SSE smart meter, is it worth it?

fru-girl

Hi, I'm currently on a fixed collective tariff with SSE and will probably switch away from them when it ends (early next year). They've sent me an email asking me to book a visit to install a smart meter. Is there any advantage to it? Also, if I switch to EDF or another provider, will the smart meter still work? Thanks.

jackandcoke

Yes and no. If you change supplier, the 'Smart' part will stop working but the meter itself will still record usage like a heritage meter.

fru-girl

Thanks, I read somewhere that's due to change in 2016, apparently all suppliers will install smart meters that are supposed to work after switching. However, I couldn't find any info about the date when that's enforced, has it been postponed?

System

Not entirely true. The Data Communications Company has just gone live and each major supplier has to install a minimum of 1500 smart meters in the next 12 months which can include old generation smart meters (SMETS1). SMETS2 meters may well start rolling out next year.

GingerBob_3

fru-girl wrote: »

Hi, I'm currently on a fixed collective tariff with SSE and will probably switch away from them when it ends (early next year). They've sent me an email asking me to book a visit to install a smart meter. Is there any advantage to it? Also, if I switch to EDF or another provider, will the smart meter still work? Thanks.

There's no advantage to smart meters (there's a few disadvantages) unless you're an energy consumption train spotter. Best bet is to reject it.

DavidP24

If the Government has said they have to install them in every home, something they are failing in their targets to do can you please explain your assertion tat "there's a few disadvantages"

I hate it when people make big general statements like that but do not say what they are, pointless saying it in the first place.

DavidP24

fru-girl wrote: »

Thanks, I read somewhere that's due to change in 2016, apparently all suppliers will install smart meters that are supposed to work after switching. However, I couldn't find any info about the date when that's enforced, has it been postponed?

Was mentioned recently on You and Yours (still available on BBC website or iPlayer radio App), they are trying to get the tarfet moved as failing dismally, new ones are supposed to work with all suppliers. Why tha was not the case from the beginning just show what complete plonkers these idiots are.

Technically is it YOUR data as related to you, a subject access request should make it available, so they should all be ready to share it.

Other than it giving them data about your usage so they do not have to read meter I am not clear whar benefit it offers.

GingerBob_3

DavidP24 wrote: »

If the Government has said they have to install them in every home, something they are failing in their targets to do can you please explain your assertion tat "there's a few disadvantages"

I hate it when people make big general statements like that but do not say what they are, pointless saying it in the first place.

I don't quite follow you in terms of what red text has to do with green text. However, the big disadvantage is that smart meters can potentially provide a wealth of personal and domestic information to the supplier, and maybe others as well. Of course this won't be viewed as a disadvantage to the "nothing to hide" brigade, but to me is a big disadvantage.

face-t

I don't know how many of this hold true today, but from what I was reading about disadvantages on Smart Meters:
- privacy concerns
- possible disconnection during software upgrade process
- possible remote disconnection by mistake [if you imagine any other mistake like: over billing]
- supplier may charge different rates for every hour [ people staying home in peak hours most affected]
- possibly SM can measure Reactive Power, that could add to energy bill [like business is paying]
- apparently SM can measure energy spikes, that cannot be measured by analogue meters
- hacking possibility by: terrorist, activist or during war [energy is first thing aimed by enemy as it put us back in dark ages]

just a quick recap of what I remember

DavidP24

The red and green are just related to the subject.

So again please clarify "and maybe others as well"

I am with you on not sharing data without cause and definately not in the nothing to hide camp. Information is power.

I saw this page which explains but what a crock of sheeeet

https://www.smartenergygb.org/en/faqs

First it says "
What data do smart meters store?

Your smart meter has information about how much gas and electricity you’ve used, but doesn’t store other personal information that could identify you, such as your name, address or bank account."


but lower down it says


"

It’s your data – you choose what you want to do with it and you can change your mind about how much you share, and how often, at any time. So, you can choose:

• how often your smart meter sends data to your gas and electricity supplier (monthly is minimum, daily or half-hourly are optional)
• whether to share data about your energy use with other organisations, like price comparison sites
• if your supplier can use your meter readings for sales and marketing purposes"

If you cannot be identified then how is it that your supplier can use your meter readings for sales and marketing purposes?

Of course you can be identified, there is a connection in a database somewhere, has to be to make it viable.

Also do not like the sound of this DCC network.

What type of network is it, what frequency will it use, all radio waves can interfere with others if on same spectrum.

I do not like that WE have to pay for this sheeet when it is the energy company that benefits by getting MINIMUM monthly readings and will probably migrate to monthly billing for all customers. PLUS they no longer have the cost of reading meters. The standing charge should be scrapped for all suppliers with no revenge price increase allowed.

And WHO is paying for the energy used to power these damn smart meters and their customer handsets, you can bet it is US!

I heard on R4 that energy companies are not obligated to tell you about credit they have on your account and have up to 28 days to return it once asked. It is YOUR money, 28 Days, they had a guy with £3000 in credit because they had been putting up the direct debits over the years. They should be forced to pay the compound interest over the period they have had the money.

As it is energy companies trade on the markets so they tell us the price we pay is based on the market price, but they determine the price they are going to sell to themselves at.

This is a bit like the fiddle that Google, Amazon and Star Bucks use where they decide on how much tax they are going to pay by charging themselves for use of their own brand via a Luxembourg sandwich,

So British Gas made £584m up from £439m for the previous year, but Centrica, made an extra £1.46bn.

Now they can beeetch about gas usage being 5% higher and 12% less profit at Centrica but I just see 2bn, Centrica makes money from trading energy but that does not go to cut our bills.

GingerBob_3

"maybe others as well": a whole range of commercial and government organisations. Even if you opt out of marketing and the like, the T&Cs forced on you by the supplier will allow them carte blanche to do essentially what they want with your data. For instance - half hourly consumption rates, coupled with usage levels, could provide a strong indication that you're growing cannabis in the loft. Now of course people will immediately jump in and say "well you shouldn't be growing cannabis in the loft", but that's not the point, and I use it here merely as a colourful example. So given that data could be used in this way - then that's how it will be used; the database of customer usage will be mined by the police for this purpose, and others for a whole range of other purposes.