The future with Electric Smart Meters query

joncombe

Norman_Castle wrote: »

Switching to led bulbs and eco mode on your heating is responsible for the savings.

Yes nothing to do with the metre. The only argument I have seen about how a smart meter can reduce your energy consumption is that they come with an energy monitor so you can see how much is being used currently.

Apparantley some people are seeing this and finding things they could turn off to reduce usage and hence costs. But it's really nothing to do with the meter and just comes down to identifying things you could turn off but aren't. It's really no different to the energy use monitors some suppliers used to give away (which clipped onto the wire coming out of the meter).

As others have said the meter only measures consumption, it can't do anything to reduce consumption (at least, not yet, but I wouldn't be surprised to find limits on usage might come in in the future at times of high demand and low capacity)

System

joncombe wrote: »

Yes nothing to do with the metre. The only argument I have seen about how a smart meter can reduce your energy consumption is that they come with an energy monitor so you can see how much is being used currently.

Apparantley some people are seeing this and finding things they could turn off to reduce usage and hence costs. But it's really nothing to do with the meter and just comes down to identifying things you could turn off but aren't. It's really no different to the energy use monitors some suppliers used to give away (which clipped onto the wire coming out of the meter).

As others have said the meter only measures consumption, it can't do anything to reduce consumption (at least, not yet, but I wouldn't be surprised to find limits on usage might come in in the future at times of high demand and low capacity)

Well made points. It is important to note that suppliers are under no obligation to replace IHDs after 12 months. It is also worth noting that recent research shows the most IHDs end up in a cupboard somewhere when the novelty of looking at it wears off. There are no plans to go for web-based apps.

[Deleted User]

Hengus wrote: »

It is also worth noting that recent research shows the most IHDs end up in a cupboard somewhere when the novelty of looking at it wears off.

There's a piece in this month's Which mag: "costs are up, savings down". They've more than halved the projected savings, and they were pretty negligible to start with.

I saw a figure of £15 a year a while back, so if meters are about £200 apiece it will take about 13 years to break even. That's brilliant when you can't transfer the smartness to another supplier, how many people keep the same supplier for that long.

It says the Smets 2 meters are due Nov 2017, but they're continuing fitting 8 million of the old ones, which won't be upgraded until 2020, in which case you're actually setting yourself back by three years if you have a smart meter before 2017.

Richie-from-the-Boro

"Nudge Theory" [playing with your mind] widely used by IDS / Thatcher / Cameron et al. In an effort to find a way of making the 'stickies' break the monopoly of the big 6 whilst at the same time encouraging the general public to use less energy most of us had / have these for years - the GOV is more than happy for the industry to nudge us into 'smarts' and the industry is more than happy to lever the whole country into enforced 'nudge'. I'm all for smarts, nowt more than what I already have - but kicking the non-payers instantly off is something I'd love to happen.. .... now !