Smart Meters

Michaelw

Smart meter financing firm Calvin Capital to buy Lowri Beck

The deal will enable the firms to create a ‘one-stop-shop’ offering that will be available to energy suppliers

https://www.energylivenews.com/2019/04/17/smart-meter-financing-firm-calvin-capital-to-buy-lowri-beck/

As far as can be seen they finance the "meter fit" British Gas meters and other companies that some want removing.You just don't know where these companies are sharing your data.Smart meters are a complete waste of time money for the consumer.

Uxb1

Scottish Power are clearly getting ever more desperate.
The other day I had a message left on my home answer phone, a missed call to my mobile and also a text message all claiming (as usual) that there were in the area (yeah right!) and wanted to fit a smart meter for me.

Of course were they REALLY in the area (rural village) they would have driven past and seen me in the front garden instead of calling my phones in the house/on the bedside table.

As usual they will be ignored......

keensave

I am looking to switch supplier but I see that the Ts & Cs from my chosen new supplier say you agree to them installing a smart meter.
I have an old house with thick walls and the smart meter contractor from my current supplier said that the gas bit probably would not work. He then said I had an old boiler and if he switched it off they would not repair any issues when it was switched back on again. We agreed I would not have one.

Can I refuse one or do the Ts & Cs override that? Can I now only go to suppliers without such clauses?

[Deleted User]

@keensave
Yes if the Terms & Conditions state that for a given tariff then you must have a smart meter then yes you must let them try to install them IF you wish to stay on that tariff.
If you refuse then they are within their legal rights to move you to another tariff which will probably be their standard variable rate tariff (the most expensive one they sell)

Michaelw

The smart meter here is not working properly,there's problem's with the in home display showing the wrong information now,the meters showing one thing and the display's showing another.If the displays disconnected from the mains the meter hub flashes red after a few days too.Its all bugs when the menu's are gone into too.If the in home display develops a fault and the supplier refuses to replace time consuming entering of vend codes may be needed at both meter's.Simply buying a simililar display on Ebay won't work as these are previously paired to the location installation and some on that site are brand new never installed both requiring an enginners visit anyway.

The prospect of the DCC taking control of all smart meters' is of great concern also,not only the company behind it has an awful track record of delivering services elsewhere,only the very best in terms of security/personnel is satisfactory with this infrastructure and the slightest suspicion is cause for alarm.

Advice would to avoid a smart meter for perhaps the next five to ten years or longer only then will be see what suppliers' and the DCC have in store for customers,once everyones on board then negative publicity is not a real problem.Their not likey to try any unatractive tariff pricing or anything controversial at the present time for example as the roll out would be adversly affected.By this time also equipment reliability should improve also.

Theres no need to have a smart meter installed over many decades standard metering has been in place,its proven (unless battery powered) its a forgettable installation for all puposes only the energy suppliers are now seeing the benefits to the themselves of smart meters perhaps until the gas meters break down in great numbers.

HoneysuckleHouse

I've refused a smart meter from Eon for a while now. They've booked appointments to change it without me saying yes to it and I've had to refuse it by calling them. I've been badgered with phone calls and letters and this morning I've had yet another letter. It simply states that my meter needs to be changed and the word "smart" doesn't appear at all in the letter. They claim, as they have for many other people, that my meter has reached the end of its life. It was replaced about 14 years ago and has a digital display so I don't know how legit that claim is. I'm also having issues updating my meter readings and suspect they are making that difficult to stop me moving providers and/or forcing my arm to have a smart meter fitted. How can I say once and for all to Eon to chuff off and stop insisting I need a new meter.

Thanks

MeterMan

HoneysuckleHouse wrote: »

I've refused a smart meter from Eon for a while now. They've booked appointments to change it without me saying yes to it and I've had to refuse it by calling them. I've been badgered with phone calls and letters and this morning I've had yet another letter. It simply states that my meter needs to be changed and the word "smart" doesn't appear at all in the letter. They claim, as they have for many other people, that my meter has reached the end of its life. It was replaced about 14 years ago and has a digital display so I don't know how legit that claim is. I'm also having issues updating my meter readings and suspect they are making that difficult to stop me moving providers and/or forcing my arm to have a smart meter fitted. How can I say once and for all to Eon to chuff off and stop insisting I need a new meter.

Thanks

Unfortunately, you can't stop them asking. By them booking appointments for you with the expectation of you confirming or denying the appointment doesn't class as harrassment. They are only allowed to attempt to contact you to make an appointment 3 times over a 10 week period, even if they they call you 3 times in a row and you miss the calls, they are supposed to stop for 10 weeks.

As for your policy exchange, a meters life expectancy is 10-15 years, you can refuse a smart meter and you can refuse to let someone in your house to carry out the policy exchange (dum for dum) but your meter may become inaccurate.

They can only stop you moving if you have a debt or a certain amount. They probably aren't making it difficult for you to submit your own meter readings (because thats probably illegal)

Ken68

Interesting article in the latest issue of Private Eye.
It mentions that energy brokers are the main culprits in resisting DSR (demand-side response) whereby "smart" consumers shift their electricity usage away from times of the day when wholesale prices are highest.
Also to blame are the electricity generators who receive "capacity mechanism" payments for guaranteeing flexibility in winter.
Plus resistance to smart meter fitting by the end user, what hope ever for cheaper energy prices.

buglawton

Cheaper, never. Smarter energy prices, maybe.

Ken68

It would have been cheaper to legislate different working hours, so that traffic management would also gain.
As it is, I can see higher prices for peak time and lower prices for when consumers don't need the electricity. Any gains the generators and distributors make will take forever to filter down to the end user.
Thankfully we have more competition in the industry, so that is a start I suppose.