Smart Meters

[dwil]

I know electricity companies are desperate to install smart meters. When they say your meter has reached the end of its life and they need to replace it with a new one. Is this a ploy or will my meter suddenly stop working?

[Canary42]

Unlikely to stop working, but may become inaccurate (whether to your benefit or theirs I don't know).

[Togo]

It is the latest ploy to force you to accept the intrusion. Tell your supplier that you require a copy of the Manufacturers Official End of Life Certificate for the meter in case you need future legal advice, and that you refuse permission for them to collect or use your data. 

[davebro3]

just get one and stop faffing about....

[newmodarmy]

Togo- are you also against your bank monitoring your transactions and bank balance, or your mobile phone provider having keeping track of your usage? I struggle to see a  difference

[ladybirder]

I have them and they're fine, no problem at all.  My understanding is they will become law soon but whether that might change now we no longer have a Tory government I don't know.

[ladybirder]

Oh and you can check them yourself if you are worried about them.

[Old_Geezer]

Massive difference. Phone companies are not a monopoly so can't just cut you off from their cosy office, or restrict when you use your phone. The bank doesn't know where I spend my cash. 

[davebro3]

I didn't know home energy providers were a monopoly. And the bank knows where you spend your cash unless you draw cash & pay all your bills in cash.

[davebro3]

bloomin conspiracy theorists...

[Old_Geezer]

In as much as being able to find one not wanting to monitor & control you, they basically are. People vote to be controlled when they allow allow companies to fit these things. And it isn't a conspiracy theory, it is the obvious risk of allowing such things.

[Vagus]

I don't know the answer to your question dwil, but having a smart meter has allowed us to charge my electric car for an hour, three times in the last two weeks, completely free. Without a smart meter knowing when our usage happens, we wouldn't have received an email telling us what time the free hourly periods were.

To put it another way, we have have obtained 135 miles of driving absolutely free...what's not to like?

[davebro3]

//it is the obvious risk of allowing such things.//

that boat has sailed sunshine - millions of homes in the UK, Europe & possibly worldwide have smart meters.

I can lend you a sledge hammer if you want to go around smashing other 21st century inventions...

[Arrods]

We had a Smart meter installed on 5 July after being told that our existing one (which I gather uses a radio signal to switch between night and day rate) would not work from 2025.

We're now just waiting for the meter to work properly.

[ToraToraTora]

why such a fuss, smart meters are great save a lot of agro.

[ladybirder]

OG you don't seem to like anything new.

[barry1010]

My smart meter has saved me a fair bit of money.  

[Vagus]

How Barry?

[Canary42]

I presume that folk who need smart meters to track their energy consumption also need smart watches to tell the time. 

[barry1010]

I now know that it is much cheaper to set my washing machine to 40 cotton than any other cycle (the 20 minute quick cycle isn't cheap); my main oven isn't as expensive to use as I thought, much cheaper than the figures given in those comparisons with air fryers; my induction hob is cheaper than the electric kettle; the eco setting on my dishwasher uses half the electricity of the regular cycle....it all adds up.

[barry1010]

You presume wrong, canary