Beating the smart meter bullies

oliverbrown

wild666 said:
Appliances manuals claim to use as little as 0.5 W per hour 

No they don't. They quote in Watts, not "Watts per hour". 

dbks

Dolor said:

As I said above, there really is no debate to be had. ...

On that point, we can agree
- so I'm not sure why some are still trying to argue that black is white.

I have provided 3 links
The first is to MSE. They clearly state:

"Smart meters are NOT mandatory"

ok, so they may not be the authority on everything, bit take your arguement up with them if you feel they are wrong - there is an email link at the bottom of the page

I also included an link toi Ofgem, the energy regulator that says the same.

I also included a link to Cotizens Advice that invites readers to contact their helpline if you feel you are being made to have a smart meter.


There is no obligation to have a smart meter fitted,
There is, and always has been, an obligation to allow your supplier to replace a faulty or end of life meter, but not with a smart meter if you do not want one.

MWT

dbks said:

There is, and always has been, an obligation to allow your supplier to replace a faulty or end of life meter, but not with a smart meter if you do not want one

That is the part where we disagree, Ofgem state that the replacement must be a smart meter unless there is a good reason not to, and BEIS confirm that the right to refuse a smart meter does not apply to faulty or EoL meters...

oliverbrown

MWT said:
Ofgem state that the replacement must be a smart meter unless there is a good reason not to

Such as customer refusal. 

dbks

MWT said:

dbks said:

There is, and always has been, an obligation to allow your supplier to replace a faulty or end of life meter, but not with a smart meter if you do not want one

That is the part where we disagree, Ofgem state that the replacement must be a smart meter unless there is a good reason not to, .

You disagree if you like.
I'm sure people so inclined can read the Ofgem link I provided and decide for themselves what it says

[Deleted User]

dbks said:

Dolor said:

As I said above, there really is no debate to be had. ...

On that point, we can agree
- so I'm not sure why some are still trying to argue that black is white.

I have provided 3 links
The first is to MSE. They clearly state:

"Smart meters are NOT mandatory"

ok, so they may not be the authority on everything, bit take your arguement up with them if you feel they are wrong - there is an email link at the bottom of the page

I also included an link toi Ofgem, the energy regulator that says the same.

I also included a link to Cotizens Advice that invites readers to contact their helpline if you feel you are being made to have a smart meter.


There is no obligation to have a smart meter fitted,
There is, and always has been, an obligation to allow your supplier to replace a faulty or end of life meter, but not with a smart meter if you do not want one.

Like @MWT, I prefer to do my own research rather than rely on the views of a bunch of journalists. The rules on consumer choice were changed by the Government in 2020 for end-of-life meters. BEIS accepted the argument that suppliers already have a legal right of entry into a property to carryout a meter change in theses circumstances. This change was reinforced in what I posted above plus what @MWT has posted.

MWT

oliverbrown said:

MWT said:
Ofgem state that the replacement must be a smart meter unless there is a good reason not to

Such as customer refusal. 

No, that is not a 'good reason' as made clear by the BEIS statement which states you may not simply refuse a smart meter if the replacement is due to a fault or EoL.

Being physically unable to fit the meter due to restricted space, for example, would be a good reason.

Things have changed over the past couple of years.

The original statements about being able to say 'no' have been gradually tightened to a more narrow set of circumstances, and the obligations placed on the suppliers to fit them have also been strengthened.

MWT

dbks said:

You disagree if you like.
I'm sure people so inclined can read the Ofgem link I provided and decide for themselves what it says

Sure, but you are ignoring the specific words that Ofgem used and interpreting them as one continuing statement despite them being separate paragraphs and despite the obvious contradiction if you try to interpret them as one statement when they are not.

Replacing a meter is not the same as an offer to have a smart meter installed.

When a meter is faulty or EoL the supplier is not offering to replace it, they are telling you it is going to be replaced with a smart meter, as they are obliged to do, and that cannot be refused without good reason.

If your supplier offers to fit a smart meter and there is no fault and the meter is not EoL then you are free to refuse.

Ultrasonic

[Deleted User] said:

Consumers who do agree to have smart meters may find that they will be subject to increased marketing and higher energy prices as the rollout completion date approaches. 

Did you possibly mean 'do NOT agree' there?

meinnit

I've found my smart meter very useful. Seeing my usage in real time helps me to reduce my usage and I don't get any nasty surprises when the monthly bill comes through

Also with Octopus Go (5p off peak rate) I'm paying an average of 10p/kWh for electricity