Smart Meter removal

Michaelw

This might be worth reading.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/ask-a-money-expert/ask-expert-can-get-rid-smart-meter/

The energy company could run into problems if a customer decides to revoke the right to provide/supply data to the supplier and it may worth investigating e privacy directive from the EU.It should't need to come to that but where consent is required and if then withdrawn there is an obligation to comply if that means shutting down any communications without exchanging the meter..

House_Martin

Michaelw wrote: »

This might be worth reading.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/ask-a-money-expert/ask-expert-can-get-rid-smart-meter/

The energy company could run into problems if a customer decides to revoke the right to provide/supply data to the supplier and it may worth investigating e privacy directive from the EU.It should't need to come to that but where consent is required and if then withdrawn there is an obligation to comply if that means shutting down any communications without exchanging the meter..

Alternatively, the idiotic Tory minister who decided on a whim to give "joe public " the choice to refuse a smart meter could change his mind and simply revoke the whole bad idea and revert to what the rest of the EU (Germans/Swedes omitted ) managed to do without all the teeth gnashing and wailing we have here in the liberal UK.
Please can someone give me a reason why an energy company harvesting my energy use data is something I should be concerned about
.I personally do not give a hoot if Robin Hood Energy know what time I get up and boil the kettle for my morning cuppa.They can monitor every minute of my usage if they want to waste their time and money. Google know virtually everything personal about me and I m also not concerned about that.

brewerdave

HM on his hobby horse AGAIN:rotfl:

The vast majority of the anti SMART brigade (like me!) are only against the installation of SMETS1 meters willy nilly by the Industry under Govt. pressure - if they had waited for a fully interchangeable smart meter (possibly SMETS2 -but who knows?) then I, for one, would have no problems.
Anyone with any knowledge of IT implementation (particularly in the public sector) knows that the vast majority of these SMETS1 installations will become orphaned assets and require manual reads until replaced.

EachPenny

NineDeuce wrote: »

No it isnt like this at all. It is not obligatory to a water meter if not there but people may not realise that once it is installed, you cant revert back.

It depends where you live and what you use water for.

Water companies can fit water meters at whatever households they want, but can only start compulsory charging on a metered basis if certain criteria are met. Those criteria are getting increasingly broad and in some parts of the country compulsory metering is already in effect.

Many people know if the water company requires it (and they usually do), you have to have a meter if you use garden sprinklers or automatic pond/pool filling equipment. What is less widely known is the same requirement may also apply to power showers and 'large' baths.

House_Martin

brewerdave wrote: »

HM on his hobby horse AGAIN:rotfl:

The vast majority of the anti SMART brigade (like me!) are only against the installation of SMETS1 meters willy nilly by the Industry under Govt. pressure - if they had waited for a fully interchangeable smart meter (possibly SMETS2 -but who knows?) then I, for one, would have no problems.
Anyone with any knowledge of IT implementation (particularly in the public sector) knows that the vast majority of these SMETS1 installations will become orphaned assets and require manual reads until replaced.

BG are installing now, and have been for a few years the popular Landis and Gyr E470 electric smart meters which are SMETS2 compliant yet they are still being refused under the same weak and feeble excuse that not until meters which operate with other suppliers will the tin hat brigade allow them in their little Englander castles. Its the DCC who are delaying it.
Once people like Brewerdave find out its going to cost him hard cash, with either higher tariffs or fines to keep his daft old useless dumb meter just watch him change his tune and beg for one.
Its not my "hobby horse " its the suppliers and the government who want them in because they are badly needed for everyone s benefit not least the prepayment customers who are paying through the nose when really they should have the cheapest tariffs of the lot.
Its only the god awful key and card meters which have very expensive running costs which hold prepayers back from getting the pick of the bunch bargain tariffs.
.Paying their money up front in advance they should be receiving a bonus not a price hike.
I can see a future of smart prepayment where customers will be able to purchase energy in bulk at a much lower cost.
Personally I would gladly pay out in advance for say, 10,000kwhs if it got me a super low price

brewerdave

House_Martin wrote: »

Once people like Brewerdave find out its going to cost him hard cash, with either higher tariffs or fines to keep his daft old useless dumb meter just watch him change his tune and beg for one.

....but that AIN'T going to happen anytime soon - maybe in 15 years time when they have FINALLY introduced universal meters to 99% + of the population!:rotfl:
As to suppliers wanting them ? If that were REALLY true then they would all be actively chasing now, not hanging back as long as possible.

EachPenny

House_Martin wrote: »

I can see a future of smart prepayment where customers will be able to purchase energy in bulk at a much lower cost. Personally I would gladly pay out in advance for say, 10,000kwhs if it got me a super low price

On this I can agree with you HM, although there is no need for smart metering for suppliers to be able to sell customers 10,000 kwhs in advance... they just need to accept advance payments from customers.

The problem you'll have with your plan is that customers who are able to afford to buy in bulk in advance will get a cost advantage compared to people on low incomes. A principle which repeated Governments have deemed to be unfair and so legislated to make the playing field 'level'. The cap on charges being one such example of ill thought out policy.

People who remember the introduction of VAT on domestic energy may recall the ability to pay in advance offered by some companies. No smart meters required.

The simple fact is that the companies could offer you the deal you want today - but why would they let you take advantage of price hedging and bulk discount when they can keep the benefits of those for themselves?

House_Martin

EachPenny wrote: »

On this I can agree with you HM, although there is no need for smart metering for suppliers to be able to sell customers 10,000 kwhs in advance... they just need to accept advance payments from customers.

The problem you'll have with your plan is that customers who are able to afford to buy in bulk in advance will get a cost advantage compared to people on low incomes. A principle which repeated Governments have deemed to be unfair and so legislated to make the playing field 'level'. The cap on charges being one such example of ill thought out policy.

People who remember the introduction of VAT on domestic energy may recall the ability to pay in advance offered by some companies. No smart meters required.

The simple fact is that the companies could offer you the deal you want today - but why would they let you take advantage of price hedging and bulk discount when they can keep the benefits of those for themselves?

Suppliers don`t really trust credit meters enough to risk giving them bulk buy options. Access to the meters for verification is frequently refused nowadays as a matter of course.They would need to be having a constant running feed of usage to know the absolute truth , not at the whim of an occupier who does nt know or care about the T/Cs of supply.
The only way forward is smart metering for everyone. I am in step with the majority although on here I m out of step with the very few anti smart brigade who make a big noise. In some respects they act like the noisy lot of anti fracking who bully the silent majority.
Suppliers do not like the costs associated with teams of meter readers. Its not free. Thats why both Robin Hood Energy and Daligas has nt graced my doorstep so far in over a year, because it hits them in the pocket. I could be feeding them a load of rubbish about my usage and fiddling the meters like hundreds of thousands in the UK do.
It has to be smart meters for all and some of you lot look like you will have to be dragged kicking and screaming out of your little castles to force fit a smart meter.It can and will have to be done in the future no doubt.
When I first started knocking on doors meter reading it was a rarity to be refused.Now people have got it into their heads that showing the meterman the meters is optional and we just get turned away all the time..
Suppliers can t trust the UK public like they used to do and like all shopkeepers they like to keep an eye on the goods ,just like most stores do with CCTV. £1300 a year on average is nt chicken feed
.Enough people are getting away "scot free " thieving energy and finding various loopholes not to pay. Smarts will stop the overwhelming majority of UK citizens having the time of their lives with something for nothing on the backs of everyone who pay their way.
Its not like the BBC TV licence where most people without a licence simply try and say they don`t watch BBC and expect them to accept their word at face value. Smart meters have a constant link with the supplier and they can watch every kwh of use if they want.

Wulfrune

I came on here to see if Smart Meters were a good idea, I get the idea now that they're not.

Can anyone succinctly say why please?

PixelPound

Wulfrune wrote: »

I came on here to see if Smart Meters were a good idea, I get the idea now that they're not.

Can anyone succinctly say why please?

The problem is that the versions been installed don't stay smart if you ever move supplier, this is despite versions that are smart enough to keep smart during any switch being available for several years now. In addition the lobotomised meters are often harder to read than the old dumb meters.

Why are the old versions still been installed? Energy companies expected a high demand for them to be installed so bought lots, demand didn't arise and why should they bear the cost of dumping them and buying new stock when they are smart enough so long as you don't switch suppliers.