Is this a ‘threat’ to make me go over to the dark side to a Smart Meter?

GingerTim

wild666 said:

A friend has had his analogue meters in since 1982 and regularly gets texts, emails and calls from his supplier to get him to change to smart meters. All he says is that in 40 years his annual usage hasn't increased that much that the meters are not reading the usage correctly and if they want to change them they have to prove at their cost that the meters are faulty. He's had at least 7 contact messages a year over the last 5 years and he doesn't want the smart meters unless there is a change in the law saying that every home has to have a smart meter installed.

Would he want one when TOU tariffs offer significantly cheaper rates than are available to non-smart metered households?

CanNeverThinkOfAUsername

I've had my smart meters for years, they are Secure SMETS1 installed by E.ON. I have never regretted having them installed. I love that they send readings direct to my supplier (I'm with Octopus now), i have never used the In Home Display unit (IHD), It ended up in the junk kitchen drawer with the takeaway leaflets, lol. If i want to check my usage and do it via the online account.

I feel like i have saved massive amounts of money, as i have been on Agile and GO Faster, tariffs that give you really cheap elec at some points in the day, in-fact Agile sometimes pay you to use energy if the grid had too much.

This year i have not really saved anything, but once the "energy crisis" is over i will be back to saving money again.

JohnB47

No, once the "energy crisis" is over you will be back to feeling that you're saving money again.

SnakePlissken

bintheredunthat said:

Hopefully this is the correct forum? I’m with Shell energy and I get emails once every 6 months telling me that my current old style electricity meter is going to be defunct. I really don’t want a smart meter nor do I want an installer crashing around in my newly installed kitchen cupboards to remove old and fit new. Question is whether the message from Shell is purely because it makes life easier for them or factual and will I lose functionality? I have economy 7, I’m not a big user of electricity. Here’s the message from Shell. Thanks in advance……………….

We’re writing to let you know that your Radio Teleswitch Service (RTS) meter will lose functionality from March 2022. This is due to an industry wide change that will affect the radio signal your meter uses to communicate.

This change means your meter won’t be able to support your multi-rate tariff, as it’ll be unable to switch to your tariff’s cheaper off peak rates. In some cases, this change may also cause a permanent interruption of your home’s central heating, as well as your meter’s ability to record your energy usage accurately.

It’s important that you take steps to arrange a replacement for your RTS meter, and we have just the thing.

Choose smarter home energy

Our SMETS2 smart meters allow you to keep your multi-rate tariff without the fuss. Smart meters submit your readings for you, always produce accurate bills, and help you to keep track of your energy usage.

They’re also installed at no extra cost. Click below to arrange your appointment.

Is your meter actually an RTS one or a mechanical clock?

SnakePlissken

FreeBear said:

Electricity (and gas) meters have a certified working life. One the meter reaches the end of this period, the supplier is obligated to replace it. You don't get a choice as to whether the replacement is a "smart" meter or not. The government has set targets for smart meter installations, and the supply companies are obligated to hit them.

Fitting a replacement meter doesn't usually make a mess, but there does need to be sufficient space to get in the cupboard to do the work and mount the small amount of extra equipment - If you have the space, it is well worth asking them to fit an isolator switch between the meter and consumer unit (tell them you are planning to get an EV car in the near future).

My meter clock went on blink , the clock was put and kept losing time,  with night rate  sometimes being on during the daytime being at night. It was replaced with a refurbished meter of same type. This was not  replaced by the supply company, but by the company that is the supplier/generator in my post code.
(I advised i did not want a smart meter as a replacement. When engineer came he said they have plenty of these refurbs for clocks or the meter if it ever went fauly again)

[Deleted User]

From the Ofgem letter to suppliers dated June 2022:

‘Radio Tele Switch

Currently the technology which operates the Radio Tele Switch meters (RTS) is scheduled to be switched off in March 2023. We are aware many suppliers already have a suitable meter in place for these customers, however we are also aware of some wider issues. We fully expect all of industry to be proactively working towards solutions to any potential barriers so that consumers are not left exposed to any potential detriment.

Energy suppliers are obligated to ensure all customers have appropriate metering arrangements in place and suppliers should be working hard to ensure all customers with traditional RTS meters are offered a smart meter prior to the switch off. If a workable industry solution cannot be reached in a timely manner prior to the cut-off date, then we would expect mitigating arrangements be prepared and implemented well in advance of this date.’

Ignore your supplier’s advice at your own peril.

Ultrasonic

bintheredunthat said:

Thanks for the info. No storage rads, just the washing machine, dishwasher etc. I read an article in the Telegraph recently by a journo who said he wouldn’t have one of they paid him to. Issues about pricing and accuracy were his main concern and the fact that they control your meter and it’s readings from afar and not the householder. It looks like it’s wise to wait till the lat minute and  they want to insert a chip in my head to give them readings😉

Why are you on an Economy 7 tariff at all then? Odds are you'd save money by being on a single-rate tariff. Do you have an idea of your typical annual day and night usage in kWh?

As the comments above re. Smart meters - they're nonsense. There are no pricing or accuracy concerns of smart meters, they don't 'contol' your meter they are your meter. That data is sent automatically to the supplier makes things easier for the customer, not somehow worse.

Do though distinguish between the In Home Display (IHD) which is the little screen thing people can have in their homes and the actual smart meter (which is a direct replacement for the current meter). IHDs can end up with incorrect tariff data so that the energy costs displayed in pounds can be wrong but importantly the actual energy usage in kWh won't be and this is more useful anyway. Even in the the tariff info. on the IHD is wrong it won't mean you get billed incorrectly. 

I put off getting a smart meter for ages but honestly I've only experienced positives since having one.

[Deleted User]

It's funny how most of the reports of "evil smart meters" are all "I heard that someone had read that some other people had said there were problems" - it's almost never "I have a smart meter and this is what happened".

If you're that worried about the smart bit - let them put one in and then wrap it in tin foil.

[Deleted User]

comperinha said:

CanNeverThinkOfAUsername said:

I've had my smart meters for years, they are Secure SMETS1 installed by E.ON. I have never regretted having them installed. I love that they send readings direct to my supplier (I'm with Octopus now)

I don't understand how this is possible. I inherited a SMETS1 which was with BG and when I switched, the new supplier wasn't able to use it because it needs to be SMETS2. I have not chosen to get a new smart meter. There is already a smart meter installed and it's not my fault they can't use it. One concerning thing is that the "smart" functionality is visible as a wifi network named "BG" so it appears that BG is still getting data from the meter even though I'm not their customer. Anyone know how I can turn this off?

It's completely ridiculous that the energy industry rushed a bunch of smart meter installs making them completely defunct in the event of switching provider. A massive mistake that we're all paying for and they're getting away with being incompetent. I suppose the government is also to blame for forcing the energy suppliers to rush to meet targets which meant they installed products that were completely unfit for purpose.

The DCC has been running a SMETS1 ‘enrolment and adoption’ upgrade programme for a couple of years. Your new supplier should be able to deploy a firmware update. If this is not possible then the meters will have to be replaced.

You can check the status of your meters here:


https://smartmetercheck.citizensadvice.org.uk/

[Deleted User]

comperinha said:

[Deleted User] said:

 Your new supplier should be able to deploy a firmware update.

Can they do this without my knowledge or consent?

Yes, it's not your meter, it's theirs.