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

scobie

I often suspect that there if you were to draw a Venn diagram based on those who resist smart meters, any vaxers and those who voted for Brexit you would get 100 per cent overlap. 

There is literally no coherent argument to resist smart meters.  

But I’m glad people do because I can’t help but feel a glow when I hear of them paying full price for power while today Octopus is paying to do my laundry and cooking. 

badmemory

My worries about smart meters (& no I did not vote for brexit Scobie) are when they stop transmitting readings the meters are harder to read than the old ones & gas meter batteries can unexpectedly go flat leaving you with no gas for a couple of weeks before the energy supplier condescends to send someone to fix it.  Then they can also cut you off by mistake if they think you haven't paid your bill.

I would not be so concerned if I thought we had any processes in this country to protect consumers.  (I could add processes any longer.) 

CSI_Yorkshire

badmemory said:

 gas meter batteries can unexpectedly go flat leaving you with no gas for a couple of weeks 

The battery going flat shouldn't make the gas valve close and shouldn't leave you with no gas.

theoretica

I don't yet have a smart meter - not because I actively don't want one, but I don't really care and have always more interesting things to do with my time. And I think mainly because not one communication has ever said 'please'.  It is all - 'we are offering you this opportunity, aren't you lucky, you should want one'.  Not a 'sorry for the inconvenience, we promise to minimise this and be on time, please let us'.

Gerry1

scobie said:

I often suspect that there if you were to draw a Venn diagram based on those who resist smart meters, any vaxers and those who voted for Brexit you would get 100 per cent overlap.

Your suspicion is wrong, assuming you meant anti-vaxers.  I had all my vaccinations the moment they became available.

scobie said:

There is literally no coherent argument to resist smart meters.

Only in your opinion.  You are entitled to it of course, but so are others with differing opinions.

[Deleted User]

Then they can also cut you off by mistake if they think you haven't paid your bill.

Oh no they can’t. Where does this rubbish come from? Yes - smart meters have remote disconnection switches but not for the reasons that people think. In many European countries, suppliers offer peak power tariffs. If the consumer agrees to a power limit of, say, 4kW in the peak demand period from 4 to 7pm then they would pay a lower standing charge than a consumer with a 10kW limit. Should the consumer exceed the agreed power limit then notifications will be sent out via the IHD; texts etc requiring the consumer to reduce power. If these messages are ignored, then power is remotely disconnected. Reconnection is achieved by phoning a dedicated line. Frequent breaches of the limit will result in a tariff change to a higher power limit. In sum, this is remote disconnection as a result of a contractual agreement between the supplier and the consumer.

Here is a French power-limited tariff ( for kVA read kW):

For all other disconnections, suppliers have to follow the same legal procedures that they do for all meter disconnections.

The French now ‘fine’ consumers who refuse to have a smart meter. The size of the annual fine is going to be increased each year. Germany is making smart meters mandatory from 2025. The UK Government has directed that all new properties are to have smart meters, and all end of certified life and faulty meter replacements now have to be smart (even if the consumer objects).

badmemory

At least if they have to come to the door to cut you off you have the opportunity to tell them they have it wrong. 

I worry what they will decide they can do when they have all of us on smart meters, combined with the current total lack of oversight.

Mobtr

Not if you’re out, they force entry & install a pp meter. Then you have a whole host of issues. 

It is very unlikely that anyone with a smart meter will be cut off, they will just change the mode remotely to PAYG. 

CSI_Yorkshire

badmemory said:

At least if they have to come to the door to cut you off you have the opportunity to tell them they have it wrong. 

I worry what they will decide they can do when they have all of us on smart meters, combined with the current total lack of oversight.

As has been pointed out recently on other threads, the radio teleswitch system has had "remote disconnection" built into the specification of the equipment for decades - with nobody questioning it at all.

Suddenly because it's called "smart",  there's now all this "OMG, I don't trust the man, they're going to persecute me".

The most likely thing "they will decide they can do" is to have everyone without smart meters on an expensive deemed tariff when everyone with smart meters gets actual choice and charged for the contract they want.

GingerTim

CSI_Yorkshire said:

badmemory said:

At least if they have to come to the door to cut you off you have the opportunity to tell them they have it wrong. 

I worry what they will decide they can do when they have all of us on smart meters, combined with the current total lack of oversight.

As has been pointed out recently on other threads, the radio teleswitch system has had "remote disconnection" built into the specification of the equipment for decades - with nobody questioning it at all.

Suddenly because it's called "smart",  there's now all this "OMG, I don't trust the man, they're going to persecute me".

The most likely thing "they will decide they can do" is to have everyone without smart meters on an expensive deemed tariff when everyone with smart meters gets actual choice and charged for the contract they want.

And then we will get complaints from the holdouts that it's taking months to get a smart meter, as there's a mad dash to get off said deemed tariff!