Can I refuse a smart meter? Can I refuse one if im behind on my bill?

3876samf

Please dont dodge the questions answer them directly.

I wish to refuse the smart meter because it gives away data that the electricity company doesn't have a right to and its a security risk.

Also its an extra dose of electromagnetic radiation which I do nto want since even the science on how dangerous it is is rather ambiguous let alone a companies take on the matter

Problem is they wont let me go on direct debit now as I got too far behind with my bill. So do I have to use a smart pre payment meter now?

Or can I go direct debit? (If I refuse the smart meter)?

Is there such thing as a pre payment meter that isnt smart doesn't send the radiation and personal infromation?

3876samf

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYPwrbpAHbk

The_Fat_Controller

How did you post this ?

Your computer /smartphone is much more vulnerable than a smart meter.

Smart meters record energy usage, that's it.

They use the mobile network to send their data, not your much more vulnerable WiFi.

EM radiation has been around for decades and there are no proven instances of harm in a normal domestic environment.

All the crap in the video is just scaremongering.

Robin9

Perhaps a Smart Meter would help you keep up to date with your bills

Your questions

1) Data - other than your consumption what data is this ?

2) If you are worried about this - scrap your microwave oven, smart phone and your wifi (and don't live in Cornwall)

3) Can you pay a lump sum and get your bill up to date ? Then nothing will have to happen re your meters

4) Once you are up to date.

As you are not on DD now I suspect that you are not on the best tariff available - are you by any chance on a standard tariff ?

AndyCF

I will attempt to answer your questions/concerns to the best of my knowledge however please do not take it as gospel. In other words, I've tried my best but I cannot be 100%.

3876samf wrote: »

Please dont dodge the questions answer them directly.

I rarely do!

3876samf wrote: »

I wish to refuse the smart meter because it gives away data that the electricity company doesn't have a right to and its a security risk.

I can't comment on security of them as I don't know, never looked into it as such. There will be reasonable protection but like anything there is nothing that can ever be 100% secure. 99.99% is the best you can aim for. Ultimately if legit access can be gained then non-legit access is a fractional possibility. Generally speaking about security issues: It is usually human error / weak passwords / leaving a terminal logged in etc etc rather than an issue in the soft/hardware itself.

3876samf wrote: »

Also its an extra dose of electromagnetic radiation which I do nto want since even the science on how dangerous it is is rather ambiguous let alone a companies take on the matter

Again, I can't really make a sensible comment on how much RF/EMF is a concern or not.

3876samf wrote: »

Problem is they wont let me go on direct debit now as I got too far behind with my bill. So do I have to use a smart pre payment meter now?

You can have a regular non-smart prepayment meter fitted. They are available for both gas and electric. Gas ones use a topup card (similar to a debit card) , electric ones tend to use a token key (vaguely similar to a USB memory stick)

If your current supplier won't do this and your debt is not too large, or even if it is, ask another supplier if they are willing to take it on. Nothing to lose by asking!

3876samf wrote: »

Or can I go direct debit? (If I refuse the smart meter)?

That would be up to the company if they would let you. Generally speaking if a client is too far behind they would like you to have a prepayment meter of some description so they can get their pennies back (eventually)

3876samf wrote: »

Is there such thing as a pre payment meter that isnt smart doesn't send the radiation and personal infromation?

I answered that above. Yes there are. For gas try Googling "Libra 100 Gas Meter" , for electric try "Ace 9000 KBD Electric Meter" , these seem to be relatively popular fitments. Neither are 'smart' meters, their only form of comms is when the card/key visits the shop terminal to be updated etc.


Bear in mind they **can** change the meter by law (afaik) as they do not have an infinite life-span, I can't recall their life expectancy (Google will help) , so it is a case of if needed moving suppliers (most will probably take on a smallish debt) to get a prepayment legacy non-smart meter, aka ensure you ask that it is a legacy card/token meter **not** a smart with the comms disabled.


It is also possible (just) to get rid of a Smart meter for a conventional one too but the potential steps needed for this when I looked into it were quite annoying, and costly.

Robin9

3876samf - I am confused

Only a month ago you were posting about your existing Smart meter (with lots of good info from AndyCF)

Carrot007

3876samf wrote: »

I wish to refuse the smart meter because it gives away data that the electricity company doesn't have a right to and its a security risk.

You are allowed to do that if you like, the rest is paranoid lies.

3876samf wrote: »

Also its an extra dose of electromagnetic radiation which I do nto want since even the science on how dangerous it is is rather ambiguous let alone a companies take on the matter

No it is quite clear. There is negligable increased risk (having a bunch of bananas is a greater risk). It's just a mobile phone anyway. And one that is only used once a day or once a month depending on the setup.

3876samf wrote: »

Problem is they wont let me go on direct debit now as I got too far behind with my bill. So do I have to use a smart pre payment meter now?

No but you have to have a prepayment meter, which can be a smart meter in dumb mode if the company say so.

3876samf wrote: »

Or can I go direct debit? (If I refuse the smart meter)?

Up to your negotiation with the company. But I'll say no.

3876samf wrote: »

Is there such thing as a pre payment meter that isnt smart doesn't send the radiation and personal infromation?

There are dumb smart meters, and maybe smart meters working in dumb mode (I am unsure if that works yet). There is no diffrence in radiation in any of them unless you are duct taping your head to the meter. Your meter readings are not very personal now are they? And they are read later after the fact so do not reveal much.

3876samf

Well obviously the people working for the electricity companies in this forum will spin the argument in favor of the electricity companies any fool knows that, and can see through to what the truth is

bertiewhite

I hope this is going to be a popcorn thread.

Kentish_Dave

What a surprise, conspiracy theorist resorts to a conspiracy theory when presented with the facts...

OP, I don’t work for an electricity company, but I was once a physicist, and the laws of physics haven’t changed since then.

As has been pointed out, the smart meter is simply operating as a mobile phone, sending a couple of seconds data a day. The “radiation” is the same as a mobile phone puts out, but not held near your head, and not used for anywhere near as long.

It is utterly harmless, the photons are not energetic enough to knock electrons off atoms, and we know this not only because the theory is well understood but because we now have decades of observations of far greater doses doing no harm.

If you want to worry about something maybe worry about where your life has gone far enough wrong that you can’t manage to pay your electricity bill.

May I ask, as an aside, which other conspiracies you accept?

Chemtrails?
Anti-vaccine?
Moon landing hoaxed?

Kentish_Dave

OP, you were posting about exactly the same scenario in 2009, are you sure that the same problem has really happened again, or are you so fixated on the last one that you are still trying to work out whether there were errors made then?