Smart meters

Ultrasonic

Tackkers said:

I wouldn't have a smart meter if it can be avoided.

You may not but I'd suggest that the majority here would. I was reluctant to have one and put off doing so for a few years, but having now got one it has only had a positive effect for me. 

Tackkers

Ultrasonic said:

Tackkers said:

I wouldn't have a smart meter if it can be avoided.

You may not but I'd suggest that the majority here would. I was reluctant to have one and put off doing so for a few years, but having now got one it has only had a positive effect for me. 

Namely being?

Verdigris

Tackkers said:

^^^^^^ Bloke I spoke with is a currently employed energy employee.

Yes of course there are mutual benefits, certainly not all of them though. 

There are plenty of dim bulbs in the energy industry, as everywhere, I worked with some.

So what are all these disbenefits of smart meters? I only see advantages, either direct, or for the greater good.

Ultrasonic

Tackkers said:

Ultrasonic said:

Tackkers said:

I wouldn't have a smart meter if it can be avoided.

You may not but I'd suggest that the majority here would. I was reluctant to have one and put off doing so for a few years, but having now got one it has only had a positive effect for me. 

Namely being?

Not having to go outside to read my meters or having to submit readings to my energy supplier.

The network monitoring capabilities of smart meters are also ultimately beneficial to users but not in a way that is immediately apparent.

Not getting a smart meter is increasingly becoming a selfish act as far as I'm concerned, and I fully expect them to be made mandatory at some point anyway.

QrizB

Tackkers said:

Ultrasonic said:

Tackkers said:

I wouldn't have a smart meter if it can be avoided.

You may not but I'd suggest that the majority here would. I was reluctant to have one and put off doing so for a few years, but having now got one it has only had a positive effect for me. 

Namely being?

I know you're not asking me, but in my case it is a key part of the system that sees me paying around 10p/kWh for my electricity since September rather than 21p/kWh now and 28p/kWh next month. A full-year saving of between £200 and £300.

icsys

Verdigris said:

Tackkers said:

I wouldn't have a smart meter if it can be avoided.

Well, I suppose cutting yourself off from more competitive tariffs and not being able to take advantage of import/export might be seen as a wise move.

What about surge pricing and 'time of use tariffs' (billed in 30 min segments and charged different rates for energy throughout the day depending on demand) are they more competitive?

QrizB

icsys said:

Verdigris said:

Tackkers said:

I wouldn't have a smart meter if it can be avoided.

Well, I suppose cutting yourself off from more competitive tariffs and not being able to take advantage of import/export might be seen as a wise move.

What about surge pricing and 'time of use tariffs' (billed in 30 min segments and charged different rates for energy throughout the day depending on demand) are they more competitive?

Yes, generally they are. (Over the past six months they generally haven't, due to the Ofgem price cap keeping the SVT artifically low.)

MattMattMattUK

Verdigris said:

Tackkers said:

^^^^^^ Bloke I spoke with is a currently employed energy employee.

Yes of course there are mutual benefits, certainly not all of them though. 

There are plenty of dim bulbs in the energy industry, as everywhere, I worked with some.

So what are all these disbenefits of smart meters? I only see advantages, either direct, or for the greater good.

I am generally in favour of the smart meter system, I would say that the major negative is the cost of the system and the passing on of those costs to the customers. There is also the impact of how they are being marketed, the government claim that they will save us all money/energy is at best idiotic. 

[Deleted User]

icsys said:

Verdigris said:

Tackkers said:

I wouldn't have a smart meter if it can be avoided.

Well, I suppose cutting yourself off from more competitive tariffs and not being able to take advantage of import/export might be seen as a wise move.

What about surge pricing and 'time of use tariffs' (billed in 30 min segments and charged different rates for energy throughout the day depending on demand) are they more competitive?

The only tariff that I am aware of that has daily 30 minute unit prices is Octopus Agile. It is capped at 35p/kWh and apart from the few days of recent gales it has remained at that level.

What we are likely to see is an increasing number of tariffs offering peak; mid peak and offpeak unit charges. These tariffs will be cheaper than non smart tariffs provided consumers are prepared to load shift; for example, by not putting the dishwasher on during the peak period of 4 to 7pm.

It is also worth bearing in mind that, in future, price comparison websites will move to a dynamic pricing tool which, with the consumer’s permission, pulls a year’s worth of data from a smart meter. This data is then used to choose the cheapest tariff based on the amount of energy used and, as importantly, when it is used.

I am presently on a time-of-use tariff and my energy costs are less than 10p/kWh as I use energy when it is cheap to do so.

Verdigris

the government claim that they will save us all money/energy is at best idiotic.

To be fair, they've stopped that tack. The original idea was to appeal to people on a self-interest basis. They are now saying it helps to green up the grid.

But, the current crisis notwithstanding, they can save you money, if used intelligently. A lot of money, potentially.