Decent reason/s to NOT get a Smart meter installed??

B0bbyEwing

Pretty much I only really have 2 reasons that I don't go ahead with the installation right now:

1) Reading meters & putting the numbers in to an app really isn't a difficult or time consuming thing to do.
2) I wonder if they (smart meters) will be 100% accurate, whereas me reading a meter will be 100% accurate 100% of the time, especially as I always double check I'm entering the right numbers in to the right meter read.

The bombarding of "let us install your meter today" is incredibly annoying - so giving in would stop that. As I understand it, there's smart meter only tariff's out there which obviously I wont be eligible for right now. Whether they're any better or worse than my current tariff and then by how much, I've no idea.

So is there actually a good reason or good reasonS that I should go with a smart meter install?

Because if it boils down to you don't need to submit your readings any more then honestly, 2 minutes out of my day once per month with a reminder set on my phone to do it really isn't a big deal.

[Deleted User]

Don’t think smart meters: think SMART GRID. Here is one reason to a get a smart meter: you get access to smart tariffs.

B0bbyEwing

[Deleted User] said:

Don’t think smart meters: think SMART GRID. Here is one reason to a get a smart meter: you get access to smart tariffs.

Hmm so you get charged different rates depending on the time of the day? 
Wonder why your most expensive slot based on that S/S is 6:30-7:00, which I'd say is still early & not really any kind of prime time. 
Not sure why they'd drop it quite a bit for the next 30mins, then raise it quite a bit & then give you free electricity at 8am before paying you to use it at 9am.

Unless I've read that wrong?

And if your charge does vary during the day then how is that possible to directly compare with what I'm on right now, as to which works out better for me?
As right now obviously the price is the price so it's easy to figure out, whereas if the price is up & down like a yo-yo then I wouldn't even know how you'd begin to figure out a comparison. I have my annual usage but as for what times of the day which was used, I wouldn't have a clue.

[Deleted User]

As right now obviously the price is the price so it's easy to figure out, whereas if the price is up & down like a yo-yo then I wouldn't even know how you'd begin to figure out a comparison. I have my annual usage but as for what times of the day which was used, I wouldn't have a clue.

This is why you need a smart meter. I am currently on a 3 period/price tariff with Octopus. My smart meter retains 13 months’ worth of import data. Future tariff comparisons for time-of-use tariffs will not be based on kWh/year but 12 months’ worth of actual usage data pulled from a smart meter. This data includes 30 minute usage in kWh. The cheapest tariff offered will be based not just on how much energy you use but the times of the day when you use it. The tool to do this has already been developed by BEIS.

mmmmikey

There are a few specific technical reasons not to get a smart meter - mostly down to the comms networks in some areas - but these are by and large going. There are also a lot of nutty conspiracy theories still going around, but these are by and large going too. Other than the technical issues and conspiracy therory the only 2 reasons for not having a smart meter I can think of are:

1. You'll lose your membership of The Luddite Society

2. You'll have less to talk about at the local Victor Meldrew appreciation club

Hope this helps

p.s. on a more serious notes, @[Deleted User] has given an example of just one tariff that is only available to smart meter customers. There are an increasing number of these and choosing one that is appropriate to your lifestyle can mean big savings, and if you browse the forum you'll find many examples of that.

p00hsticks

B0bbyEwing said:

Pretty much I only really have 2 reasons that I don't go ahead with the installation right now:

1) Reading meters & putting the numbers in to an app really isn't a difficult or time consuming thing to do.

It may depend on your particular provider, but in general there's nothing to stop you from continuing to do that once you have a smart meter installed.

We're currently with British Gas, and giving them a meter reading once we had a smart meter used to be pretty nigh impossible - the only way I found was to engage in live chat with an agent.
But they've recently added an option so that you can enter a reading online even if you have a smart meter, so I continue to give them monthly readings just as I used to before the smart meter was fitted. 

Spoonie_Turtle

mmmmikey said:

There are a few specific technical reasons not to get a smart meter - mostly down to the comms networks in some areas - but these are by and large going. 

Debatable that that would be a reason to actively not get one though - at worst you'd still be in a position of having to read the meter and send in readings just like the OP is doing anyway.

From having read this forum one reason I've seen - once - is not enough space on the backboard to install a smart meter.  Another has to do with different Economy 7 setups (or if you're on Economy 10, no supplier supports it with smart meters even though there is absolutely no reason they couldn't).  But with the latter if your meter(s) are out of their certified period they'd have to be replaced, and you'd probably have to fight very hard to have them replaced with refurbished non-smart meters to stay on a tariff that the supplier no longer offers (and hasn't done for a long time), only supports legacy customers left on them while they have to.

CSI_Yorkshire

B0bbyEwing said:

Pretty much I only really have 2 reasons that I don't go ahead with the installation right now:

1) Reading meters & putting the numbers in to an app really isn't a difficult or time consuming thing to do.
2) I wonder if they (smart meters) will be 100% accurate, whereas me reading a meter will be 100% accurate 100% of the time, especially as I always double check I'm entering the right numbers in to the right meter read.

So is there actually a good reason or good reasonS that I should go with a smart meter install?

Your "reading a meter" might be 100% accurate, but the reading on the meter might not be.

Good reason not to get?  That it wouldn't technically work in your location or with your particular combination of system, supplier and tariff.

Good reasons to get?  They can do it even if you say no, you get access to the whole market rather than just a subset of tariffs, it will be certified to be accurate (which your existing meter might not be).

dunstonh

2) I wonder if they (smart meters) will be 100% accurate, whereas me reading a meter will be 100% accurate 100% of the time, especially as I always double check I'm entering the right numbers in to the right meter read.

if you think that about smart meters then you have to think that about any meter type.  So, its not a reason for not having a smart meter.

[Deleted User]

CSI_Yorkshire said:

B0bbyEwing said:

Pretty much I only really have 2 reasons that I don't go ahead with the installation right now:

1) Reading meters & putting the numbers in to an app really isn't a difficult or time consuming thing to do.
2) I wonder if they (smart meters) will be 100% accurate, whereas me reading a meter will be 100% accurate 100% of the time, especially as I always double check I'm entering the right numbers in to the right meter read.

So is there actually a good reason or good reasonS that I should go with a smart meter install?

Your "reading a meter" might be 100% accurate, but the reading on the meter might not be.

Good reason not to get?  That it wouldn't technically work in your location or with your particular combination of system, supplier and tariff.

Good reasons to get?  They can do it even if you say no, you get access to the whole market rather than just a subset of tariffs, it will be certified to be accurate (which your existing meter might not be).

A number of smart meter tariffs no longer use meter index readings for billing. All smart meters have 4 import registers and each register has 48 by 30 minute blocks which record kWh usage in the block period. Octopus now uses this data to bill on tariffs such as IO; Go; Cosy and Flux.  Here is an example of a bill for a single day. This was based on a single index register.

Edit: I should add that the energy supply sector is moving towards Half hourly settlements so will see an increasing number of tariffs based on 30 minute usage data. If you haven’t a clue what I am talking about have a read of the link below:

https://www.sms-plc.com/solutions/data/half-hourly-settlement/

cm4ever

B0bbyEwing said:

Because if it boils down to you don't need to submit your readings any more then honestly, 2 minutes out of my day once per month with a reminder set on my phone to do it really isn't a big deal.

No, the big gray elephant in the room that no one has so far mentioned is that those 2x meters (gas and electric) that are installed at your property don't and never have actually belonged to the actual property owner i.e you - they belong and always will belong to the utility companies, via the local service agents.

If you have a water meter, it's exactly the same scenario - you don't own that meter either - it's the property of the water company, some of these are now smart too.

Gas and electric meters also have a finite certification life for accuracy all being well and the utility companies will also want to replace them ideally before they approach this age.

Ultimately your property will end up having smart meters installed, whether you personally want/agree/like them or not, sooner or later - as you don't own the meters, you never have and you never will.