Is it worth getting a Smart Meter? Octopus customer

[Deleted User]

gsmh said:

I'm with Octopus and they tell me they're not currently installing smart meters in my area - south Leicestershire. I thought there was a major campaign to get us to have smart meters installed...

All suppliers have rollout targets but some suppliers are struggling to obtain sufficient meters because of the Worldwide chip shortage. That said, the CEO of Octopus posted recently that Octopus has been able to source sufficient stock to meet its rollout target.

wild666

IMHO getting a smart meter is only advisable if the supplier is doing an offer to have a smart meter installed, in my case I was with BG at the time and they were advertising free electric for a few years if you had them installed. As soon as the tariff was nearing its end I dumped BG for another supplier. 
I'm now with Octopus after Avro went under and they are by far the best supplier I've been with. 
So only get a smart meter if it will see you use less electric and gas by turning appliances off, which in any case people should have been doing anyway. 

gsmh

wild666 said:

So only get a smart meter if it will see you use less electric and gas by turning appliances off, which in any case people should have been doing anyway. 

I want a smart meter so I don't have to read my meters manually, given they're in a hard to access, high-up location outside.

Chrysalis

Even without using Agile, I consider it a great decision by myself to install my smart meter.

Benefits?

1. I have mobile disability, the meter is in a inconvenient location so remote readings are an absolute boon. 
2. My old meter had some very whacky readings which made very little sense, although I have still yet to resolve a very high bill from the old meter, I at least now have better readings moving forward since the swap, my readings are just over half of the old estimated readings and about 1/5 of the last 14 months of actual readings from old meter using the same appliances. 
3. I have access to a in home display which is like a watt meter for your entire home viewing live usage of electric. 
4. Of course finally the eligibility for next gen billing methods such as agile. 

Phlik

Chrysalis said:

Even without using Agile, I consider it a great decision by myself to install my smart meter.

Benefits?

1. I have mobile disability, the meter is in a inconvenient location so remote readings are an absolute boon. 
2. My old meter had some very whacky readings which made very little sense, although I have still yet to resolve a very high bill from the old meter, I at least now have better readings moving forward since the swap, my readings are just over half of the old estimated readings and about 1/5 of the last 14 months of actual readings from old meter using the same appliances. 
3. I have access to a in home display which is like a watt meter for your entire home viewing live usage of electric. 
4. Of course finally the eligibility for next gen billing methods such as agile. 

Another benefit is you can spot if something has been left on when it shouldn't be. Immersion heater for example, an extra 1kWh draw is easy to spot almost immediately rather than when the bill drops on the mat in a months time.

(Covered by point three really but worth mentioning)