Smart Meters

FreeBear

Ayr_Rage said: If you have gas get that changed too, the much maligned IHD showed me that I had left my gas hob on a very low setting after cooking my peas when I had turned the knob the wrong way.

If you are with Octopus and get one of their Home Mini devices, you can pull the usage data in (almost) real time. Import it in to a spreadsheet, and you can produce fancy graphs showing usage throughout the day.

I'm using the data from gas consumption to work out how efficiently my gas boiler is running. Some days, getting 96%, others, a measly 88%. On average, it looks like I'm hitting 92-94%.

EssexHebridean

outlaw777 said:

I have always been told to avoid smart meters however have been sent a letter from my supplier that my old meter is going to be discontinued as that I must install a new smart meter now, please advise what are peoples experience on here once switching to a smart meter?

Having been for various reasons stuck on old style meters in our previous home, I was delighted when we moved to our new place to find there were smart meters already installed - and SMETS 2 ones at that, the current model being fitted. It made monitoring energy use in a new property so much easier for a start, we were able to track down easily for example where there were old 50w GU10 bulbs in various places that needed changing! Smart meters also open up a full range of tariffs to you to be available - giving options to make savings simply by being able to use electricity at a time when rates are cheaper. 

Other advantages are that if something is left on, or develops a fault, it may be possible to spot that easily, saving money and even reducing the possibility of damage being caused - although the In Home Displays are of limited use in terms of monitoring costs, they DO some in handy as an easy visual check that your use is as you would expect at any given time! 

Twopenny's post puts it well - it increases your choice, and enables you to react more effectively to things. 

Possible issues include the IHD not connecting (doesn't affect the actual meter itself though) or the meter not communicating with the supplier (doesn't affect the actual metering of the energy used, just means you have to continue as now with monthly readings and that some smart tariffs may not be available to you - so essentially you would be no worse off than currently)

outlaw777

Thanks everyone for helping.

bob2302

FreeBear said:

Ayr_Rage said: If you have gas get that changed too, the much maligned IHD showed me that I had left my gas hob on a very low setting after cooking my peas when I had turned the knob the wrong way.

If you are with Octopus and get one of their Home Mini devices, you can pull the usage data in (almost) real time. Import it in to a spreadsheet, and you can produce fancy graphs showing usage throughout the day.

I'm using the data from gas consumption to work out how efficiently my gas boiler is running. Some days, getting 96%, others, a measly 88%. On average, it looks like I'm hitting 92-94%.

How can you work out the efficiency from how much gas is being used? 

MeteredOut

bob2302 said:

FreeBear said:

Ayr_Rage said: If you have gas get that changed too, the much maligned IHD showed me that I had left my gas hob on a very low setting after cooking my peas when I had turned the knob the wrong way.

If you are with Octopus and get one of their Home Mini devices, you can pull the usage data in (almost) real time. Import it in to a spreadsheet, and you can produce fancy graphs showing usage throughout the day.

I'm using the data from gas consumption to work out how efficiently my gas boiler is running. Some days, getting 96%, others, a measly 88%. On average, it looks like I'm hitting 92-94%.

How can you work out the efficiency from how much gas is being used? 

I'm guessing that, in theory, if you know the heat loss from your house envelope (and assume it is constant) and you know the total area of the house being heated, you can use that, alongside the change in temperatures for each part of that total area to determine the kWh used to heat that totality. And then, compare that to the kWh used by the boiler.

But, there's so many places where those readings could be inaccurate (eg, humans will absorb heat and also emit heat, doors will be opened and closed, temperature readings will be off), I too would be interested to how it is really being calculated.

matt_drummer

bob2302 said:

FreeBear said:

Ayr_Rage said: If you have gas get that changed too, the much maligned IHD showed me that I had left my gas hob on a very low setting after cooking my peas when I had turned the knob the wrong way.

If you are with Octopus and get one of their Home Mini devices, you can pull the usage data in (almost) real time. Import it in to a spreadsheet, and you can produce fancy graphs showing usage throughout the day.

I'm using the data from gas consumption to work out how efficiently my gas boiler is running. Some days, getting 96%, others, a measly 88%. On average, it looks like I'm hitting 92-94%.

How can you work out the efficiency from how much gas is being used? 

They have a heat meter fitted.

MeteredOut

matt_drummer said:

bob2302 said:

FreeBear said:

Ayr_Rage said: If you have gas get that changed too, the much maligned IHD showed me that I had left my gas hob on a very low setting after cooking my peas when I had turned the knob the wrong way.

If you are with Octopus and get one of their Home Mini devices, you can pull the usage data in (almost) real time. Import it in to a spreadsheet, and you can produce fancy graphs showing usage throughout the day.

I'm using the data from gas consumption to work out how efficiently my gas boiler is running. Some days, getting 96%, others, a measly 88%. On average, it looks like I'm hitting 92-94%.

How can you work out the efficiency from how much gas is being used? 

They have a heat meter fitted.

Ah, so calculated from differential between the heat of the water flowing out of the boiler versus the return flow temperature?

matt_drummer

MeteredOut said:

matt_drummer said:

bob2302 said:

FreeBear said:

Ayr_Rage said: If you have gas get that changed too, the much maligned IHD showed me that I had left my gas hob on a very low setting after cooking my peas when I had turned the knob the wrong way.

If you are with Octopus and get one of their Home Mini devices, you can pull the usage data in (almost) real time. Import it in to a spreadsheet, and you can produce fancy graphs showing usage throughout the day.

I'm using the data from gas consumption to work out how efficiently my gas boiler is running. Some days, getting 96%, others, a measly 88%. On average, it looks like I'm hitting 92-94%.

How can you work out the efficiency from how much gas is being used? 

They have a heat meter fitted.

Ah, so calculated from differential between the heat of the water flowing out of the boiler versus the return flow temperature?

Yes, from the in and out temperature and the flow rate you can calculate the heat produced.

I have one on my heat pump together with an electricity meter.

It allows you to calculate the efficiency.

The same applies if you know the gas usage and the heat produced.