Smart Meters

Gerry1

adam250 said:

Has anybody known of smart meters causing electrical faults within the house.

Installation of smart meter leaves elderly woman facing £4,000 bill

Two broken boiler PCB's after Smart meter... Coincidence?

carl.waring

With regards to the first link, that sounds like human error rather than any issue with the smart meter.
With regards to the second link, as posted in that thread...

Ectophile said:

Yes.  A coincidence.

Turning the power off and on again could be enough to cause an old boiler PCB to fail, if it was on the edge of failing before.  The next power cut could have done it.

So, again not actually directly related to the smart meter installation.
That makes you you're 0 for 2 at this point. Care to try again? 😁

[Deleted User]

Changing suppliers has no impact whatsoever when it comes to gas and electricity supplies. To put it simply, we get whatever is in the wire or the pipe. If you use 1000kWhs of gas in a Winter month, your supplier will purchase that amount from a wholesaler who will put it into the Grid from a myriad of points across the Nation. Conspiracists will blame smart meters for everything that happens in a home when, in truth, Millions of smart meters are working as they designed to do. 

oldandwizend

One other concern that has been raised before is 'What else could smart meters be capable of?'.

Also does anyone know where these devices are manufactured?

Some months ago I read an article by an electronics expert who had purchased a seemingly innocent computer accessory with networking capabilities only to find on closer examination that what he took to be a reset button was, in fact, an unnecessary microphone! No guesses as to where it was manufactured!

Now, I am in no way a conspiracy theory supporter but with our increasing dependence upon automation, miniaturisation and computer based items even I am becoming concerned particularly when such items are manufactured in certain countries; though in this case quality control/reliability is probably more of a concern than the fact that they could be used for other 'non disclosed' purposes.

Gerry1

oldandwizend said:

One other concern that has been raised before is 'What else could smart meters be capable of?'.

If you read the specifications you'll find that Load Limiting, Load Shedding, Block and Time of Use tariffs are all included.  It's all part of Demand Side Response, i.e. your smart meter can deter you from using power at peak times when there's not enough to go round.  Initially by making it very expensive, then by Load Limiting and finally by Load Shedding if push comes to shove because people haven't complied.  It's just the modern equivalent of the Three Day Week and rolling power cuts during the miners' strike back in the 1970s.

And before any industry shills start muttering about conspiracy theories and tin foil hats, it's all factual information from official sources, just search for the relevant terms.

carl.waring

Before any conspiracy theorists start to weigh in, the relevant word being "could"?  There's always the possibility of these things being implemented. Just like there's always the possibility of another lockdown (😉) or your being hit by a car when crossing the road. Doesn't mean they will and it doesn't mean it's a bad thing if they are necessary or required.

carl.waring

oldandwizend said:

One other concern that has been raised before is 'What else could smart meters be capable of?'.

Also does anyone know where these devices are manufactured?

Some months ago I read an article by an electronics expert who had purchased a seemingly innocent computer accessory with networking capabilities only to find on closer examination that what he took to be a reset button was, in fact, an unnecessary microphone! No guesses as to where it was manufactured!

Now, I am in no way a conspiracy theory supporter but with our increasing dependence upon automation, miniaturisation and computer based items even I am becoming concerned particularly when such items are manufactured in certain countries; though in this case quality control/reliability is probably more of a concern than the fact that they could be used for other 'non disclosed' purposes.

And I have no doubt it was some dodgy knock-off from Wish.com or something. You really think all these Smart Meters aren't from reputable sources?

oldandwizend

carl.waring said:

Before any conspiracy theorists start to weigh in, the relevant word being "could"?  There's always the possibility of these things being implemented. Just like there's always the possibility of another lockdown (😉) or your being hit by a car when crossing the road. Doesn't mean they will and it doesn't mean it's a bad thing if they are necessary or required.

They may be from reputable sources but surely the point is if they can be ‘controlled’ by suppliers then they are prone to hacking. If even banks and governments can be hacked I don’t hold out much hope for the security of smart meters based on the industry’s history of how it treats its customers. 

Gerry1

carl.waring said:

You really think all these Smart Meters aren't from reputable sources?

Treat yourself to a Huawei Smart Meter with Narrowband Internet of Things connectivity.

Go on, you know you want one !  What could possibly go wrong?

carl.waring

Well you don't get a choice in which one you have installed so it's a moot point. It's also a pointless point because, as far as I am aware, nothing has been proved in the accusations about Huawei.