Smart meter

nPower

Just_Passing_Bi wrote: »

We're all electric, electricity supplier, npower.

For the last few weeks, regular emails / texts from npower, stating on **** date, they'll be replacing our electricity meter with a "new smart meter"

We pay monthly DD, 15 years in the property, quarterly bill is almost accurate.

Is it compulsory we have a "new smart meter"?

Now idea of advantages / disadvantages with a "smart meter"

Looking forward to any replies.

Hi Just Passing Bi,

Thanks for your message. Please contact us using the details on our profile page so we can discuss your smart meter options.

Thanks

Jen

matelodave

I think smart meters are a great idea and when mine was smart it did what it was supposed to do and I was very happy with it. However, since changing suppliers (twice) it's not everso smart anymore.

Although I can still read the meter remotely, saving me having to go outside to the meter box, non of the new suppliers can.

I'm sure that had the roll out been properly coordinated and they had been integrated from the beginning rather than the total shambles that it has been so far (and looks like it will be for the foreseeable future) then people would have accepted them a lot more readily.

I wont be getting another until it's all been sorted out and I do wonder if I'll still be around if or when that happens.

brewerdave

matelodave wrote: »

Although I can still read the meter remotely, saving me having to go outside to the meter box, non of the new suppliers can.

Unfortunately, that only applies to electricity readings as gas meter readings are supplied to the Utility Co. as a volume measure (either cu.m or 100s cu ft) and as far as I'm aware , no IHD gives an actual meter read only an inferred one in kwh.:)

Just_Passing_Bi

Houbara wrote: »

we re sick of it

Please confirm, who appointed "You" as the spokesperson for the rest?

[Deleted User]

Just_Passing_Bi wrote: »

Please confirm, who appointed "You" as the spokesperson for the rest?

Good point, I will edit my post .Apologies for upsetting anyone .
This subject on here is about as popular as the Brexit questions on Discussion Time which the sensible board guides on there have called an end to in some threads..
Personally I would like all the new forum members who only first register on here just to pose this question, to save a little time in their busy lives, and consult Google first,or yell it at this new Alexa thing, which is even quicker.
Every supplier will give examples of the advantages. I can t see any disadvantages at all in having a meter which remotely sends meter readings in at intervals the suppliers may need.
The majority of householders stay with the same supplier and never switch supplier ever.
BG have been using smart meters since around 2006 with the majority of their customers staying loyal to them.
For the constant switchers, like me , until SMETS2 are in operation, a smart meter is only good for a years use, then its just a normal meter...That is still not a disadvantage to anyone to revert back to supplying their readings at least twice a year or rely on a meter reader to collect them.
It is far more vital for occupiers to enter correct annual kwh usage ( and add some for an extra cold winter ) than enter readings every few weeks.Get the monthly direct debit correct and expect suppliers to have you in a healthy credit coming to October, at least £300 to keep you on track for the big winter gas bills.
Even when SMETS2 do finally get installed for everyone by IMO 2030 there will still be a large number of occupants who will refuse and fight to the limit to avoid one at all costs. There are advantages to them fiscally in avoiding smart meters

[Deleted User]

brewerdave wrote: »

Unfortunately, that only applies to electricity readings as gas meter readings are supplied to the Utility Co. as a volume measure (either cu.m or 100s cu ft) and as far as I'm aware , no IHD gives an actual meter read only an inferred one in kwh.:)

BG who use Landis and Gyr meters display the readings in cubic meters only to their IHD
The very popular Secure Liberty smart meters are the only one who have displayed gas in kwhs to their IHD to my knowledge and it seems that virtually every small supplier are using this make of meter along with Eon from the big 6
I think it would be a good idea to have all gas meters display only in kwh s then everyone would be able to compare their suppliers kwh costs of a unit without getting the calculators out

PennineAcute

I have a Alster AS300P Smart Meter, from my Scottish Power days.

This gives me a cubic meter reading for my gas.

JohnB47

Houbara wrote: »

BG who use Landis and Gyr meters display the readings in cubic meters only to their IHD
The very popular Secure Liberty smart meters are the only one who have displayed gas in kwhs to their IHD to my knowledge and it seems that virtually every small supplier are using this make of meter along with Eon from the big 6
I think it would be a good idea to have all gas meters display only in kwh s then everyone would be able to compare their suppliers kwh costs of a unit without getting the calculators out

I noticed on my recent bills that the calculation for conversion of cu ft of gas to Kwh differs from month to month. I wonder if the smart meter system is clever enough to cater for this, or whether it just uses a guestimate. Also, even if it did always reflect the correct conversion rate, if the consumer switched supplies and the smart meter continued to work, would a new supplier transmit the conversion rate to a meter that wasn't theirs? It only varies the bills by a few pence but all the same.


I don't have a smart meter (and won't be getting one until it's a SMETS2 or later). I don't really need one, although I can see that it will reduce the suppliers costs because they won't have to pay someone to physically read the meters. And of course all of those savings will be passed on to the consumer. (Note the heavy sarcasm).

The_Big_Bamboo

OP,
I had gas & leccy smart meters fitted by Br.Gas a few years ago and I was very happy with them.

The installation took about 2 hours from start to finish and although both my meters are in cupboards outside my house the meter fitter still needed access to the inside of my property to carry out various checks etc. The smart-meters are physically much smaller than the old style meters and that can be an unexpected bonus for some people who have a bulky old gas meter under their kitchen sink, or wherever.

Br.Gas also provided me with a small in-home energy display screen that links wirelessly to the smart meters;...once setup this little screen allows you to view your energy usage as it’s happening. Could be pretty useful for some people once they realise the electric shower, that their 3 teenage kids spend half their lives under, is actually costing £1.50/ hour to run! :eek:

The biggest advantage for me personally was that I didn’t need to physically read the meters every month;...I had my meters set-up so they’d transmit readings on a daily basis to Br.Gas and those daily readings were updated and viewable on the Br.Gas website pretty much real-time.

However, I changed energy company last year and the ‘smart’ functionality ceased immediately, which is what happens to all 1st generation (SMETS1 type) smart meters when the energy supplier is changed.

My smart meters became ‘dumb’ meters and I am once more back to physically reading the meters myself and submitting those readings online,...which for me is an unwanted chore. :mad:

I personally would welcome a new set of smart meters but ideally I’d prefer them to be the future-proof 2nd generation meters known as the SMETS2 type;

...however, getting the very latest SMETS2 type meters installed is about as likely to happen as a second Brexit referendum.

Terry98

Houbara wrote: »

BG who use Landis and Gyr meters display the readings in cubic meters only to their IHD
The very popular Secure Liberty smart meters are the only one who have displayed gas in kwhs to their IHD to my knowledge and it seems that virtually every small supplier are using this make of meter along with Eon from the big 6
I think it would be a good idea to have all gas meters display only in kwh s then everyone would be able to compare their suppliers kwh costs of a unit without getting the calculators out

I have Secure Liberty smart meters and was wondering if I could use the IHD for meter readings if I changed supplier.

Looking at the Cuml: figure in Monthly History.

The figure in MWh for Electricity seems to correspond to the invoiced meter readings. However the MWh figure for Gas seems to differ by approximately 10% from the invoiced reading.