Octopus forcing new smart meter

Pete99

I should imagine that they've stopped refurbishing old style meters, so soon there won't be any choice but to have a smart meter, the only problem I have with smart meters is that unlike mechanical meters if a digital one packs up the digits disappear and unless you've been reading it every day that could lead to problems in any bill dispute, resistance is futile, you WILL be assimilated !.

peter_the_piper

There are advantages to smarts, reading my gas meter under the sink, in the corner, gets more difficult every year with age so to be able to see the usage on the ihd is very useful. I do check every few weeks though, just in case.

wild666

A meter is a meter the only thing is that with a smart meter you get an IHD so you can monitor the usage. 
If you're bothered with usage then turning things off at the wall socket rather than putting the appliance in standby is the only way to save money.

I turn 99% of the appliances in my home off at the wall socket when not in use, that's TV, DVD, games console, surround sound, stereo, smart speakers, cooker, microwave, kettle, washer and unplug charging cables. The three things I leave on 24/7 are the fridge, freezer and router. 

I was a low user of electric before I started doing this, around 2200 kWh per year but now I use around 3.6 kWh per day and 17% of that is the cooker, the rest  is the PC's and the kettle twice per day plus the fridge and freezer. 
By turning appliances off I'm saving around £14 per month, £168 per year. 

I started turning most appliances off after Avro went under as I didn't want to be hit with a massive bill by an SoLR when things were sorted, the 75 kWh per month might be only around £14 but over the year it works out at £168, plus those 75 kWh multiplied by 12 brings my yearly usage down from 2200to 1,300 per year, maybe add 100 kWh extra for the Xmas period and it brings the saving down to £148 and my yearly electric usage to below £400 & my gas usage to around £220 unless I choose to keep warm with hot water bottles.

WillPS

Just to reiterate my earlier comment wasn't intended to sound like I'm anti smart meter, I'm not, just holding out for a supplier to financially incentivise me to get one (since they themselves are financially incentivised!).

I've seen SSE offering £50 cashback to customers who book a smart meter installation, for example. 

QrizB

wild666 said:

I turn 99% of the appliances in my home off at the wall socket when not in use, that's TV, DVD, games console, surround sound, stereo, smart speakers, cooker, microwave, kettle, washer and unplug charging cables. The three things I leave on 24/7 are the fridge, freezer and router.

Most people don't have 300 appliances plugged in!

wild666 said:

I was a low user of electric before I started doing this, around 2200 kWh per year but now I use around 3.6 kWh per day and 17% of that is the cooker, the rest  is the PC's and the kettle twice per day plus the fridge and freezer. 
By turning appliances off I'm saving around £14 per month, £168 per year.

75kWh/month is roughly equal to a parasitic load of 100 watts 24h/day. It's likely this was down to one or two of your appliances, not shared equally between all of the ones you turned off.

wild666

Will smart meters have an end of life term? I don't think so, they might be battery operated but if the battery fails then no matter what they will become a dumb meter. 
What if the battery failing causes the numbers on the meter to go out the home owner will be reliant on estimated readings which could be lower or higher than their usage! 

wild666

Pete99 said:

I should imagine that they've stopped refurbishing old style meters, so soon there won't be any choice but to have a smart meter, the only problem I have with smart meters is that unlike mechanical meters if a digital one packs up the digits disappear and unless you've been reading it every day that could lead to problems in any bill dispute, resistance is futile, you WILL be assimilated !.

They will have to go on historical readings. This could mean a monthly bill is higher or lower than the actual usage. 
I read my electric meter EVERY day and the usage is between 2.8 and 3.6 kWh per day except Friday when I wash and dry clothes and bedding then it's around 7.1 to 7.7 kWh. That data is pulled from mu Octopus account smart meter account from a SMETS 1 meter. 

gt94sss2

wild666 said:

Will smart meters have an end of life term? 

The current plan is that are replaced every 10 years.

EssexHebridean

I am intrigued to know the benefit of turning off a standard electric kettle at the wall when not in use - are there really some out there that use power even when not doing anything? 🤔 

matelodave

EssexHebridean said:

I am intrigued to know the benefit of turning off a standard electric kettle at the wall when not in use - are there really some out there that use power even when not doing anything? 🤔 

There might be   , perhaps you haven't seen one yet.