Smart Meter Removal

937carrera

Hmm, that's interesting...... but what happens when I ask to be put back on grid, can I still insist in having a non smart meter ?

wavelets

Smart meters are not compulsory; it's entirely your choice. The government requires energy suppliers to offer smart meters to all homes and small businesses across Great Britain by 2020, but whether you accept them is completely up to you....

https://www.smartenergygb.org/en/smart-future/about-the-rollout

937carrera

:beer:

I knew that, but can imagine someone in a call centre saying "for new installs we only supply smart meters", I'll check that out, thanks

All this work will be actually done by the DNO I suppose ?

Once the electricity smart meter is gone then I presume the gas meter simply has no way of communicating so it is also silenced. I have only spent 2 minutes in the meter cupboard so have not figured that bit out yet.

Undervalued

937carrera wrote: »

:beer:



Once the electricity smart meter is gone then I presume the gas meter simply has no way of communicating so it is also silenced. I have only spent 2 minutes in the meter cupboard so have not figured that bit out yet.

Yes, they have a battery that supposedly lasts the life of the meter. In effect it transmits short range to the electricity meter which then forwards the information to the network. In some situations they won't work if the meters are too far apart or if there are many walls or unusual materials in the way.

I understand there are more complex solutions to these problems available but I suspect in the current farcical situation they would just leave you having to read the gas meter manually!

matelodave

They are probably not allowed to install non-smart meters for new build, or reinstatement of supplies any more.

It's probably going to be a bit like water meters they are compulsory in new builds and officially should be installed on change of ownership or tenancy. Once in you cant take them away.

I'm guessing that most suppliers will have, or will be disposing of their non-smart meters.

If you've got a Secure Liberty meter then it looks like you'll be at the back of the queue to have it enrolled in the DCC anyway - see here https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/706853/Consultation_on_enrolment_of_SMETS1_cohorts_with_the_DCC.pdf

wavelets

matelodave wrote: »

They are probably not allowed to install non-smart meters for new build, or reinstatement of supplies any more....

Do you have any independent evidence to support this belief, or are you just playing along with the OP?

If there was any truth in what you allege, then are you suggesting all new homes are being fitted with SMET1 smart meters (as hardly any SMET2 meters have been fitted throughout the land)

In contrast, my brother was looking recently at a brand new home on a David Wilson Homes development. Some houses already have meters fitted (they are not smart meters) and others have not got to that stage yet.
He asked the sales office about how the meters are installed, and was told that the developer has an agreement, I think he said with Scottish Power on that particular development, who they arrange to have all the connections, meters etc carried out by.
Any buyer could, of course, be able to switch supplier once they move in, but after they have registered with Scottish Power. That ensures there will be gas & electricity available from the day a purchaser moves in.
(and allows full testing of the property, central heating, etc by the developer before handover to the customer)
She explained that would all be gone trough with a purchaser on their hand-over day.

He did enquire as to whether or not smart meters are fitted, and was told that had not happened to date, and there were no plans as far as she knew to do so in the future on this development, but again, once a purchaser moves in, that would be something they could arrange with Scottish Power, or any other supplier they opt to switch to.

Just one development, I know, but seems to contradict what you suggest.

System

matelodave wrote: »

They are probably not allowed to install non-smart meters for new build, or reinstatement of supplies any more.

It's probably going to be a bit like water meters they are compulsory in new builds and officially should be installed on change of ownership or tenancy. Once in you cant take them away.

I'm guessing that most suppliers will have, or will be disposing of their non-smart meters.

If you've got a Secure Liberty meter then it looks like you'll be at the back of the queue to have it enrolled in the DCC anyway - see here https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/706853/Consultation_on_enrolment_of_SMETS1_cohorts_with_the_DCC.pdf

My new build completed in July has an Elster smart meter fitted by SP Networks for electricity, and a non smart meter for gas (fitted by Fulcrum IGT). My electricity meter is now dumb (by virtue of switching) and there isn’t an IHD to be seen in any of the 15 properties on the development.

937carrera

Thanks again for the comments.

There's a couple of unwanted spaces in the link above near the end "the"

Anyway, I downloaded it, oh such joy enjoying reading consultation documents, it's been a couple of years since I had to do that. So there's an apparent £210m-£320m NPV benefit from replacing SMETS1 meters with SMETS2 communication capabilities, double counting and dodgier numbers than ever.

I'm going to check what meter I have fitted. After a bit of sideways thinking a faraday cage approach might be easier and sufficiently effective. They are available off the shelf too.

If I don't respond any further in this thread, can someone get a lawyer for me please, I'm probably getting prosecuted under RIPA.

brewerdave

Just wonder how many of the Secure Liberty meters have been installed out of the 10 million plus SMETS1 installs? Suspect that its quite a big number - and that they are definitely going to become "orphaned assets"

Undervalued

937carrera wrote: »

Thanks again for the comments.

There's a couple of unwanted spaces in the link above near the end "the"

Anyway, I downloaded it, oh such joy enjoying reading consultation documents, it's been a couple of years since I had to do that. So there's an apparent £210m-£320m NPV benefit from replacing SMETS1 meters with SMETS2 communication capabilities, double counting and dodgier numbers than ever.

I'm going to check what meter I have fitted. After a bit of sideways thinking a faraday cage approach might be easier and sufficiently effective. They are available off the shelf too.

If I don't respond any further in this thread, can someone get a lawyer for me please, I'm probably getting prosecuted under RIPA.

Not sure how you get the cage completely around the meter given the meter is, presumably, fitted to a wooden board mounted on a wall. Maybe in many cases front and sides is sufficient to block the communication but I wouldn't think that is always the case.

As far as I'm aware you are quite entitled to do that as long as you don't tamper with the meter itself but I'm not quite sure where it gets you? I suppose it shields you from the RF transmissions if they concern you but I have to say unless you live a very isolated life you must encounter far more serious RF exposure every day.

Is there not in any case a legal right to have the communication with the meter disabled? Although exactly how you prove that has happened I'm less sure.....