NAO report on smart meters

EachPenny

Hengus wrote: »

I suspect that this is typical of the type of ToU tariffs that we will see:
http://www.ontario-hydro.com/current-rates

Presumably the consumption data from existing smart meter users could be processed with some additional data to come up with typical daily consumption profiles for different types of consumer (e.g. 2+2 family, GCH, combi boiler = Profile 'A') which would allow people to see more clearly how much they could save with a smart meter and a TOU tariff.

It would be far more meaningful than claims about saving 3%... because if all your peak time energy consumption is costing you (say) 25% extra, then it won't take much to eat into that 3% saving.

I imagine Smart Energy GB would be less keen to publicise information like that. :cool:

System

My daughter lives in Toronto. Initially, energy bills rose for the majority of customers because of the peak tariff timings: people didn’t want to start dinner at 9pm. The Government had to intervene. For those who think that investment is the sole answer to a Nation’s infrastructure problems, this article makes for sobering reading:

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/why-does-electricity-cost-so-much-in-ontario/article33453270/

MeterMan

in 20 years, you will all be saying ' its a good job i had a smart meter fitted so I can get cheaper electricity during the early hours of the morning to charge up my electric car '

Carrot007

Houbara wrote: »

LThe choice the Government made to get the suppliers to install all the smart meters instead of the usual DNO s would completely escalate the costs through the roof.

Nothing changed. It was always the meter operator that did the work. They still do. DNOs never owned them unless they decided that split when the market was craeted in 1997. In fact at the time the supliers pretty much owned the DNOs too, so it was probably decided later.


You could say the choice was made in 1997 when the structure was created. What companies split and sell parts to who is whatever they like after that but the company areas were already defined.


You might be refering to the fact that the DNO used to own the meters as the asset provider, but this is changing to seperate investment companies. They still should however not have been fitting them. Even on a new connection, however because they often worked under the same company and it would be the same person it used to occur.


Now companies decide to get of of certain market areas so the problem is now that an engineer cannot wear multiple hats as it were.


However this is nothing to do with smart meters , it is just comany ownership changing over time. Yes it does put the cost up as each company now needs to make a profit (each department really should have been since 1997, but many companies were entreched in the old wasy). However again this is nothing to do with smart meters or DNOs (who never installed meters officialy, just owned them), just the structure created in 1997 and comany owenship changes.


Is it a good thing? Probably not though the companies were vastly inneficiant the reaplcement is no better. Worse even with all the small suppliers chasing small margins and being in trouble for never meeting payment targets and going bust. Which is not cheap and just raises prices for the rest of the companies (therfore you) who foot the bill. (But wheather the gross negligence of setting up a company that is likely to fail and cost money should deserve a jail sentence is a discussion for elsewhere).

EachPenny

MeterMan wrote: »

in 20 years, you will all be saying ' its a good job i had a smart meter fitted so I can get cheaper electricity during the early hours of the morning to charge up my electric car '

I've been telling people about my cheaper electricity during the early hours for the last 20 years... and still I don't have a smart meter (or electric car)(or storage heaters).

For people who might rave on about how smart meters can save money with cheaper off-peak electric I'll just think "what took you so long?"

Biggus_Dickus

brewerdave wrote: »

I've just watched him on BBC Breakfast - a classic example of "ignore the report - full speed ahead" - I'm surprised that Smart Energy GB haven't suggested doing away with the opt out thus making SMETS compulsory-who cares if they work as intended or not!:rotfl:

“If nothing else works, a total pig-headed unwillingness to look facts in the face will see us through.”

Sir Anthony Cecil Hogmanay Melchett VC DSO.
WW1 General,...and lunatic.

Anthorn

I find it really entertaining how the gullible are leading the gullible in propagating speculative reports which are published without any evidence whatsoever.

Anyway, what energy saving comes down to is something like:

Aarrgghh that electric kettle is using 20p a day. Ok no more boiling water!

But what everyone seems to be missing is that it's not the smart meter(s) which promote money saving but the in-home display and the in-home display can be turned off and consigned to the rubbish drawer!