Smart Meter

minorman

Good news.  I sent BG a polite but firm email yesterday pointing out the contractual situation due to my compulsory transfer from Peoples Energy and they now agree that I do not need to have a smart meter.  They have apologised for the error !  Now I have to watch Martin's video on to fix or not to fix, that is the question.

Astria

minorman said:

Good news.  I sent BG a polite but firm email yesterday pointing out the contractual situation due to my compulsory transfer from Peoples Energy and they now agree that I do not need to have a smart meter.  They have apologised for the error !  Now I have to watch Martin's video on to fix or not to fix, that is the question.

Do note however that at some point in the future you WILL have to have a smart meter as your current meter will be deemed end of life. The only alternative option will be to disconnect your supply (at your cost).

Ultrasonic

JohnB47 said:

As asked before - why do you want a smart meter?

OK, it should mean you don't have to supply meter readings yourself. And it supposedly helps you see what your energy usage is and may help you reduce certain usage to save you money.

But against this, your smart meter may not actually work. Even if it does work with your current supplier, it may stop working if you move supplier. You will save money only if you reduce your usage - nothing directly to do with the smart meter.

If a smart meter stops working then you're no worse off than with a old-fashioned meter.

I don't miss having to go outside to read my meters, or having to manually submit readings.

There are long term benefits to everyone of having a 'smart' network and it will get to a point where it's selfish to not have a smart meter, and I fully expect them to be enforced at some point unless they wouldn't work in a given situation (e.g. due to phone signal).

For those wanting to avoid energy use being restricted at certain times, if this becomes necessary, what makes you somehow above your share of helping to manage the issue?

Shipchase

QrizB said:

The whole reason for SoLR arrangements is that Ofgem won't countenance customers being unexpectedly cut off by their suppliers. To suggest that any supplier could arbitrarily disconnect customers to meet their own demand management needs is ludicrous.

Ofgem can countenance what they like, but they are not above the laws of physics. If there is insufficient generating capacity - and there will not be at times in the future - some people will be cut off. In the Winter of Discontent it was whole districts, but in future it will be the people with a s-m (smart meter) first.  They cannot cut off a non-smart meter user without cutting off a whole area (s-m customers as well).

 

As for meter readings, funny that s-m advocates say we would never again need to take a reading ourselves, then in the next breath they say we can and should monitor our usage by watching the s-m all the time, as if that will save money. I've got better things to do than to sit watching a s-m, I know what power my appliances use already, on the other hand I would still take a check reading myself when the bill comes in - who wouldn't?

 

[Deleted User]

Shipchase said:

QrizB said:

The whole reason for SoLR arrangements is that Ofgem won't countenance customers being unexpectedly cut off by their suppliers. To suggest that any supplier could arbitrarily disconnect customers to meet their own demand management needs is ludicrous.

Ofgem can countenance what they like, but they are not above the laws of physics. If there is insufficient generating capacity - and there will not be at times in the future - some people will be cut off. In the Winter of Discontent it was whole districts, but in future it will be the people with a s-m (smart meter) first.  They cannot cut off a non-smart meter user without cutting off a whole area (s-m customers as well).

 

This is another myth that has absolutely no foundation in fact. For those of us who are old enough to remember the 70s, the three-day week regional cut offs were managed by legislation. It would be a far too difficult exercise for the Government and suppliers to single out smart metered homes for random disconnections. It is a lot easier to turn off supplies at a much higher level in the Grid than individual meters. Before any domestic meter is turned off, it has either to be via a contracted agreement, or via a Court Order.