Electricity meter "lifespan" before replacement due

Gerry1

EssexHebridean said:

I suspect that's right about EV owners - and rightly so IMO. It's all well and good insisting that everyone needs to switch to electric, but right now, realistically, if they did, the grid couldn't cope, could it? I think it's almost certain that at some stage, the model is going to change to offering people contracted times to charge at their best price, with charging outside of that being far more expensive, simply as a way of ensuring that everything balances. 

@EssexHebridean It's not 'at some stage', that model is already here.  The fact is that, by law, all new chargers now have to be smart so they can phone home: they are in control.  Regulation 10 requires that a relevant charge point incorporates default charging hours and that in most circumstances the charge point will only charge a vehicle during those hours.  Peak times are defined as 8am to 11am on weekdays and 4pm to 10pm on weekdays, so don't expect to charge whenever it suits you !

Petrol rationing books were issued back in the 70s, but rationing can now be instantly implemented over the air.

SnakePlissken

Gerry1 said:

EssexHebridean said:

I suspect that's right about EV owners - and rightly so IMO. It's all well and good insisting that everyone needs to switch to electric, but right now, realistically, if they did, the grid couldn't cope, could it? I think it's almost certain that at some stage, the model is going to change to offering people contracted times to charge at their best price, with charging outside of that being far more expensive, simply as a way of ensuring that everything balances. 

@EssexHebridean It's not 'at some stage', that model is already here.  The fact is that, by law, all new chargers now have to be smart so they can phone home: they are in control.  Regulation 10 requires that a relevant charge point incorporates default charging hours and that in most circumstances the charge point will only charge a vehicle during those hours.  Peak times are defined as 8am to 11am on weekdays and 4pm to 10pm on weekdays, so don't expect to charge whenever it suits you !

Petrol rationing books were issued back in the 70s, but rationing can now be instantly implemented over the air.

Which is why when i change my car, it will be a petrol self charging hybrid, like Toyota or Kia do. No charging wait, no range anxiety and no stopping off just drive non stop. Plus in Scottish highlands up single track roads, there are no charging points. (Not just the far north either)

Incidently, its not just energy, Toyota said that there are not enough resources available in the world to make batterys for global volume of cars we currently see, if they are all battery only.

You can build quite a few hybrids for each battery only car.

Gerry1

SnakePlissken said:

Gerry1 said:

EssexHebridean said:

I suspect that's right about EV owners - and rightly so IMO. It's all well and good insisting that everyone needs to switch to electric, but right now, realistically, if they did, the grid couldn't cope, could it? I think it's almost certain that at some stage, the model is going to change to offering people contracted times to charge at their best price, with charging outside of that being far more expensive, simply as a way of ensuring that everything balances. 

@EssexHebridean It's not 'at some stage', that model is already here.  The fact is that, by law, all new chargers now have to be smart so they can phone home: they are in control.  Regulation 10 requires that a relevant charge point incorporates default charging hours and that in most circumstances the charge point will only charge a vehicle during those hours.  Peak times are defined as 8am to 11am on weekdays and 4pm to 10pm on weekdays, so don't expect to charge whenever it suits you !

Petrol rationing books were issued back in the 70s, but rationing can now be instantly implemented over the air.

Which is why when i change my car, it will be a petrol self charging hybrid, like Toyota or Kia do. No charging wait, no range anxiety and no stopping off just drive non stop. Plus in Scottish highlands up single track roads, there are no charging points. (Not just the far north either)

Incidently, its not just energy, Toyota said that there are not enough resources available in the world to make batterys for global volume of cars we currently see, if they are all battery only.

You can build quite a few hybrids for each battery only car.

Absolutely ! I've recently changed to a self-charging hybrid and it's by far the best of both worlds.

• All the benefits of smooth automatic transmission but with about 60% better real world MPG than a smaller petrol car with manual.

• Petrol is getting cheaper but electricity is rocketing; my cost per mile already works out cheaper than using roadside chargers.

• Fuel tank only 9.9 gallons but a range of well over 400 miles.

• No range anxiety, refuelling takes less than five minutes.

• No surcharges for refuelling at peak times.

• You can use any petrol station without having to register or download an app, and the chances of finding all the pumps occupied or out of order are virtually zero.

• No hassle with having to plan ahead for long journeys, especially when abroad.

Pure EVs and the charging infrastructure are still very much in their infancy, except perhaps for a second car limited to use as a local runabout.

SnakePlissken

Gerry1 said:

SnakePlissken said:

Gerry1 said:

EssexHebridean said:

I suspect that's right about EV owners - and rightly so IMO. It's all well and good insisting that everyone needs to switch to electric, but right now, realistically, if they did, the grid couldn't cope, could it? I think it's almost certain that at some stage, the model is going to change to offering people contracted times to charge at their best price, with charging outside of that being far more expensive, simply as a way of ensuring that everything balances. 

@EssexHebridean It's not 'at some stage', that model is already here.  The fact is that, by law, all new chargers now have to be smart so they can phone home: they are in control.  Regulation 10 requires that a relevant charge point incorporates default charging hours and that in most circumstances the charge point will only charge a vehicle during those hours.  Peak times are defined as 8am to 11am on weekdays and 4pm to 10pm on weekdays, so don't expect to charge whenever it suits you !

Petrol rationing books were issued back in the 70s, but rationing can now be instantly implemented over the air.

Which is why when i change my car, it will be a petrol self charging hybrid, like Toyota or Kia do. No charging wait, no range anxiety and no stopping off just drive non stop. Plus in Scottish highlands up single track roads, there are no charging points. (Not just the far north either)

Incidently, its not just energy, Toyota said that there are not enough resources available in the world to make batterys for global volume of cars we currently see, if they are all battery only.

You can build quite a few hybrids for each battery only car.

Absolutely ! I've recently changed to a self-charging hybrid and it's by far the best of both worlds.

• All the benefits of smooth automatic transmission but with about 60% better real world MPG than a smaller petrol car with manual.

• Petrol is getting cheaper but electricity is rocketing; my cost per mile already works out cheaper than using roadside chargers.

• Fuel tank only 9.9 gallons but a range of well over 400 miles.

• No range anxiety, refuelling takes less than five minutes.

• No surcharges for refuelling at peak times.

• You can use any petrol station without having to register or download an app, and the chances of finding all the pumps occupied or out of order are virtually zero.

• No hassle with having to plan ahead for long journeys, especially when abroad.

Pure EVs and the charging infrastructure are still very much in their infancy, except perhaps for a second car limited to use as a local runabout.

On my current car I average 50 to 59 mpg, so good to know i could get up to 60% more.

I think hydrogen fuel will also be another alternative in medium term. Though currently shortage of fuel stations.
Toyota have a car that uses hydrogen, currently in mk2 version. Seemingly tank is carbon fibre tested with a shotgun at close range for ability to withstand damage.

In Scotland there are plans to build hydrogen fuel  with at least one im aware of in outline planning permission.

Self charging hybrid will do me though.

littleteapot

Going back to the smart meter issues, I have a 2004ish 'Ampy' digital 5 port E7 electricity meter. Last year I was considering having it replaced by a smart meter to access a wider range of tariffs which may be advantageous to us as we can be fairly flexible with our usage times, have programmable storage heaters, etc.

I don't take any notice of the 'conspiracy' type comments on here, but after reading all the stories of supplier incompetence, buggy behaviour, and early life failures of smart meters on this site, I decided to stick with our simple old meter until either replacement is mandated, it goes faulty, or the availability of tariffs makes it no longer economically viable to keep this meter.

Some of the stories I refer to include suppliers claiming they don't supply 5-port smart meters, one supplier saying they can't support E7 on a smart meter (BG), illegible or failing displays, suppliers 'inadvertently' swapping the Peak/E7 registers, meters over-reading, to name but a few.

I'm aware that it is possible to have a 4-port meter with an external contactor for E7, but that lot along with the comms hub wouldn't fit in the tiny wall-mounted cupboard where our meter, DNO fuse, and CU's are located.

Gerry1

SnakePlissken said:

Gerry1 said:

SnakePlissken said:

Gerry1 said:

EssexHebridean said:

I suspect that's right about EV owners - and rightly so IMO. It's all well and good insisting that everyone needs to switch to electric, but right now, realistically, if they did, the grid couldn't cope, could it? I think it's almost certain that at some stage, the model is going to change to offering people contracted times to charge at their best price, with charging outside of that being far more expensive, simply as a way of ensuring that everything balances. 

@EssexHebridean It's not 'at some stage', that model is already here.  The fact is that, by law, all new chargers now have to be smart so they can phone home: they are in control.  Regulation 10 requires that a relevant charge point incorporates default charging hours and that in most circumstances the charge point will only charge a vehicle during those hours.  Peak times are defined as 8am to 11am on weekdays and 4pm to 10pm on weekdays, so don't expect to charge whenever it suits you !

Petrol rationing books were issued back in the 70s, but rationing can now be instantly implemented over the air.

Which is why when i change my car, it will be a petrol self charging hybrid, like Toyota or Kia do. No charging wait, no range anxiety and no stopping off just drive non stop. Plus in Scottish highlands up single track roads, there are no charging points. (Not just the far north either)

Incidently, its not just energy, Toyota said that there are not enough resources available in the world to make batterys for global volume of cars we currently see, if they are all battery only.

You can build quite a few hybrids for each battery only car.

Absolutely ! I've recently changed to a self-charging hybrid and it's by far the best of both worlds.

• All the benefits of smooth automatic transmission but with about 60% better real world MPG than a smaller petrol car with manual.

• Petrol is getting cheaper but electricity is rocketing; my cost per mile already works out cheaper than using roadside chargers.

• Fuel tank only 9.9 gallons but a range of well over 400 miles.

• No range anxiety, refuelling takes less than five minutes.

• No surcharges for refuelling at peak times.

• You can use any petrol station without having to register or download an app, and the chances of finding all the pumps occupied or out of order are virtually zero.

• No hassle with having to plan ahead for long journeys, especially when abroad.

Pure EVs and the charging infrastructure are still very much in their infancy, except perhaps for a second car limited to use as a local runabout.

On my current car I average 50 to 59 mpg, so good to know i could get up to 60% more.

YMMV !  Mine was a Focus which gave about 30mpg overall, perhaps nudging 40 on a long dual carriageway or motorway.

EssexHebridean

littleteapot said:

Going back to the smart meter issues, I have a 2004ish 'Ampy' digital 5 port E7 electricity meter. Last year I was considering having it replaced by a smart meter to access a wider range of tariffs which may be advantageous to us as we can be fairly flexible with our usage times, have programmable storage heaters, etc.

I don't take any notice of the 'conspiracy' type comments on here, but after reading all the stories of supplier incompetence, buggy behaviour, and early life failures of smart meters on this site, I decided to stick with our simple old meter until either replacement is mandated, it goes faulty, or the availability of tariffs makes it no longer economically viable to keep this meter.

Some of the stories I refer to include suppliers claiming they don't supply 5-port smart meters, one supplier saying they can't support E7 on a smart meter (BG), illegible or failing displays, suppliers 'inadvertently' swapping the Peak/E7 registers, meters over-reading, to name but a few.

I'm aware that it is possible to have a 4-port meter with an external contactor for E7, but that lot along with the comms hub wouldn't fit in the tiny wall-mounted cupboard where our meter, DNO fuse, and CU's are located.

For a few years now we've been with smaller or non big-6 suppliers as a general rule - those that I always felt might be a little more at risk of going under. We moved from Bulb > UW, then UW < GreenEnergyUK - and I was always massively reluctant to get a smart meter because of the risk of being SOLR'd to British Gas! (And now we're with Octopus who I feel are probably pretty safe, we've decided to move house, so there doesn't seem any point in sorting it out!) 

On the flip side though - even with my "dumb" digital meter, I've twice been the victim of switched registers - so that one is far from a problem just with smart meters! 

SnakePlissken

Gerry1 said:

SnakePlissken said:

Gerry1 said:

SnakePlissken said:

Gerry1 said:

EssexHebridean said:

I suspect that's right about EV owners - and rightly so IMO. It's all well and good insisting that everyone needs to switch to electric, but right now, realistically, if they did, the grid couldn't cope, could it? I think it's almost certain that at some stage, the model is going to change to offering people contracted times to charge at their best price, with charging outside of that being far more expensive, simply as a way of ensuring that everything balances. 

@EssexHebridean It's not 'at some stage', that model is already here.  The fact is that, by law, all new chargers now have to be smart so they can phone home: they are in control.  Regulation 10 requires that a relevant charge point incorporates default charging hours and that in most circumstances the charge point will only charge a vehicle during those hours.  Peak times are defined as 8am to 11am on weekdays and 4pm to 10pm on weekdays, so don't expect to charge whenever it suits you !

Petrol rationing books were issued back in the 70s, but rationing can now be instantly implemented over the air.

Which is why when i change my car, it will be a petrol self charging hybrid, like Toyota or Kia do. No charging wait, no range anxiety and no stopping off just drive non stop. Plus in Scottish highlands up single track roads, there are no charging points. (Not just the far north either)

Incidently, its not just energy, Toyota said that there are not enough resources available in the world to make batterys for global volume of cars we currently see, if they are all battery only.

You can build quite a few hybrids for each battery only car.

Absolutely ! I've recently changed to a self-charging hybrid and it's by far the best of both worlds.

• All the benefits of smooth automatic transmission but with about 60% better real world MPG than a smaller petrol car with manual.

• Petrol is getting cheaper but electricity is rocketing; my cost per mile already works out cheaper than using roadside chargers.

• Fuel tank only 9.9 gallons but a range of well over 400 miles.

• No range anxiety, refuelling takes less than five minutes.

• No surcharges for refuelling at peak times.

• You can use any petrol station without having to register or download an app, and the chances of finding all the pumps occupied or out of order are virtually zero.

• No hassle with having to plan ahead for long journeys, especially when abroad.

Pure EVs and the charging infrastructure are still very much in their infancy, except perhaps for a second car limited to use as a local runabout.

On my current car I average 50 to 59 mpg, so good to know i could get up to 60% more.

YMMV !  Mine was a Focus which gave about 30mpg overall, perhaps nudging 40 on a long dual carriageway or motorway.

I think depends on make Ford self charging uses a different technology/software to that used by Kia and Toyota. It will also depend on driving style, how hard you accelerate etc.

Looking at the Ford focus mild hybrid  on fords website claimed mpg is 45 -55.

Toyota have perfected their technology  since the 1st Prius in 90s and is a full hybrid system with 2 independent power sources. 

https://mag.toyota.co.uk/how-does-toyota-hybrid-work/

Will be a few years until i swap, to newer model. So by then we may even see the self charging hybrid/plug techology trickled down to other models.

And solid state batteries too.

Qyburn

SnakePlissken said:

In Scotland there are plans to build hydrogen fuel  with at least one im aware of in outline planning permission.

Self charging hybrid will do me though.

Aberdeen already has two operational hydrogen plants. But I'm not convinced it's the panacea that seems to be assumed. Making hydrogen from electricity is seriously inefficient, they were "hoping" to reach 60% efficiency when I visited. And all the stuff about using renewable energy is just so much hot air, the plant needs to start up and run for a steady 8 or 10 hours at a time to reach even that efficiency. There's no way it can start and stop to use just renewable or surplus power. In reality a lot of your hydrogen is just created by burning gas.

Gerry1

SnakePlissken said:

Gerry1 said:

SnakePlissken said:

Gerry1 said:

SnakePlissken said:

Gerry1 said:

EssexHebridean said:

I suspect that's right about EV owners - and rightly so IMO. It's all well and good insisting that everyone needs to switch to electric, but right now, realistically, if they did, the grid couldn't cope, could it? I think it's almost certain that at some stage, the model is going to change to offering people contracted times to charge at their best price, with charging outside of that being far more expensive, simply as a way of ensuring that everything balances. 

@EssexHebridean It's not 'at some stage', that model is already here.  The fact is that, by law, all new chargers now have to be smart so they can phone home: they are in control.  Regulation 10 requires that a relevant charge point incorporates default charging hours and that in most circumstances the charge point will only charge a vehicle during those hours.  Peak times are defined as 8am to 11am on weekdays and 4pm to 10pm on weekdays, so don't expect to charge whenever it suits you !

Petrol rationing books were issued back in the 70s, but rationing can now be instantly implemented over the air.

Which is why when i change my car, it will be a petrol self charging hybrid, like Toyota or Kia do. No charging wait, no range anxiety and no stopping off just drive non stop. Plus in Scottish highlands up single track roads, there are no charging points. (Not just the far north either)

Incidently, its not just energy, Toyota said that there are not enough resources available in the world to make batterys for global volume of cars we currently see, if they are all battery only.

You can build quite a few hybrids for each battery only car.

Absolutely ! I've recently changed to a self-charging hybrid and it's by far the best of both worlds.

• All the benefits of smooth automatic transmission but with about 60% better real world MPG than a smaller petrol car with manual.

• Petrol is getting cheaper but electricity is rocketing; my cost per mile already works out cheaper than using roadside chargers.

• Fuel tank only 9.9 gallons but a range of well over 400 miles.

• No range anxiety, refuelling takes less than five minutes.

• No surcharges for refuelling at peak times.

• You can use any petrol station without having to register or download an app, and the chances of finding all the pumps occupied or out of order are virtually zero.

• No hassle with having to plan ahead for long journeys, especially when abroad.

Pure EVs and the charging infrastructure are still very much in their infancy, except perhaps for a second car limited to use as a local runabout.

On my current car I average 50 to 59 mpg, so good to know i could get up to 60% more.

YMMV !  Mine was a Focus which gave about 30mpg overall, perhaps nudging 40 on a long dual carriageway or motorway.

I think depends on make Ford self charging uses a different technology/software to that used by Kia and Toyota. It will also depend on driving style, how hard you accelerate etc.

No, it was an ancient Ford that was pure petrol.