Smart meter and old style meter costs

Jyana

Spoonie_Turtle said:

Jyana said:

No, that is the price everyone pays per year on their bill if they were using the capped figure, or the national average amount per household which is 2,900kWh of electricity and 12,000kWh of gas. If you use more or less than this, then you would pay proportionally more or less than £19 (someone may know if I am wrong here though?).

As far as I understand that's exactly it, but including the standing charges too.

Thanks Spoonie, bit tired and insomnia crazy this week but that was my interpretation of that graph as far as I could tell. 

EssexHebridean

OP - the cost for the meter is included in everyone’s standing charges. There are no differing charges relating to individual meter types - you could have a meter that was installed back in the 1960’s, one which was put into your new build in 1995, a digital meter like mine installed in 2012, a SMETS1 smart meter installed in the first wave, or a brand new SMETS2 meter installed tomorrow and the standing charge you pay from your supplier would be exactly the same as it currently is. 

As for the scaremongering Grauniad article - of the 4 specific cases mentioned, the issue for one was not being unable to top up because of no money - it was family not taking them to the PO to top up their card - not an issue with Smart meters which are done online. Two more should have been on the priority services register with their supplier with their specific issues noted and this should have prevented being cut off - my Dad used a an oxygen concentrator for a couple of years before he died and his medical team made sure that their household was registered onto the scheme when they brought the machine to him (he and Mum already were due to age alone). It was explained that in the event of even a power outage steps would be taken to ensure that Dad would be able to continue to use the machine.  

SMETS1 meter users are not prevented from changing supplier that I have ever heard - it is as simple as in some cases if they did they found that their IHD didn’t work any more - absolutely nothing to do with the meter at all. The meter continued to function exactly as your “dumb” meter does - requiring regular readings to be sent to the supplier. Many SMETS1 have now been enrolled onto the system anyway now and so have become smart again. 

It’s a shame that those with their own reasons for being opposed to SMing can’t simply sit quietly under their tin foil hats rather than feeling the need to use straight misinformation and half facts to bolster their claims. 

MattMattMattUK

EssexHebridean said:

It’s a shame that those with their own reasons for being opposed to SMing can’t simply sit quietly under their tin foil hats rather than feeling the need to use straight misinformation and half facts to bolster their claims. 

It is unfortunately always the way, the least educated shout the loudest, those against smart meters, anti-vaxers, climate change deniers, religious etc. If your position is based on emotion, delusion and dogma then the only way to spread it is by trying to drown out rational voices with a sea of misinformation and often downright lies.

diystarter7

Spoonie_Turtle said:

diystarter7 said:

Hi OP

Very helpful article from a very highly regarded source.
Reading stuff like this just confirms its not for us atm

Millions with the first gen of smart meters cant chose certain suppliers. They say the 2nd gen address this is what I have read
More recently, people forced on to prepayments that were in some form of debt but read the link

Companies already have too much control over our data so not for us

https://www.theguardian.com/money/2023/jan/11/call-to-end-forced-installation-of-uk-prepayment-meters-after-millions-suffer-without-power

Good luck.

Well the solutions to those two problems are simple:
1. get SMTES2 meters (the only option nowadays anyway)
2. don't get into debt* and if you do, don't refuse to engage with the supplier on a payment plan.  Switching to prepayment even remotely via smart meter is still a last resort.

*not possible for everyone, I know, but at least engage with the supplier if it happens. 

Hello and good morning

The highlighted bit, "simple" really! Most can't get through to their provider, just read the threads re waiting times.

1= "get smart met 2" - I did say that is the new way forward, thanks

2 = "Dont get into debt" very wise words but easier said than done to many - just read the link i posted and what happened to them.

Trust me, if you are talking about "simple" then the reality of the facts is in current times is is "simple" to stay with the old meter.

Thank you.

EssexHebridean

Spoonie is extremely clear that “don’t get into debt” is not that straightforward - but as already pointed out, the cases mentioned in the linked article are not simple cases - and for at least three of the four, disconnection could have been avoided. Indeed, in one of those cases, disconnection would have been avoided had the individual concerned had a Smart Meter. 

IIRC - our former friend Susan may have had a hand in the thread that diystarter cites as the one that “convinced” them that smart meters carry all sorts of risks. It is in some ways a shame that their posting history is no longer visible other than in individual threads - as it made a good example of uses of misinformation to shore up a shaky case! 

diystarter7

diystarter7 said:

Spoonie_Turtle said:

diystarter7 said:

Hi OP

Very helpful article from a very highly regarded source.
Reading stuff like this just confirms its not for us atm

Millions with the first gen of smart meters cant chose certain suppliers. They say the 2nd gen address this is what I have read
More recently, people forced on to prepayments that were in some form of debt but read the link

Companies already have too much control over our data so not for us

https://www.theguardian.com/money/2023/jan/11/call-to-end-forced-installation-of-uk-prepayment-meters-after-millions-suffer-without-power

Good luck.

Well the solutions to those two problems are simple:
1. get SMTES2 meters (the only option nowadays anyway)
2. don't get into debt* and if you do, don't refuse to engage with the supplier on a payment plan.  Switching to prepayment even remotely via smart meter is still a last resort.

*not possible for everyone, I know, but at least engage with the supplier if it happens. 

Hello and good morning

The highlighted bit, "simple" really! Most can't get through to their provider, just read the threads re waiting times.

1= "get smart met 2" - I did say that is the new way forward, thanks

2 = "Dont get into debt" very wise words but easier said than done to many - just read the link i posted and what happened to them.

Trust me, if you are talking about "simple" then the reality of the facts is in current times is is "simple" to stay with the old meter.

Thank you.

Hi OP and others interested

A bit more on how some suppliers change over and the prepayments cost a lot more.

As it stands, I would not go for one but as my previous post/links, IMO incentives will be offered then you know what happens next . There Smart Vs old meter = old meter all day long for me.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-64235997


Thanks

Spoonie_Turtle

diystarter7 said:

diystarter7 said:

Spoonie_Turtle said:

diystarter7 said:

Hi OP

Very helpful article from a very highly regarded source.
Reading stuff like this just confirms its not for us atm

Millions with the first gen of smart meters cant chose certain suppliers. They say the 2nd gen address this is what I have read
More recently, people forced on to prepayments that were in some form of debt but read the link

Companies already have too much control over our data so not for us

https://www.theguardian.com/money/2023/jan/11/call-to-end-forced-installation-of-uk-prepayment-meters-after-millions-suffer-without-power

Good luck.

Well the solutions to those two problems are simple:
1. get SMTES2 meters (the only option nowadays anyway)
2. don't get into debt* and if you do, don't refuse to engage with the supplier on a payment plan.  Switching to prepayment even remotely via smart meter is still a last resort.

*not possible for everyone, I know, but at least engage with the supplier if it happens. 

Hello and good morning

The highlighted bit, "simple" really! Most can't get through to their provider, just read the threads re waiting times.

1= "get smart met 2" - I did say that is the new way forward, thanks

2 = "Dont get into debt" very wise words but easier said than done to many - just read the link i posted and what happened to them.

Trust me, if you are talking about "simple" then the reality of the facts is in current times is is "simple" to stay with the old meter.

Thank you.

Hi OP and others interested

A bit more on how some suppliers change over and the prepayments cost a lot more.

As it stands, I would not go for one but as my previous post/links, IMO incentives will be offered then you know what happens next . There Smart Vs old meter = old meter all day long for me.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-64235997


Thanks

Where exactly does the BBC cite the facts to support their claim "this is more expensive than paying by Direct Debit"? You have people knowledgeable here telling you prepayment isn't always more expensive, and if you're not sure who to believe, the oft-misused phrase 'do your own research' does actually apply. 
Companies publish their different tariffs, they are often linked here on the forum, have a look for yourself and do calculations with different scenarios.

pochase

Since when do you need to go to the shops if you have a prepaid on a smart meter?

Also @Spoonie_Turtle is correct, many prepaid tariffs for E7 are now cheaper than direct debit.

EssexHebridean

So much nonsense in that report it’s hard to know where to start. Let’s begin with the energy company apparently having “charged more than £200 a month for a shower and a light…” shall we? Assuming the light is an old style incandescent 100w, on 24/7 (unlikely, I think we can agree), and the shower is a pretty standard 9kWh model, for a pretty average 10 minutes daily, by my reckoning that comes to somewhere in the region of £40 a month on standard EPG rates, then add on roughly £12 for standing charge…perhaps someone can confirm if they know of ANY prepayment rates that would amount to £200 for this use? 

This sort of scaremongering really needs to stop. Articles like this one have been posted on here before, and it has been routinely pointed out that they are very thin on fact. It’s supremely unhelpful to have this kind of rubbish perpetuated in a forum which should be about providing factual information to consumers.