First Utility/Siemens Smart Meter. How does it work?

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  • AlanMcDonald
    AlanMcDonald Posts: 1 Newbie
    As a dual fuel user a smart meter is of absolutely no use to ME (the customer) as I will still have to go outside the house to provide the gas readings. So I will be selecting the "traditional" meter option.

    As for the way the FU manage accounts - woeful.
    They have just announced a doubling of my monthly payment despite only having 6 months of usage history and my account being in CREDIT at the end of the WINTER period. Ignoring my specific, written, instructions they have taken one payment at this higher level - Customer services don't see it as a problem!!
    My DD is now cancelled and I await an acceptable response to my Formal complaint before I will pay another penny - perhaps if we all refused to pay they would get their act together.
  • System
    System Posts: 178,093 Community Admin
    Photogenic Name Dropper First Post
    zolablue25 wrote: »
    Hi

    We are having Siemens smart meter fitted next week as part of First Utilities requirement to fit these to all customers' supplies. Apparently they send meter readings back to FU every half hour. My question is...how do they do that? I have tried to find the information but have so far drawn a blank. Whilst I am happy to have a smart meter fitted in the vain hope I will actually save energy, I am concerned that these data bursts will interfere with my wifi or with the mains data transmitters that I use. Is this a reasonable concern?

    Any help gratefully received.

    To return to the OP's question. This is from the Smart Meter GB website:

    Will other wireless devices intefere with my smart meter in-home display?

    It is possible for other wireless devices operating on the same frequency (like some home routers) to interfere with the signal from your smart meter to your smart meter in-home display, although your data will always be protected. If this happens, try using your smart meter in-home display in different positions within your home, or moving it closer to the meter itself, to see where it works best.

    Anybody who knows anything about Sonos and Sky Q meshes will tell you that there is always the possibility of co-channel wifi interference when there is a plethora of devices operating in close proximity and in the same wifi band.

    AFAIK, smart meters store data to cope with mobile interference or outages. The real worry though - which GCHQ is now addressing - is meter security. This is worth a quick read:

    http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2451793/gchq-intervenes-to-prevent-catastrophically-insecure-uk-smart-meter-plan
  • System
    System Posts: 178,093 Community Admin
    Photogenic Name Dropper First Post
    Candy53 wrote: »
    Would they check an area's signal strength before deciding whether to fit one?

    We live in a village, where our signal is slow, and intermittant. Some days are worse than others. The small masts around here regularly go down. I'm just wondering how that would affect transferring usage data, when we are forced to have one fitted.

    Under present UK Law, you will not be forced to accept a smart meter. Part of the installation process is to check connectivity before undertaking the installation. That said, connectivity is not the same as walking around looking for a mobile signal so that you can make a call.

    How do Smart Meters send data?

    A Smart Meter sends data through the Wide Area Network (WAN) to the company responsible for collecting the data and passing it on to other businesses such as suppliers; this company will usually be the DCC (Data Communications Company) which the government has set up especially for this role. Depending on the Communications Service Provider, which varies by areas of the UK, the technology can change depending on what works best in a local area. Sometimes your meter will communicate directly with DCC and sometimes it will talk through meters around you to step to a meter which has direct communications with DCC. This form of communications looks like a mesh when you draw out the links between meters and is known as a Mesh.
  • btr30
    btr30 Posts: 145 Forumite
    First Post First Anniversary Combo Breaker
    I had my First Utility / Siemens electricity smart meter installed last week. Ironic that I have now switched to the EDF MSE Collective tariff, so won't benefit from the smart features.
    The installation was tidy and pain free, and engineer advised that they were now contracted to roll out smart gas meters, though obviously not for me.
    I think that smart meters will only change behaviour if time of day unit pricing tariffs are introduced, so that cheap night wind power is priced more attractively than peak load gas power for the domestic user
  • Rubidium
    Rubidium Posts: 663 Forumite
    First Post
    Hengus wrote: »
    The real worry though - which GCHQ is now addressing - is meter security. This is worth a quick read:

    http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2451793/gchq-intervenes-to-prevent-catastrophically-insecure-uk-smart-meter-plan

    This shows that the introduction of smart meters in the UK is an absolute farce!

    How much more cost and delay will this add to the roll out.

    You couldn't make it up!

    :mad:
  • buglawton
    buglawton Posts: 9,235 Forumite
    Name Dropper First Anniversary First Post
    btr30 wrote: »
    I had my First Utility / Siemens electricity smart meter installed last week. Ironic that I have now switched to the EDF MSE Collective tariff, so won't benefit from the smart features.
    The installation was tidy and pain free, and engineer advised that they were now contracted to roll out smart gas meters, though obviously not for me.
    I think that smart meters will only change behaviour if time of day unit pricing tariffs are introduced, so that cheap night wind power is priced more attractively than peak load gas power for the domestic user
    Lack of ability to port smartmeters across any supplier is the single reason I won't go near them. Waiting for the full national roll out of smartmeters when that question must finally be faced by the industry.
  • buglawton
    buglawton Posts: 9,235 Forumite
    Name Dropper First Anniversary First Post
    bulltoad wrote: »
    I am due to have one of these meter's fitted, and after reading this thread I'm thinking that if I made a short call from my mobile every half hour forevermore this would have a substantial energy cost.
    Why would an energy provider need to know such extensive details of my usage, I would think every 3 to 4 hours would be more than enough information on my home life.
    Before worrying about that, count the number of devices in your home on standby, and the number of gadgets that need charging daily. And think that the data collection energy will equal a few seconds kettle boiling or heating on a fraction of a degree higher.
    The idea of smart meters is to offer the ability to encourage lower electricity usage at critical moments of the day, eventually even your fridge could be paused during such time windows. For that purpose even 15 minute intervals might be best. As for lack of privacy, think street cameras and number plate recognition issues or Google Street View, not different really.
  • System
    System Posts: 178,093 Community Admin
    Photogenic Name Dropper First Post
    bulltoad wrote: »
    I am due to have one of these meter's fitted, and after reading this thread I'm thinking that if I made a short call from my mobile every half hour forevermore this would have a substantial energy cost.
    Why would an energy provider need to know such extensive details of my usage, I would think every 3 to 4 hours would be more than enough information on my home life.

    I think that we all near to be clear that the primary aim of smart metering is the management of the National power grid in a smarter way than has been possible to date. This may be achieved through ToU tariffs but more likely, in future years, through demand based tariffs. Europe already has 15 minute meter reading and wants this standard adopted across the EU nations. Watch this space.

    http://www.thegwpf.com/more-green-madness-11-billion-smart-meter-programme-in-chaos/
  • buglawton
    buglawton Posts: 9,235 Forumite
    Name Dropper First Anniversary First Post
    Looks like the UK smart metering program with it's 30 min intervals is lower spec than rest of EU. Just like our DAB radio is lower spec looks like.
  • angelam13
    angelam13 Posts: 1 Newbie
    For those complaining about the half hourly meter reading I don't understand why. I'm getting one fitted and as the letter states you can change the option to send it Monthly or Half hourly so just go and change it. It also says that by doing it half hourly you get the full benefits of the 'My Energy' features from your online account but I haven't checked this out yet so I will use the monthly option.
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