To Smart meter or not?

[Deleted User]

Grotdog said:

We've looked at this in detail. Smart meters are a way for energy suppliers to control you. If you dont pay all your bill, or get behind, they can switch it to pre-payment mode - even if you werent on pre payment before. I can see very little benefit -  you're better off getting your own meter fitted and telling them to stick the daily charge as you are supplying your own meter.

As you've looked into this in detail perhaps you can give some links to the uniniated as to how I can arrive at the same conclusion you have.  Are you speaking from personal experience?  Or just what your reseaches have thrown up?

To the OP,  I see few logical reasons not to have a smart meter installed.  At worst they make no difference to a non-smart meter.  At best they can provide more information to the user especially if paired up with a functioning IHD should the customer want it plus they may give you access to TOU tariffs.

GingerTim

Grotdog said:

We've looked at this in detail. Smart meters are a way for energy suppliers to control you. If you dont pay all your bill, or get behind, they can switch it to pre-payment mode - even if you werent on pre payment before. I can see very little benefit -  you're better off getting your own meter fitted and telling them to stick the daily charge as you are supplying your own meter.

The standing charge isn't for the meter...

uksitebuilder

I too am sticking with my current meter (dumb meter)

I don’t mind giving readings once a month to Octopus and spinning its wheel to see if I get a month free.

If it ain't broke don’t fix it is what I go by generally and at present Smart Meters offer me no incentive to have one.

There are quite a few experiences of them going wrong, not displaying readings etc

There are also experiences of being switched to pre-pay - Can't see that happening anytime soon (myself), but it does and can happen.

Just my 2pence - Berate me if you wish lol

GingerTim

uksitebuilder said:

I too am sticking with my current meter (dumb meter)

I don’t mind giving readings once a month to Octopus and spinning its wheel to see if I get a month free.

If it ain't broke don’t fix it is what I go by generally and at present Smart Meters offer me no incentive to have one.

There are quite a few experiences of them going wrong, not displaying readings etc

There are also experiences of being switched to pre-pay - Can't see that happening anytime soon (myself), but it does and can happen.

Just my 2pence - Berate me if you wish lol

My only response would be - what happens when you can only access cheaper time-of-use tariffs by having a smart meter, and those stuck on old meters have to pay more? (as per @[Deleted User]'s post above)

uksitebuilder

GingerTim said:

My only response would be - what happens when you can only access cheaper time-of-use tariffs by having a smart meter, and those stuck on old meters have to pay more? (as per @[Deleted User]'s post above)

I'm not advising anyone to choose a smart meter or not to have one, just my personal observations.

If an option comes around to TOU tariffs being introduced I will as I have always done evaluate the cost implications and make a decision then.

Right now, I am staying as I am.

GingerTim

uksitebuilder said:

GingerTim said:

My only response would be - what happens when you can only access cheaper time-of-use tariffs by having a smart meter, and those stuck on old meters have to pay more? (as per @[Deleted User]'s post above)

I'm not advising anyone to choose a smart meter or not to have one, just my personal observations.

If an option comes around to TOU tariffs being introduced I will as I have always done evaluate the cost implications and make a decision then.

Right now, I am staying as I am.

Fair enough. I think those TOU tariffs will be coming sooner rather than later, though.

brewerdave

GingerTim said:

uksitebuilder said:

I too am sticking with my current meter (dumb meter)

I don’t mind giving readings once a month to Octopus and spinning its wheel to see if I get a month free.

If it ain't broke don’t fix it is what I go by generally and at present Smart Meters offer me no incentive to have one.

There are quite a few experiences of them going wrong, not displaying readings etc

There are also experiences of being switched to pre-pay - Can't see that happening anytime soon (myself), but it does and can happen.

Just my 2pence - Berate me if you wish lol

My only response would be - what happens when you can only access cheaper time-of-use tariffs by having a smart meter, and those stuck on old meters have to pay more? (as per @[Deleted User]'s post above)

Looking at the latest Govt figures , the number of functional smart meters is still under 50% of the domestic market so can't see complex TOU tariffs appearing for a couple of years .

GingerTim

brewerdave said:

GingerTim said:

uksitebuilder said:

I too am sticking with my current meter (dumb meter)

I don’t mind giving readings once a month to Octopus and spinning its wheel to see if I get a month free.

If it ain't broke don’t fix it is what I go by generally and at present Smart Meters offer me no incentive to have one.

There are quite a few experiences of them going wrong, not displaying readings etc

There are also experiences of being switched to pre-pay - Can't see that happening anytime soon (myself), but it does and can happen.

Just my 2pence - Berate me if you wish lol

My only response would be - what happens when you can only access cheaper time-of-use tariffs by having a smart meter, and those stuck on old meters have to pay more? (as per @[Deleted User]'s post above)

Looking at the latest Govt figures , the number of functional smart meters is still under 50% of the domestic market so can't see complex TOU tariffs appearing for a couple of years .

A fair point - though perhaps simple TOU benefits might arrive sooner, like that proposal to offer discounts for keeping usage below a certain load during peak hours as was floated a week or so ago. Might more attractive TOU tariffs be offered as an incentive to drive up smart meter adoption, too?

Chrysalis

Dolor said:

Astria said:

The only reason I don't have a smart meter is that I see no point in them, yes they can (sometimes) display my energy usage but I'm not interested in total energy usage, I'm interested in what each individual device/gadget is using, which they can't provide.

When they can provide something that is useful (or a tariff that is cheaper with one) I might decide to switch over to one.

Ofgem is consulting on the rollout of time-of-use tariffs. Legacy (non smart) tariffs will be more expensive. It is impossible to compare t-o-u tariffs on kWh/year. BEIS has developed and trialled a smart tool that, with a consumer's specific permission, will pull 12 months of smart data from the meter and this data will then populate a price comparison website. To get the cheapest tariff, the price comparator needs to know not just how much energy is used but when it is used.

I am the first to admit that our rollout is anything but World-beating: we should have gone for the French (nespresso) Link system. This is a single design built by selected manufacturers.

Many of the problems relating to gas meters will be resolved with the deployment of a dual band Communications hub.

Interesting so basically Ofgem need to approve this type of tariff? Do they also need to approve tiered tariffs?

If we got TOU and Tiered tariffs in this country things would be much better I think.

brewerdave

GingerTim said:

brewerdave said:

GingerTim said:

uksitebuilder said:

I too am sticking with my current meter (dumb meter)

I don’t mind giving readings once a month to Octopus and spinning its wheel to see if I get a month free.

If it ain't broke don’t fix it is what I go by generally and at present Smart Meters offer me no incentive to have one.

There are quite a few experiences of them going wrong, not displaying readings etc

There are also experiences of being switched to pre-pay - Can't see that happening anytime soon (myself), but it does and can happen.

Just my 2pence - Berate me if you wish lol

My only response would be - what happens when you can only access cheaper time-of-use tariffs by having a smart meter, and those stuck on old meters have to pay more? (as per @[Deleted User]'s post above)

Looking at the latest Govt figures , the number of functional smart meters is still under 50% of the domestic market so can't see complex TOU tariffs appearing for a couple of years .

A fair point - though perhaps simple TOU benefits might arrive sooner, like that proposal to offer discounts for keeping usage below a certain load during peak hours as was floated a week or so ago. Might more attractive TOU tariffs be offered as an incentive to drive up smart meter adoption, too?

Possibly - but there does seem to be shortages of smart meters to install in various parts of the country - and from evidence on here and elsewhere - there appears to be a shortage of adequately trained fitters to carry out installations.