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

CSI_Yorkshire

GingerTim said:

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!

We've already had "it's discrimination because I can't have an EV-only tariff when I don't have an EV".  There will be much more of the same.

BikingBud

Are current meter positions, under stairs cupboard considered to be acceptable places to locate new devices?

Also have an extension with secondary distribution board that needs to be assessed.

Intent is to undertake renovation, potentially removing gas and rewire of house with aim to install meter(s) in better position.

So all a little untidy and only want to do it once.

Does that count?

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

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

You live in Wales and there's no DCC coverage in your area so despite the supplier installing one they then tell you tough it doesn't work and they have until June 2025 to figure out a solution. 

Spoonie_Turtle

BikingBud said:

Are current meter positions, under stairs cupboard considered to be acceptable places to locate new devices?

Ours is under the stairs although the cupboard is totally open, no door.  We've just recently had our electric meter replaced with a smart one (no gas for us).

QrizB

BikingBud said:

Are current meter positions, under stairs cupboard considered to be acceptable places to locate new devices?

Much like Spoonie_Turtle, my electric meter is under my stairs. I received a smart meter a couple of years ago without any adverse comment from the installer.

My smart gas meter is on the front wall of my house, in a meter box.

BikingBud said:

Intent is to undertake renovation, potentially removing gas and rewire of house with aim to install meter(s) in better position.

Relocating your electricity meter will require DNO support. It makes no difference if you fit smart meters now or later.

B0bbyEwing

Just  getting through page 1 here. Thanks for the responses.

I think some may have got the wrong end of the stick with what I meant by accuracy. What I was meaning was if I use 300kwh, on the current setup, I give a reading which says 300kwh. What if the smart meter has some kind of glitch & says 500kwh? I don't know, maybe this doesn't happen. It was just a wondering.

And the current setup may well not be accurate. The meters may read wrong. Whether they read wrong in my favour or not, who knows. If they are in my favour then good times but again, who knows.

cm4ever said:

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.

Your post made me think of electric cars.

Likely we'll all end up with them so may as well get one now.

Except spending many £1000s on a car isn't for me so I'll be holding out as long as I can. Just because it'll be coming in anyway doesn't necessarily mean I should rush to accept it. Or not.

B0bbyEwing

theoretica said:

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'.

Agreed. I have more interesting things to do with my time also.
BUT, I also like to save money & if a bit of time spent looking in to this ends up with the result of probably should go ahead with it, then that's what I'll likely do.
Otherwise I'd stay as I am. 
So far it's looking like I should seriously consider it though & not be so closed-minded.

At the moment though...not a clue how you'd select a tariff as no idea when I use what. 

Mobtr said:

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. 

You're saying whoeveritis will break in to your house to install a smart meter?

B0bbyEwing

Ok that's the replies replied to. Certainly warrants looking in to more this does so thanks for the feedback.

Out of interest, what's the process for getting them installed & how long does it take - be that from phoning up to say I'd like it installed to it being installed or just the time on the day of the actual installation??

Right now our electricity meter is inside in a cupboard & our gas meter is outside the house in a box. Are these smart meters all-in-one or do they install 2 different meters? 
And likely location in comparison to your existing meters?

CSI_Yorkshire

B0bbyEwing said:

Right now our electricity meter is inside in a cupboard & our gas meter is outside the house in a box. Are these smart meters all-in-one or do they install 2 different meters? 
And likely location in comparison to your existing meters?

One for each, just like now.  In the same place as the existing ones.

B0bbyEwing said:

You're saying whoeveritis will break in to your house to install a smart meter?

Legally, they can under certain circumstances.  That's not a normal 'changing to a smart meter' scenario under any sensible assumptions though.

lohr500

Arriving late to the discussion, but as I see it you have nothing to lose and potentially a lot to gain.

If they are installed and can't communicate then you carry on providing readings manually as you do now. No better, no worse, but with a degree of reassurance that their calibration will be correct which may not be the case with your old meters.

If they do communicate then it opens the door for a range of smart meter electricity tariffs that may save you money depending on your usage pattern. Your choice. Take one of the smart meter tariffs or leave it.