To Smart meter or not?

Marvel1

I'm wondering why my parents latest bill said estimated reading when it's a smart meter, when the whole point was an accurate reading and bill.

elsien

Marvel1 said:

I'm wondering why my parents latest bill said estimated reading when it's a smart meter, when the whole point was an accurate reading and bill.

Smart meter not sending readings? 

[Deleted User]

I’ve avoided a smart meter for years I have the old style pre pay with a key 

I’m with EDF 
however I wanted to change to the SVR as I was on E7 as I used to have storage heaters but I now have GCH and the E7 rate was a lot higher especially the price in October would have been  crazy going 
from 34p per kWh to 63p per kWh 

EDF wouldn’t change my tarrif unless I had a smart meter 

So I had it installed on Friday and so far I really like it 😂
I have the apps loop and Hugo and on the EDF app I can check my balance every day and top up on line 

They transferred over my £100 credit 
and to be fair to EDF call Center every time I’ve rang them I’ve had no problems in getting though fo speak to someone 

techno12

I had them fitted today (I'm with EDF) but it was a waste of time as there is no o2 signal whatsoever in the shared cellar of the large Victorian building where my flat's meter is.

The installer went through with it anyway as the job was booked in, and there's a chance o2 may boost the signal in my area at some point perhaps, or one of the other flats above may get a smart meter installed that has a signal, and it can piggy back that apparently.

I'll mess with the antenna though, as it's quite large but is just screwed in next to the meter inside the cupboard - perhaps if it's moved outside and raised up a bit or oriented differently it'll pick up a signal...

I've clipped my old nPower energy monitor to it so that I can still see what's going on (damn, I had that all ready to eBay!)

bunnygo

here's the unbiased site with real information. Some things haven't been updated in a while but it tells you a lot. Badly needed in a country where many think that the little display is the smart meter, have no understanding of which items have the highest energy use and have been misled into thinking that smart meters save consumers money.

https://www.smartme.co.uk/index.html#gsc.tab=0

from experience:

1) fitting the smart meter is only part 1, it needs commissioning and connecting. The only fit with which I was involved was with EDF who didn't commission the meters until after nearly a year of on and off pestering. I wonder if it is 'fit' that meets their target?

2) In 2019 I had emails from Octopus wanting to replace the 30 year old meter at my house and selling the benefits of a smart meter. After some persuasion they said that although 'standard' meters aren't made any more, they could fit a meter with the comms module removed. Then the pandemic began and they've forgotten about it. 3 years on I am still sending them monthly readings from the still functioning electric meter (no gas here).

3) why don't I want a smart meter? not tinfoil hat issues, not worries about control, simply 'aint broke don't fix'. This may change when my current fix comes to an end and I can't get a tariff that doesn't insist on a smart meter.

4) BUT mobile coverage isn't good at my house and yes it does matter. Smart meters use the 2G network, which is currently scheduled for closure in 2033, so the whole thing really is a bit of a mess. From the above site you will see that Capita are a crucial part of the operation, so no surprise there.

BTW for those of you with gas - the meter has a battery with a supposed 10 year life. When it fails your gas will be cut off.

SensibleSarah

I've avoided smart meters so far. I used to switch company fairly regularly before the recent debacle, so the lack of smartness from earlier gen meters meant it wasn't worth the hassle. I've yet to hear much positive about the futureproofing of the tech used even now. I also used to work in an office full time and wasn't allowed to work from home pre-Covid, so taking time off just to wait in for an installer wasn't high on my list of wants. Both of my meters are in annoying and difficult to access places (one outside and through a locked gate, one in the very far corner of a very full and spider-infested under-stairs cupboard) but I'd still rather brave that every month or so to do manual readings than get smart meters. 

I also hate their marketing messages and so it's a principle thing Smart meters don't save you money. Using a smart meter to work out what you're using where and how you can cut back on these things can potentially save you money. They give people the impression that getting a smart meter in itself is what saves money. It's the same reason why I won't give any company my money if they use a number in their name instead of a word - just my stubborn principles  

Archie_Duke

I’m kind of in middle ground with my electricity meter - no mains gas supply (yet) in my small Cornish village.
I have a 10 year-old, not awful to read, functioning meter in a fairly accessible cupboard, fitted by SSE. It has an 800-impulse per kWh LED rather than a rotating wheel. So that could support a measuring attachment if I wanted to fit one. I use a couple of Tapo SmartPlugs around the house to keep an eye on home entertainment, RoboVac charging and washing machine usage.

I wasn’t very impressed with the IHD that was fitted in a holiday let I stayed in back in February, had a look through the functions and usage history. Im pretty happy submitting readings through Shell Energy’s portal for my billing, and I take a couple of others for my own spreadsheet during the month. I suppose more choices for TOU tariffs or getting an EV might change my thinking.

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Astria

RobM99 said:

Astria said:

 I'm interested in what each individual device/gadget is using, which they can't provide.

They can if you make the effort. Turn everything off and switch things on one by one. Takes a few minutes.

Hardly intuitive though isn't it? So when I'm cooking a roast I have to ensure everything else is turned off and sit in the dark to ensure I can accurately measure what I've used?

What I've gone for instead is a system that will do exactly what I want - measure each individual device. I know what the upstairs and downstairs lights use on a daily basis for example, what the oven uses, what all the junk behind the TV uses, and so on. A "You used 10kWh in the last hour" is completely useless in comparison.

Chrysalis

Astria said:

RobM99 said:

Astria said:

 I'm interested in what each individual device/gadget is using, which they can't provide.

They can if you make the effort. Turn everything off and switch things on one by one. Takes a few minutes.

Hardly intuitive though isn't it? So when I'm cooking a roast I have to ensure everything else is turned off and sit in the dark to ensure I can accurately measure what I've used?

What I've gone for instead is a system that will do exactly what I want - measure each individual device. I know what the upstairs and downstairs lights use on a daily basis for example, what the oven uses, what all the junk behind the TV uses, and so on. A "You used 10kWh in the last hour" is completely useless in comparison.

Curious how you measure an oven that isnt powered by a normal socket without a smart meter?

Mine doesnt have a plug plugged into a socket, it has its own trip on the fuse box and is directly wired into a switch.

[Deleted User]

Chrysalis said:

Astria said:

RobM99 said:

Astria said:

 I'm interested in what each individual device/gadget is using, which they can't provide.

They can if you make the effort. Turn everything off and switch things on one by one. Takes a few minutes.

Hardly intuitive though isn't it? So when I'm cooking a roast I have to ensure everything else is turned off and sit in the dark to ensure I can accurately measure what I've used?

What I've gone for instead is a system that will do exactly what I want - measure each individual device. I know what the upstairs and downstairs lights use on a daily basis for example, what the oven uses, what all the junk behind the TV uses, and so on. A "You used 10kWh in the last hour" is completely useless in comparison.

Curious how you measure an oven that isnt powered by a normal socket without a smart meter?

Mine doesnt have a plug plugged into a socket, it has its own trip on the fuse box and is directly wired into a switch.

Either an energy monitoring MCB or a clip-around current transformer on the circuit.