Shopping & Style1 min ago
Have You Got A Smart Meter.
13 Answers
I haven't and I will not let the greedy utility companies install one. It now seems that the reason for their development was to trick the consumer once again.
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Hogwash. Complete hogwash. Stop believing all of what you read in the Daily Wail.
Electricity already costs far more in the commercial sector around the times of peak usage - early evenings. Its a simple case of supply and demand. Commercial companies have had their electricity priced around half-hour slots since the market opened up.
Domestic consumers are insulated from this variability and pay an average that means they are charged LESS when the demand is high, but charged MORE at other times (i.e. most of the day/night).
By extending this variable charging regime to domestic consumers, UK as a nation can do a better job at avoiding the worst of the peaks, by dissuading domestic consumers from switching on appliances when the peaks are present. Every little helps. In turn this helps avoid the UK having to invest in more electricity supply infrastructure to cope with the peak demands, as the peaks will fall back a bit.
Overall customers will not pay more by doing this - only those who persist in running their washing machines between 5pm and 6pm in the evenings. The Regulator will see to that.
Electricity already costs far more in the commercial sector around the times of peak usage - early evenings. Its a simple case of supply and demand. Commercial companies have had their electricity priced around half-hour slots since the market opened up.
Domestic consumers are insulated from this variability and pay an average that means they are charged LESS when the demand is high, but charged MORE at other times (i.e. most of the day/night).
By extending this variable charging regime to domestic consumers, UK as a nation can do a better job at avoiding the worst of the peaks, by dissuading domestic consumers from switching on appliances when the peaks are present. Every little helps. In turn this helps avoid the UK having to invest in more electricity supply infrastructure to cope with the peak demands, as the peaks will fall back a bit.
Overall customers will not pay more by doing this - only those who persist in running their washing machines between 5pm and 6pm in the evenings. The Regulator will see to that.
//- only those who persist in running their washing machines between 5pm and 6pm in the evenings.//
Or turn on the heating, or have a bath/shower, or turn on the TV, or turn on the cooker, or turn on the lights. Prices to rise 99% at peak times and be reduced by 4% during the day and 31% at night. Yo would note that I posted the Mail weblink because it is less convoluted than the Teleghraphs article.
Or turn on the heating, or have a bath/shower, or turn on the TV, or turn on the cooker, or turn on the lights. Prices to rise 99% at peak times and be reduced by 4% during the day and 31% at night. Yo would note that I posted the Mail weblink because it is less convoluted than the Teleghraphs article.
//Energy and utility companies in the UK are beginning to advertise this programme in advance of a full, nationwide roll-out in autumn 2015. A British Gas advert promoting ‘Smart’ Meters is currently being screened in the UK and is shown below. It includes a futuristic animation depicting domestic bliss with a comforting voice-over. The ad draws its audience in using terms such as ‘upgrade’, ‘transform’, ‘revolutionise’, ‘leading the way’, ‘helping our customers’, ‘enjoy the benefits’, and ‘looking after your world’. No mention is made of ‘higher bills’, ‘chronic radiation’, ‘privacy loss’, ‘home insecurity’, ‘remote disconnects’, ‘hackers’, ‘behavioural modeling & analysis’, ‘profit’ or ‘institutional shareholders’. And there is no mention of the fact that Ofgem has confirmed that British Gas is misleading customers about ‘Smart’ Meters.// - See more at: http://
A piece from the first link I posted. Note NOT a Mail report.
A piece from the first link I posted. Note NOT a Mail report.
//‘higher bills’, ‘chronic radiation’, ‘privacy loss’, ‘home insecurity’, ‘remote disconnects’, ‘hackers’, ‘behavioural modeling & analysis’, ‘profit’ or ‘institutional shareholders’.
A nice piece of selective use of data, Togo. Advertisers do it all the time.
'higher bills'. Maybe, but in line with electricity supply generating costs. Regulators role is to analyse and control this, but then you probably don't believe that either. Are you perhaps one of those who believe that solar panels and wind-power are the best thing since sliced-bread? They may be, but the electricity they generate sure costs more per unit, because of the capital cost of the installation.
'chronic radiation' - oh yeah? - have you got wi-fi in your house, or stuff a mobile phone in your ear every day. Far higher radiation output levels in fry your brain from these.
I could go on. You are clearly not a fan of these, but incapable or unwilling of presenting a balanced picture.
Sticking to basics (the main thrust of my first reply), it is good for UK plc if a method can be found of reducing demand at times of high usage. To do so, reduces the need to invest in as much generating capacity as would otherwise be required (determined through that good old phrase above 'behavioural modelling' - aka - when people take a shower or switch the kettle on). Industry has long since been managed in this way, and now technological advances (aka smart meters) enables the same principles to be extended to millions of other users - domestic customers.
A good idea.
A nice piece of selective use of data, Togo. Advertisers do it all the time.
'higher bills'. Maybe, but in line with electricity supply generating costs. Regulators role is to analyse and control this, but then you probably don't believe that either. Are you perhaps one of those who believe that solar panels and wind-power are the best thing since sliced-bread? They may be, but the electricity they generate sure costs more per unit, because of the capital cost of the installation.
'chronic radiation' - oh yeah? - have you got wi-fi in your house, or stuff a mobile phone in your ear every day. Far higher radiation output levels in fry your brain from these.
I could go on. You are clearly not a fan of these, but incapable or unwilling of presenting a balanced picture.
Sticking to basics (the main thrust of my first reply), it is good for UK plc if a method can be found of reducing demand at times of high usage. To do so, reduces the need to invest in as much generating capacity as would otherwise be required (determined through that good old phrase above 'behavioural modelling' - aka - when people take a shower or switch the kettle on). Industry has long since been managed in this way, and now technological advances (aka smart meters) enables the same principles to be extended to millions of other users - domestic customers.
A good idea.
Like so many on here (who one could identify but I won't), you asked an unbalanced question. You appeared not to want a true debate, using words like 'greedy' and 'trick the customer' in your original question. The implication appeared to me to push your own viewpoint using a well-known and (IMHO) biased daily publication that is well-known for doing this.
Since I know rather more than the average person about the way this industry works, on this occasion I decided to redress some of the balance for our avid readership to make their own mind up.
Clearly, the lack of general interest seems to mean they don't care anyway.
No, I don't have a smart meter, nor will ask for one unless given an incentive to do so.
But I have sought to protect myself from the (inevitable - IMHO) supply shortfall that is going to happen sometime soon early evening, when the lights will start going out through selective imposed cuts in demand. It's pity you can't see the benefit these meters could bring, in reducing the peak demand.
Since I know rather more than the average person about the way this industry works, on this occasion I decided to redress some of the balance for our avid readership to make their own mind up.
Clearly, the lack of general interest seems to mean they don't care anyway.
No, I don't have a smart meter, nor will ask for one unless given an incentive to do so.
But I have sought to protect myself from the (inevitable - IMHO) supply shortfall that is going to happen sometime soon early evening, when the lights will start going out through selective imposed cuts in demand. It's pity you can't see the benefit these meters could bring, in reducing the peak demand.
//But I have sought to protect myself from the (inevitable - IMHO) supply shortfall that is going to happen sometime soon early evening, when the lights will start going out through selective imposed cuts in demand.//
Ahh we cut to the chase. Shortfalls are inevitable, perhaps due to the 'green policy' decisions taken. All for our own good of course, but only benefiting the greedy suppliers as usual. The smart meter being just another of their tools to come up with even more exciting and unfathomable ways to punish the consumer.
Ahh we cut to the chase. Shortfalls are inevitable, perhaps due to the 'green policy' decisions taken. All for our own good of course, but only benefiting the greedy suppliers as usual. The smart meter being just another of their tools to come up with even more exciting and unfathomable ways to punish the consumer.
No, shortfalls are inevitable because the UK Government (Labour for umpteen years, then the coalition for the last 5) failed to invest in enough new generating infrastructure when it was known that coal was dirty (and Governments had signed up to CO2 reduction targets) and existing nuclear stations were coming to the end of their life, whilst new ones were in the 'too difficult politically' category. THAT'S why we don't have enough capacity reserve now - the political sins of the last 15 years (approximately).
The COSTS are going up because successive Governments (both flavours) want to include the capital cost of the plant that generates electricity (over the expected life of the plant) in what the customer pays for the electricity. In the good old days of the CEGB, they (aka Government) built the stations and you and I merely paid for the cost of generating/supplying the product - electricity.
Thus wind-farms and solar - which are hugely capital intensive but the electricity costs little to generate (wind, sun = free, at source), and are now becoming an ever-increasing proportion of our energy generating mix, have capital subsidies attached which push up the average unit cost (kWh).
You're still getting stuck over the 'greedy supplier' bit. Role of the Regulator may not be perfect but I reckon they do a decent job at managing such behaviour.
The COSTS are going up because successive Governments (both flavours) want to include the capital cost of the plant that generates electricity (over the expected life of the plant) in what the customer pays for the electricity. In the good old days of the CEGB, they (aka Government) built the stations and you and I merely paid for the cost of generating/supplying the product - electricity.
Thus wind-farms and solar - which are hugely capital intensive but the electricity costs little to generate (wind, sun = free, at source), and are now becoming an ever-increasing proportion of our energy generating mix, have capital subsidies attached which push up the average unit cost (kWh).
You're still getting stuck over the 'greedy supplier' bit. Role of the Regulator may not be perfect but I reckon they do a decent job at managing such behaviour.
From Togo's link > In the future the ‘Smart’ Meter gives the utility companies the ability to set tariffs for usage at different times of the day (ie: ‘green’ or carbon taxes) so that you may be charged more at peak times for your energy. It also gives the utility companies the capability of turning off your supply remotely – possibly after exceeding some kind of quota.
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