State of play with Smart Meter installations

jem16

I've held off getting a smart meter installed until at least they came out with one that worked no matter which supplier you're with. Ovo seem to now be doing that.

However I'm still not totally convinced and not sure how to advise my elderly parents ( 88 and 91). At the moment I get their readings and enter them online each month - this works well. Their gas meter is outside and electricity meter inside and I had read of communication issues. They of course have seen TV reports about them going on fire etc.

Now of course many suppliers are making it mandatory if you switch to them and want the best tariff.

Currently we're both with Ovo and our 2 year fixed deal is coming to an end. The only tariffs that will beat their proposed new deal for us insist on smart meters. There is not a huge saving to be had but there is up to £100pa roughly of a saving.

Any advice would be great.

matelodave

Personally I don't care whether my meter is smart or dumb (it was smart once but it's been dumb for the last four suppliers).

It stlll records my energy consumption, I read it once a month, I send the readings in, check my accounts and download my monthly statement/invoice. I did it when it was smart and I'll keep doing it even if it becomes smart again.

I keep my own records and make sure I keep PDF copies of all the bills & invoices because when their system dies or they go bust you usually find all the info disappears and it becomes a nightmare to try and recover your data.

My main criterion is cheaper energy and if that means I've got to have a smart meter so be it - does it really matter what sort of meter you've got. I'm not going to lose sleep, tear my hair out or pay more not to have one like some.

It seems that some suppliers are still having difficulties getting smart meters to work correctly and even getting readings from them so even if you get one it's still worthwhile reading the meter yourself once a month and checking that your on-line account is correct (and getting it corrected if it's not)

The idea of transferring between suppliers is supposed to be slowly getting there but it does really require the suppliers to do their bit as well. TBH they've probably got enough aggro getting their existing customers on line as well as trying to enrol a smart meter from another company.

Highland76

OP,
I got smets2 meters fitted recently through E.ON and they are working well. The gas meter stopped talking to the electric meter the following day after installation, however this was fixed by E.ON/DCC a week or so later as it definitely wasn't an issue at my end. The main reason i got them installed was that I'm not always home to give meter readings - i work offshore a lot. TBH i couldn't care less about the energy display unit and as a result its all packed away collecting dust lol

TGIF

I read somewhere that the French goverment banned certain smart meters due to damage done to the brain from the transmitting frequancy

Richie-from-the-Boro

Wibbly, conceptual and intangible argument on data security. You can't raise an angry mob carrying wood torches and.pitchforks and burn down the town. The tin-foil hat brigade in 16th century hi-viz vest managed to persuade the usual bureaucratic local magistrate their children were gonna glow like green cryptonite 'ready brek' offspring.

TGIF

well that david icke recons anything 5G is frying the brain

mac.d

I've held off for now too for the same reason as you. However, even if they can work with different suppliers, I'll probably do as matelodave says and still keep an eye on the readings and how much I'm using. And if you are already going that, there isn't any great benefit to smart meters. At least until they make it financially difficult to resist, and maybe £100 cheaper a year is enough?

I do think there are valid concerns about smart meters (security & remote access) but we'll all have to have them eventually. For now, there can be communication issues with the meters being too far apart (it's the electric meter that has the comms unit for sending the readings to suppliers, so if the gas meter is too far away & can't communicate, then no gas readings will be sent and you'd still have to read the meter manually).

In Scotland there is also the added issue of there being problems with the communication network, the set up in north of England & Scotland is different to further south where its working fine. I've no idea if they've sorted this yet or not?

giraffe69

well that david icke recons anything 5G is frying the brain

Well if David says so it must be true!

matelodave

TGIF wrote: »

well that david icke recons anything 5G is frying the brain

I thought they'd locked him in the loony bin years ago, although apparently not.

However he is is known as a "Professional Conspiracy Theorist" which should add to his credibility when speaking about 5G

jem16

matelodave wrote: »

My main criterion is cheaper energy and if that means I've got to have a smart meter so be it - does it really matter what sort of meter you've got. I'm not going to lose sleep, tear my hair out or pay more not to have one like some.

It seems that some suppliers are still having difficulties getting smart meters to work correctly and even getting readings from them so even if you get one it's still worthwhile reading the meter yourself once a month and checking that your on-line account is correct (and getting it corrected if it's not)

I think in my case having a smart meter wouldn't be an issue as yes even if there are problems I'd manage.

The issue is for my parents who get worried when things don't go the way they are meant to and then of course I get the problem. Even having them installed can be a problem for them.

Richie-from-the-Boro

SMETS1 don't work
SMETS2 tend to be flats 1st
1 in 3 current users have issues
Big heavy fist bribe blackmail started DEC 19
Zero meters or even meter fitters in my area
General disorder since the very beginning
I'm with SP it 10% of the national market but on average only one in - 10 households as a customer
12.65 million of the devices were installed in UK, more than 700,000 - have been fitted in Scotland.
Installs 16 per cent down compared to the same period the year before

Its gonna be 2024+ before its even at 50% IMO