millions of 'smart' meters may have to be replaced

zaax

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b08njlmc#play

Basically your smart meter can be hacked and remotely turned off, and its got to be replaced & the replacements aren't out yet.

phillw

zaax wrote: »

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b08njlmc#play

Basically your smart meter can be hacked and remotely turned off, and its got to be replaced & the replacements aren't out yet.

Sounds like old news.

http://www.powerengineeringint.com/articles/2016/03/intervention-saves-11bn-uk-smart-meter-system-from-potential-mass-hack.html

The consultation for getting METS1 up to METS2 spec hasn't started, while it's possible that they may find it cheaper to throw out the existing ones and start again it's possible they won't. It's the energy companies money, I'm sure they'll do whatever is cheapest. I would assume at this point that they aren't going to be throwing them away.

System

The word "may " was constantly used.. SMETS1 "may" not work when the new DCC go s live..Let me hear something a little more definite than "may " from Mr Hunn as he sits on the fence.

Andy_WSM

phillw wrote: »

It's the energy companies money, I'm sure they'll do whatever is cheapest.

They just pass the cost on to us. It's only "their" money because they extort it from us in price rises!

They'll do whatever makes them the most profit, which isn't necessarily the cheapest.

System

phillw wrote: »

Sounds like old news.

http://www.powerengineeringint.com/articles/2016/03/intervention-saves-11bn-uk-smart-meter-system-from-potential-mass-hack.html

The consultation for getting METS1 up to METS2 spec hasn't started, while it's possible that they may find it cheaper to throw out the existing ones and start again it's possible they won't. It's the energy companies money, I'm sure they'll do whatever is cheapest. I would assume at this point that they aren't going to be throwing them away.

The draft consultation makes no mention whatsoever of upgrading SMETS1 meters to the SMETS2 standard. It only talks about options to orphan/adopt SMETS1 meters on to the DCC via its own separate communications link. In other words, consumers with SMETS1 meters will not lose connectivity when they switch suppliers. This is likely to require the change of the communications hub.

matelodave

It's not news

MeterMan

All meters need to replaced every 10 to 15 years, smart or dumb, and this has existed for at least 40 years.

You pay for smart meters through your standing charge, so even if you don't have a smart meter, you're still paying for it.

reeac

Would I be allowed to go back to a dumb meter as we have no mobile signal where we live so I have to read the Smart meter myself and send in the readings. Ovo promised to get an antenna fitted to boost the output signal but that was 2 years ago and nothing's happened.

System

reeac wrote: »

Would I be allowed to go back to a dumb meter as we have no mobile signal where we live so I have to read the Smart meter myself and send in the readings. Ovo promised to get an antenna fitted to boost the output signal but that was 2 years ago and nothing's happened.

You already have a dumb meter. If you want it replaced, then you will have to pay: sorry.

EachPenny

matelodave wrote: »

It's not news

It is 'news' because a whole load of people didn't hear about it when the story originally broke. It will still be news in 6 months time when the story is republished and another lot of people hear it for the first time. In 12 months.... repeat for the next 20 years or so.

EachPenny

MeterMan wrote: »

All meters need to replaced every 10 to 15 years, smart or dumb, and this has existed for at least 40 years.

At the risk of pedantry, many legacy (mechanical) meters weren't "replaced" they were "exchanged". Unless genuinely life expired they were re-certified and then returned to use, good to go for another 10 to 15 years before the process was repeated. A process people might have described as 'environmentally friendly', if the term had existed then.

When 'replaced', many smart meters will just be heading for the skip - in some cases long before they reach even 10 years old. Not so 'environmentally friendly', nor economical.