Smart Meters - Ask me anything!

stripeyfox

Hi
Had an email from NPower yesterday saying they are coming to fit smart meters later this month (I think I opted in at some point in the past).

Can anyone tell me if it will be a SMETS1 or SMETS2 meter?

If SMETS1, then what happens when I change supplier? Does this prevent me from doing so?

Thanks

MrBrindle

I've had an e-mail from my supplier inviting us to get a smart meter fitted.

Just been reading up about the benefits, and how they work etc, but one of the most prominent things that comes up is the 'health risk' involved with the micro waves. Especially affected according to some sources is young children - we have a 4 and 2 year old.

Is this a serious concern to consider? Unfortunately I am a worrier when it comes to health stuff so finding all this hard to ignore.

What would be the difference between this sort of device and the electronic devices that connect to your boiler? I don't know if our boiler programmer is hard wired or uses radio frequency.

Thanks.

Sterlingtimes

MrBrindle wrote: »

Is this a serious concern to consider? Unfortunately I am a worrier when it comes to health stuff so finding all this hard to ignore.

What would be the difference between this sort of device and the electronic devices that connect to your boiler? I don't know if our boiler programmer is hard wired or uses radio frequency.

Thanks.

The strength of radio frequencies reduces very quickly as the distance between the radiating source and the human body becomes greater. A mobile phone held to the ear will produce a very much stronger signal than a smart meter. Parents who used to worry about radio masts near to school now hold mobile phones to their ears as a matter of course.

A person who is worried about the danger of radiation from smart meters would need to examine the possibility of removing all radio frequency devices in their homes.

Personally, I would be unconcerned about low strength radio frequency signals in the home but I would still avoid holding a mobile phone directly to my head

NHS advice can be found online.

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/mobile-phone-safety/

Paenymion

I am on economy 7 and recently had a smart meter installed. Previously, the rate switch happened at a fixed time (midnight GMT). This meant that in winter the economy 7 hours were 12am-7am and in summer 1am-8am. After the smart meter install (August, so still summer time, BST), I noticed that the IHD is now displaying the night rate from between 12am to 7am. However, what I call the "night circuit" (the one the storage heaters are connected to) still only clicks on at 1am (I know this is happening because it is a very audible CLUNK followed by an electrical hum).

At around 12:30am I ventured out to the actual meter to see what it said: rate 1. Then I checked it again at about 8:30am and it was still rate 1. So I assume this is the day rate. At some point I guess I need to venture out after 1am or before 8am to see if it says rate 2.

Questions: Does the IHD take the current rate directly from the meter? Where does it get the information about what the current rate is?

Thanks.

Gerry1

Rate 1 is usually the night rate, Rate 2 is the day rate. Well, at least on my E7 meter !

fewkeste

Gerry1 wrote: »

Rate 1 is usually the night rate, Rate 2 is the day rate.

I don't think you can make that generalisation.

I recently moved to a new supplier (Yorkshire Energy) and on the meter entry part of their website it simply labelled the two input areas 'rate 1' and 'rate 2'.

I was going to assume rate 1 was the day rate and rate 2 was night rate but I decided to ring and check.

What they told me was that they needed to check my meter administration details to determine which way round it had been configured.

It depends on how the meter administration was first set up - there seems to be no hard and fast rule.

Therefore you cannot assume anything - you have to ask your supplier who can check the administration details for your meter to see which way round it was set up.

Mine turned out to be Rate 1 = day, Rate 2 = night.

So, don't assume anything - check with your supplier!!

Robin9

Does anyone know the programme for the upgrades to SMETS1 ?

I have a gas SMETS1 which can be upgraded and a electric which can't.

RelievedSheff

Can anyone tell me why the tarrif on my BG in home display is not the tarrif I am on and shows the wrong standing charges?

Robin9

RelievedSheff wrote: »

Can anyone tell me why the tarrif on my BG in home display is not the tarrif I am on and shows the wrong standing charges?

Was the IHD supplied by BG ?

ProDave

Can I ask the question about "half hourly metering"?

As I understand it, the main driving force in the rollout of smart meters is their half hourly metering feature. To those that have not heard about this, it means they can store the amount of electricity used in each half hour of the day and can if they want charge each half hour at a different rate.

The speculation therefore is that at some point in the future, half hourly metering will be forced on all of us, whether we like it or not. If so you can look forward to an electricity rate of about 30p per unit if you are audacious enough to want to use the oven to cook your dinner at 6PM

Of course nobody trying to persuade us all to have a smart meter is telling us this.

Why do you think this important aspect of smart meters, and arguably the reason behind the rollout is being kept quiet?