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Is it just me? ( Smart Meter)

124

Comments

  • QrizB
    QrizB Posts: 18,868 Forumite
    10,000 Posts Fourth Anniversary Photogenic Name Dropper
    It doesn't matter how long this thread gets, OP still needs a replacement meter and OP's supplier will still fit a smart one.
    N. Hampshire, he/him. Octopus Intelligent Go elec & Tracker gas / Vodafone BB / iD mobile. Ripple Kirk Hill member.
    2.72kWp PV facing SSW installed Jan 2012. 11 x 247w panels, 3.6kw inverter. 34 MWh generated, long-term average 2.6 Os.
    Not exactly back from my break, but dipping in and out of the forum.
    Ofgem cap table, Ofgem cap explainer. Economy 7 cap explainer. Gas vs E7 vs peak elec heating costs, Best kettle!
  • QrizB said:
    It doesn't matter how long this thread gets, OP still needs a replacement meter and OP's supplier will still fit a smart one.
    How about how old this gets? Time after time I don't want a smart meter.....drone
  • MikeJXE
    MikeJXE Posts: 3,864 Forumite
    1,000 Posts Third Anniversary Name Dropper
    MikeJXE said:
    MikeJXE said:
    I have dumb meters and can't see the advantages (FOR ME) of having a smart meter 

     ! Am a very low user, total costs about £800 per year dual fuel

    I live in a flat, don't want and couldn't afford an AV

    The gas meter is outside and the electric inside, opposite ends of the block so may not talk to each other 

     I would still physically read them every week like I do now as I can't trust either to not go faulty 

     I have lived here almost a year and not had a problem yet these boards are full of problems with smart meters 

     I'm not against them but can't see a reason to have one although there maybe times when I could save money on certain tariffs I don't want or need the hassle 


    People come here with problems to be solved so that's not surprising.

    The My meter works perfectly threads unsurprisingly don't exist.

    Where as we get equal smart and dumb meter issues.

    What hassle would you have over reading the meters as you do if they don't connect to each other whilst saving money on smart meter tariffs? What hassle is there?
    I dion't see many people on here with a dumb meter problem so I can't find the threads where smart and dumb are in equal portions 

    I don't have hassle reading my meters and wouldn't with a smart meter but thats not what they were designed for, reading them regularly would reveal any problem early if there was one

     I know what my bill is going to be within a few pence before Octopus do as per my spreadsheet 

    To get the best value out of energy is a bit like getting the best value out of savings 

     Thats where the hassle starts, there are savers on the savings boards moving funds consistently to get 0.01% better interest, maybe they have a million where it makes a big difference but I don't 

     I imagine energy users are keeping a close eye on small movements in TOU tariffs and moving suppliers is they can save a few pence, maybe they use a lot of energy, I don't 

     Yes I know it's a money saving site but I'm 83, I have limits o what I need to save, I  don't want or need the hassle of constantly checking for the best way of saving a few bob 


    At 83 you are comparable to my nan. She won't move from British Gas, not interested in anything new at her age and certainly won't want a replacement smart meter or know how it can help or save her money and no point explaining it to her.

    The difference is she won't wast her time.on.a money saving site when she has no interest in saving money a bit like yourself.

    @gerry1

    I can feel the waggy finger but I can quite rightly call my father a grumpy old person lol
    She should move if it's beneficial to her but 

    When you are trying to advice people who are 80 going on 50 you need to convince them as to why should we put the effort in to save what exactly

    Why do we need to ? 

    I'm on here mainly for the laughs although thankful to the bank switching board for helping me to make an extra £2.5k 


    The laughs come from how mole hills are made into mountains 
  • Gerry1
    Gerry1 Posts: 10,849 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    edited 29 November 2023 at 10:17PM
    MikeJXE said:
    Gerry1 said:
    The pseudodox said:
    I echo @MikeJXE above.  When it suits me I will have a SM but until then I just ignore all the emails & hype.  The number of problems reported on here I would expect are a very small percentage of SMs & I have no actual irrational fear of them.  But I live in a location which struggles with mobile signals so have doubts that a SM would communicate reliably.  Certainly I am not signing up for meters in winter - they say the gas & electric would only be off for a short time but I know someone who was disconnected half a day & then had a problem with their boiler not firing up.

    What really irks me is the approach taken by energy companies, selling them to me for all the wrong reasons -
    1. put an an end to estimated bills - never had one in 50 years
    2. no more having to read the meter. Well my morning routine is deactivate burglar alarm, check freezer is OK & read meters on wall above.  Takes less than 2 minutes.
    3. get control of usage & save money.  A SM will not make an iota of difference to my usage.  I am careful & keep my bills to what I can afford.  I maintain a spreadsheet, pay whole monthly bills which are always within a penny or three of my calculations.  Even when I do have a SM I will still read them & submit readings.  I don't need nannying!

    There should be more marketing emphasis on TOU tariff options, instead of that silly little man on the TV waving an IHD around - he is to blame for the number of posts here where people think that is their SM.  I would put the IHD somewhere where the sun don't shine if I ran into him!
    My father is just like Mike and yourself. Intelligent man but doesn't like other people telling him what he must have and doesn't like change as he gets older. I suspect a lot is grumpy old person syndrome and that rings true on this forum.
    Ageist post.


    lol You're funny, not 

    I'm not grumpy and never have been, I take it as it comes and say it as it is

    I might be 83 but not stuck in the past. I drive a Jag, use a MacBook Pro; iPad and iPhone every day, I'm not rich either, I live on my state pension and rent a 1 bed flat 

    I keep an eye on new gadgets, Alexa controls my heating and lighting 

    I use whatsapp and help where I can on the techie boards 

    I don't own anything that is more than 7 years old, I have everything I need and nothing I don't 

    Tomorrow I will visit Tesco to do my shop, I have a new plan, I will buy a bunch of flowers and give them to a random staff member just to say happy Christmas 

    I try to do things like that to see smiles in hard times 

    Why not ?
    @MikeJXE My post was in response to Multi-FuelBurner, not you !
  • MikeJXE said:
    MikeJXE said:
    MikeJXE said:
    I have dumb meters and can't see the advantages (FOR ME) of having a smart meter 

     ! Am a very low user, total costs about £800 per year dual fuel

    I live in a flat, don't want and couldn't afford an AV

    The gas meter is outside and the electric inside, opposite ends of the block so may not talk to each other 

     I would still physically read them every week like I do now as I can't trust either to not go faulty 

     I have lived here almost a year and not had a problem yet these boards are full of problems with smart meters 

     I'm not against them but can't see a reason to have one although there maybe times when I could save money on certain tariffs I don't want or need the hassle 


    People come here with problems to be solved so that's not surprising.

    The My meter works perfectly threads unsurprisingly don't exist.

    Where as we get equal smart and dumb meter issues.

    What hassle would you have over reading the meters as you do if they don't connect to each other whilst saving money on smart meter tariffs? What hassle is there?
    I dion't see many people on here with a dumb meter problem so I can't find the threads where smart and dumb are in equal portions 

    I don't have hassle reading my meters and wouldn't with a smart meter but thats not what they were designed for, reading them regularly would reveal any problem early if there was one

     I know what my bill is going to be within a few pence before Octopus do as per my spreadsheet 

    To get the best value out of energy is a bit like getting the best value out of savings 

     Thats where the hassle starts, there are savers on the savings boards moving funds consistently to get 0.01% better interest, maybe they have a million where it makes a big difference but I don't 

     I imagine energy users are keeping a close eye on small movements in TOU tariffs and moving suppliers is they can save a few pence, maybe they use a lot of energy, I don't 

     Yes I know it's a money saving site but I'm 83, I have limits o what I need to save, I  don't want or need the hassle of constantly checking for the best way of saving a few bob 


    At 83 you are comparable to my nan. She won't move from British Gas, not interested in anything new at her age and certainly won't want a replacement smart meter or know how it can help or save her money and no point explaining it to her.

    The difference is she won't wast her time.on.a money saving site when she has no interest in saving money a bit like yourself.

    @gerry1

    I can feel the waggy finger but I can quite rightly call my father a grumpy old person lol
    She should move if it's beneficial to her but 

    When you are trying to advice people who are 80 going on 50 you need to convince them as to why should we put the effort in to save what exactly

    Why do we need to ? 

    I'm on here mainly for the laughs although thankful to the bank switching board for helping me to make an extra £2.5k 


    The laughs come from how mole hills are made into mountains 
    Ah that lady is not for turning she's been with BG for over 60 years and they have always treated her right.

    I could reel off all the benefits to you and others either the next generations of your family or just for the health of the planet of getting a smart meter. If you want to PM me for a proper discussion but fear it might be just for laughs.

    Now back to Dad MFB well they are the generation that just appear not to care. They put their time in and are now getting some money out of the system and are comfortable so bit like yourself don't need to save money so they don't. Doesn't stop.me.trying.to convince him if the benefits both ecologically and to his pocket.
  • MikeJXE
    MikeJXE Posts: 3,864 Forumite
    1,000 Posts Third Anniversary Name Dropper
    MikeJXE said:
    MikeJXE said:
    MikeJXE said:
    I have dumb meters and can't see the advantages (FOR ME) of having a smart meter 

     ! Am a very low user, total costs about £800 per year dual fuel

    I live in a flat, don't want and couldn't afford an AV

    The gas meter is outside and the electric inside, opposite ends of the block so may not talk to each other 

     I would still physically read them every week like I do now as I can't trust either to not go faulty 

     I have lived here almost a year and not had a problem yet these boards are full of problems with smart meters 

     I'm not against them but can't see a reason to have one although there maybe times when I could save money on certain tariffs I don't want or need the hassle 


    People come here with problems to be solved so that's not surprising.

    The My meter works perfectly threads unsurprisingly don't exist.

    Where as we get equal smart and dumb meter issues.

    What hassle would you have over reading the meters as you do if they don't connect to each other whilst saving money on smart meter tariffs? What hassle is there?
    I dion't see many people on here with a dumb meter problem so I can't find the threads where smart and dumb are in equal portions 

    I don't have hassle reading my meters and wouldn't with a smart meter but thats not what they were designed for, reading them regularly would reveal any problem early if there was one

     I know what my bill is going to be within a few pence before Octopus do as per my spreadsheet 

    To get the best value out of energy is a bit like getting the best value out of savings 

     Thats where the hassle starts, there are savers on the savings boards moving funds consistently to get 0.01% better interest, maybe they have a million where it makes a big difference but I don't 

     I imagine energy users are keeping a close eye on small movements in TOU tariffs and moving suppliers is they can save a few pence, maybe they use a lot of energy, I don't 

     Yes I know it's a money saving site but I'm 83, I have limits o what I need to save, I  don't want or need the hassle of constantly checking for the best way of saving a few bob 


    At 83 you are comparable to my nan. She won't move from British Gas, not interested in anything new at her age and certainly won't want a replacement smart meter or know how it can help or save her money and no point explaining it to her.

    The difference is she won't wast her time.on.a money saving site when she has no interest in saving money a bit like yourself.

    @gerry1

    I can feel the waggy finger but I can quite rightly call my father a grumpy old person lol
    She should move if it's beneficial to her but 

    When you are trying to advice people who are 80 going on 50 you need to convince them as to why should we put the effort in to save what exactly

    Why do we need to ? 

    I'm on here mainly for the laughs although thankful to the bank switching board for helping me to make an extra £2.5k 


    The laughs come from how mole hills are made into mountains 
    Ah that lady is not for turning she's been with BG for over 60 years and they have always treated her right.

    I could reel off all the benefits to you and others either the next generations of your family or just for the health of the planet of getting a smart meter. If you want to PM me for a proper discussion but fear it might be just for laughs.

    Now back to Dad MFB well they are the generation that just appear not to care. They put their time in and are now getting some money out of the system and are comfortable so bit like yourself don't need to save money so they don't. Doesn't stop.me.trying.to convince him if the benefits both ecologically and to his pocket.
    I don't particularly want a discussion on the benefits of a smart meter I already roughly know them.

    I'm not against them but would't choose to have one as they would make little difference to me.

    As for saving the planet my contribution would be minuscule as would our countries compared to China, India, Russia and the USA. 

    Make a start by convincing them and then I will gladly join the band wagon 

    You may have more influence on the AV DISCUSSION board, there are thousands of pages how to get the most economic  car or tariff to charge, or even how to plan the journey so you don't run out of juice 

    Me I just fill up my ICE car and go 

    Simple 
  • Gerry1
    Gerry1 Posts: 10,849 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    edited 29 November 2023 at 10:39PM
    Another ageist post.
    Now back to Dad MFB well they are the generation that just appear not to care. They put their time in and are now getting some money out of the system and are comfortable so bit like yourself don't need to save money so they don't. Doesn't stop.me.trying.to convince him if the benefits both ecologically and to his pocket.
  • Gerry1 said:
    Another ageist post.
    Now back to Dad MFB well they are the generation that just appear not to care. They put their time in and are now getting some money out of the system and are comfortable so bit like yourself don't need to save money so they don't. Doesn't stop.me.trying.to convince him if the benefits both ecologically and to his pocket.
    I did that just for you Gerry loved the angry face 😘 
  • MikeJXE said:
    MikeJXE said:
    MikeJXE said:
    MikeJXE said:
    I have dumb meters and can't see the advantages (FOR ME) of having a smart meter 

     ! Am a very low user, total costs about £800 per year dual fuel

    I live in a flat, don't want and couldn't afford an AV

    The gas meter is outside and the electric inside, opposite ends of the block so may not talk to each other 

     I would still physically read them every week like I do now as I can't trust either to not go faulty 

     I have lived here almost a year and not had a problem yet these boards are full of problems with smart meters 

     I'm not against them but can't see a reason to have one although there maybe times when I could save money on certain tariffs I don't want or need the hassle 


    People come here with problems to be solved so that's not surprising.

    The My meter works perfectly threads unsurprisingly don't exist.

    Where as we get equal smart and dumb meter issues.

    What hassle would you have over reading the meters as you do if they don't connect to each other whilst saving money on smart meter tariffs? What hassle is there?
    I dion't see many people on here with a dumb meter problem so I can't find the threads where smart and dumb are in equal portions 

    I don't have hassle reading my meters and wouldn't with a smart meter but thats not what they were designed for, reading them regularly would reveal any problem early if there was one

     I know what my bill is going to be within a few pence before Octopus do as per my spreadsheet 

    To get the best value out of energy is a bit like getting the best value out of savings 

     Thats where the hassle starts, there are savers on the savings boards moving funds consistently to get 0.01% better interest, maybe they have a million where it makes a big difference but I don't 

     I imagine energy users are keeping a close eye on small movements in TOU tariffs and moving suppliers is they can save a few pence, maybe they use a lot of energy, I don't 

     Yes I know it's a money saving site but I'm 83, I have limits o what I need to save, I  don't want or need the hassle of constantly checking for the best way of saving a few bob 


    At 83 you are comparable to my nan. She won't move from British Gas, not interested in anything new at her age and certainly won't want a replacement smart meter or know how it can help or save her money and no point explaining it to her.

    The difference is she won't wast her time.on.a money saving site when she has no interest in saving money a bit like yourself.

    @gerry1

    I can feel the waggy finger but I can quite rightly call my father a grumpy old person lol
    She should move if it's beneficial to her but 

    When you are trying to advice people who are 80 going on 50 you need to convince them as to why should we put the effort in to save what exactly

    Why do we need to ? 

    I'm on here mainly for the laughs although thankful to the bank switching board for helping me to make an extra £2.5k 


    The laughs come from how mole hills are made into mountains 
    Ah that lady is not for turning she's been with BG for over 60 years and they have always treated her right.

    I could reel off all the benefits to you and others either the next generations of your family or just for the health of the planet of getting a smart meter. If you want to PM me for a proper discussion but fear it might be just for laughs.

    Now back to Dad MFB well they are the generation that just appear not to care. They put their time in and are now getting some money out of the system and are comfortable so bit like yourself don't need to save money so they don't. Doesn't stop.me.trying.to convince him if the benefits both ecologically and to his pocket.
    I don't particularly want a discussion on the benefits of a smart meter I already roughly know them.

    I'm not against them but would't choose to have one as they would make little difference to me.

    As for saving the planet my contribution would be minuscule as would our countries compared to China, India, Russia and the USA. 

    Make a start by convincing them and then I will gladly join the band wagon 

    You may have more influence on the AV DISCUSSION board, there are thousands of pages how to get the most economic  car or tariff to charge, or even how to plan the journey so you don't run out of juice 

    Me I just fill up my ICE car and go 

    Simple 
    Every little helps
  • debitcardmayhem
    debitcardmayhem Posts: 12,930 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    edited 29 November 2023 at 10:52PM
    MikeJXE said:
    Gerry1 said:
    The pseudodox said:
    I echo @MikeJXE above.  When it suits me I will have a SM but until then I just ignore all the emails & hype.  The number of problems reported on here I would expect are a very small percentage of SMs & I have no actual irrational fear of them.  But I live in a location which struggles with mobile signals so have doubts that a SM would communicate reliably.  Certainly I am not signing up for meters in winter - they say the gas & electric would only be off for a short time but I know someone who was disconnected half a day & then had a problem with their boiler not firing up.

    What really irks me is the approach taken by energy companies, selling them to me for all the wrong reasons -
    1. put an an end to estimated bills - never had one in 50 years
    2. no more having to read the meter. Well my morning routine is deactivate burglar alarm, check freezer is OK & read meters on wall above.  Takes less than 2 minutes.
    3. get control of usage & save money.  A SM will not make an iota of difference to my usage.  I am careful & keep my bills to what I can afford.  I maintain a spreadsheet, pay whole monthly bills which are always within a penny or three of my calculations.  Even when I do have a SM I will still read them & submit readings.  I don't need nannying!

    There should be more marketing emphasis on TOU tariff options, instead of that silly little man on the TV waving an IHD around - he is to blame for the number of posts here where people think that is their SM.  I would put the IHD somewhere where the sun don't shine if I ran into him!
    My father is just like Mike and yourself. Intelligent man but doesn't like other people telling him what he must have and doesn't like change as he gets older. I suspect a lot is grumpy old person syndrome and that rings true on this forum.
    Ageist post.


    lol You're funny, not 

    I'm not grumpy and never have been, I take it as it comes and say it as it is

    I might be 83 but not stuck in the past. I drive a Jag, use a MacBook Pro; iPad and iPhone every day, I'm not rich either, I live on my state pension and rent a 1 bed flat 

    I keep an eye on new gadgets, Alexa controls my heating and lighting *

    I use whatsapp and help where I can on the techie boards 

    I don't own anything that is more than 7 years old, I have everything I need and nothing I don't **
    Tomorrow I will visit Tesco to do my shop, I have a new plan, I will buy a bunch of flowers and give them to a random staff member just to say happy Christmas 

    I try to do things like that to see smiles in hard times ***

    Why not ?


    * What not siri....
    ** New dentures perhaps
    ***  😊😁😍
    Yeah I'm not funny either but hey then I  have 11 years less than you, Merry Christmas  Mike 🎄
    p.s. Read my sig, yes I am grumpy 😎
    4.8kWp 12x400W Longhi 9.6 kWh battery Giv-hy 5.0 Inverter, WSW facing Essex . Aint no sunshine ☀️ Octopus gas fixed dec 24 @ 5.74 tracker again+ Octopus Intelligent Flux leccy
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