging that no one told them that their DD's weren't covering their consumption because they were too idle to check their bills or read their meters.

Bring them on and hopefully we'll all be paying for what we use rather than subsidising those who are getting away with not paying. It might even bring the price down a bit

[Deleted User]

StopsmartmetersUK is Dr Elizabeth Evans creation because the poor dear has , she says, severe electromagnetic sensitivity so bad that she comes out in a cold sweat if in the prescence of a smart meter. I m not so sure if this cold sweat is just when near the very low output of a smart meter wifi or if it manifests itself when she s near her pals iphones .
Its a right old laugh reading all the lies coming out of it.I make comments on the website occasionally for a bit of fun.I hope no one takes them seriously when it comes to revue time to make smart meters compulsory like most of Europe has. The suppliers need smart meters more than the consumers but they are a benefit to all once they get most people on them.
The vast number of energy thieves who steal so easily with normal meters of course will now use their right to refuse them. This right has to stop and stop quickly .

esuhl

Bizarre. I can't see any explanation on the site as to why smart meters leave you paying a "stealth tax". The implication seems to be that they don't accurately measure energy consumption...

But one piece of "evidence" for this is shown as a graph, which very specifically seems to say that people in the US who had a smart meter installed in September 2010 experienced immediate price rises.

Well... did the price of energy shoot up in the US that month? Was it a particularly cold (or hot) September, meaning that people used heating/air-con a lot more? Was it just that winter was approaching and smart-meters bill for actual usage (which would be higher in winter), rather than averaging the bills over a year?

It's all totally inconclusive. The lack of citations and references makes me think the figures are either completely made-up or dishonestly represented.

The site also claims that smart meters have exploded in America! Oh no! But when you try to find a genuine news report, you find that it was because a driver bought down an electricity pylon carrying both high-voltage and domestic-voltage supplies, causing both smart and non-smart meters to explode. Apparently the damage was slightly worse with smart-meters, possibly because they were using Ethernet powerline adaptors, where low and high voltage components would have been in closer proximity.

And, if you use powerline adaptors, you're exposed to this risk even without a smart meter.

In the UK we don't have many exposed electricity pylons that drivers could crash into, and I don't think the UK uses pylons to carry multiple cables with such widely differing voltages.

So, again, it looks like fairly baseless paranoia.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/04/02/smart_meters_explode_in_consumers_homes/

I'd be a lot more concerned with the potential of smart meters to be hacked, and with the energy companies' (and hackers') abilities to shut off your power remotely.

[Deleted User]

No one contradicts what comes out of StopsmartmetersUK so all their obvious lies will make them a laughing stock when the time comes for people to fight the introduction of obligatory smart meters because they will be there with hysterical claims
I m in favour of Npowers smart meters which can be programed to send a reading in only once a month, that`s enough for accurate billing and would surely end the ludicrous claims of wifi damage from the meter. Remote disconnection is really badly needed though. I know of whole streets in Doncaster where the majority of residents have bypassed and are currently bypassing this very minute and laughing their heads off at how soft the stupid English are.Getting into the properties nowadays to see the meters is virtually impossible. I ve lost count of how many refused accesses I ve had in the streets of Hexthorpe and Edlington ! We need to be able to cut them off without having a battle with them complaining of racism and bullying .Suppliers like EDF and Scottish Power and Eon are nt very good at Revenue Protection and even BG struggle in these areas as they are loathe to spend money on Warrants and locksmiths.

Robisere

This is the CA's site advice :
https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/energy/energy-supply/your-energy-meter/getting-a-smart-meter-installed/

More advice, this from Which? -
http://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/advice/do-i-have-to-accept-a-smart-meter

There appear to be Pro's and Cons. For me, the fact that the roll-out will cost £11billion, and will have to be paid for by consumers, is the biggest objection. In current circumstances, after Brexit I believe we may be in for a tough few years. I have been asked if I am interested by EDF, to which I originally said "yes". Now I am not so sure. But it does appear that no householder can be made to accept a Smart Meter. I urge evryone to keep a close eye on this.

EDIT: I forgot to say that I carry out a meter reading myself every 2 months in the better (?!) weather, every month in the cold months. I send this to EDF via their excellent website.

Robisere

sacsquacco wrote: »

No one contradicts what comes out of StopsmartmetersUK so all their obvious lies will make them a laughing stock when the time comes for people to fight the introduction of obligatory smart meters because they will be there with hysterical claims

They are not going to be obligatory: read my post regarding CA and Which? advice. Can you read your own meter and either email or phone to Npower? That's what I do now, and this month my DD decreased.

SailorSam

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5486747

Owain_Moneysaver

sacsquacco wrote: »

Remote disconnection is really badly needed though. I know of whole streets in Doncaster where the majority of residents have bypassed and are currently bypassing this very minute and laughing their heads off at how soft the stupid English are.

If people are bypassing existing meters won't they bypass smart meters in exactly the same way?

GingerBob_3

sacsquacco wrote: »

No one contradicts what comes out of StopsmartmetersUK so all their obvious lies will make them a laughing stock when the time comes for people to fight the introduction of obligatory smart meters because they will be there with hysterical claims
I m in favour of Npowers smart meters which can be programed to send a reading in only once a month, that`s enough for accurate billing and would surely end the ludicrous claims of wifi damage from the meter. Remote disconnection is really badly needed though. I know of whole streets in Doncaster where the majority of residents have bypassed and are currently bypassing this very minute and laughing their heads off at how soft the stupid English are.

Maybe I'm missing something, but I can't see how a smart meter would stop someone bypassing it. That is, teeing off from the cable on the supply side of the meter.