What Is The Situation With Smart Meter Installation?

[OldChestNuts]

Are the Smart meter still causing problem when you change supplier and does it still causes lots of issues taking readings?

Scottish Power asked to be put on Smart meter today. I am reluctant as I heard from people that it causes them problem when trying to change from one supplier to another.

Any Smart meter users can share their stories please before I commit myself to Smart meter.

[youngmafbog]

Personally I have refused to have one.

Yet another spying tool.

[emmie]

i have one and it has saved me from having meter readers in.

[dannyk13]

I changed from E-on to Octopus without any problems.

[jadyn]

The only people that gain from smart meter installation is your electricity supplier. Close observation of your electricity consumption should allow you to monitor your consumption without such a device. Ask yourself how we all did it before smart meters came on the scene.
I've refused because I don't like the idea of my supplier being able to cut me off remotely from some control centre without any warning. The meters allow them to do this and whilst I've heard all the stories about them only doing during times of national crisis etc, they can also do it if you don't pay your bill. Is that really fair?
So called SMET 2 meters are not always compatible when you transfer to another supplier despite the assurances given by the suppliers.
Until I enter my dotage, I'll continue to submit my meter reading monthly to my supplier and keep control of my electricity. I find it truly appalling that suppliers offer preferential tariffs to customers who sign up to having a smart meter installed without the customer being aware of the advantages or disadvantages of the devices.
You have control over your consumption: if something costs too much to run, switch it off. Likewise, turn thermostats down etc. Government advertising campaigns told us years ago how to save on fuel costs. Can we not do the same these days?

[kwillmott]

You don't have a 'Smart' installed. They need meter reading so as long as you email meter reading regularly before the bill due date.
Plus pay the bill they don't require it.
If you have not paid your bill they can apply to the court to get one installed. They won't send a meter reader round.

https://smarterbusiness.co.uk/blogs/is-it-compulsory-to-have-a-smart-meter-installed/

[jadyn]

The other thing that you may not be aware of is that the supplier can change your tariff without your knowledge. They may indeed contact you by email etc to offer to put you on another tariff that they consider will be preferential for you but there are people out there who never gave their consent for the change.

[bednobs]

if you dont pay your bills you can expect exactly the same treatment as if you were on a normal meter and didnt pay your bills. They would still get a court order to cut you off. It is inconceivable that it would happen "without any warning" as part of the pre-abmle to cutting someone off is a home visit to assess your circumstances. I don't understand why jadyn would expect to receive a service (and continue to receive a service) if he doesn't want to pay for it. If you dont pay it's right (IMHO) that they would move to cut you off! I cant understand the attitude of "i want the service but if i dont pay for it, im going to make it as difficult as possible for you to do anything about it"
Lastly, in times of national crisis, legislation is ALREADY in place for diverting power and if the milliatary/hospital (or whatever other national crisis you can think of) needed it i would hope that it would be easy to do!

[theshedman]

We are on our providers lowest tariff EON and we don't have a smart meter. They said when we renewed our tariff that they had to offer us a smart meter but we didn't have to agree to have one. I told them I may consider one when all the niggles have been sorted out with them. I know of a few people who have had them and they had problems which I told my supplier and they didn't argue with what I said to them including my late mother's who's meter kept tripping the electric as it had been fitted wrongly and another where the meter was going backwards. Most of the problems have either been with the fitting or they were the older ones and my supplier couldn't guarantee that I would be given a newer type.

[davebro]

I have smart meters with Shell & have had no problems. I guess if/when I change supplier they may become redundant but you can still access & send in readings if necessary.

[davebro]

"I find it truly appalling that suppliers offer preferential tariffs to customers who sign up to having a smart meter installed without the customer being aware of the advantages or disadvantages of the devices."

The Gumment has set targets for suppliers to install smart meters. Offering preferential tariffs is their way of trying to meet the targets (the carrot).

[youngmafbog]

The problem some have with these meters is that in the future it will be possible to switch off any household or group of households if electricity becomes short, which, if Johnson continues down his current destructive path will happen as there is not enough electricity capacity as it is without all the electric cars heating pumps no gas etc.

Another problem is that they can track when and how much you use. Again the fear is that in the future they will charge different rates throughout the day, this 'conspiracy theory' is actually quite feasible given the above para.

The overall problem is, as we see time and time again, is give someone a bit of power and they abuse it. See Councils and Police as current examples.

[barry1010]

No problems with mine, the ones they supply now will work with any supplier

[jadyn]

Bednobs, who said anything about not wanting to pay for a service? Picture a pensioner suddenly admitted to hospital and transferred to a care home for months. Picture an individual who has had to go to attend to a relative miles away and leaves the house unoccupied. Are you telling me that everyone is wise enough to explain this to the electricity company before they depart. They'd really get far with a court order wouldn't they?There but for the grace of God ...

davebro, you are right but I'd like to think that everyone was aware of this underhand way of convincing the public to have a meter installed. It just shows how much flexibility the energy providers have in offering lower tariff. Why not be truly charitable and offer a lower tariff to all pensioners for example?

[barry1010]

Young, if we are in such dire straits as they need to cut off supply they will whether you have a smart meter or not, as they did in the 70s. Otherwise they will need a court order exactly as they do now. They want to sell electricity and they can't do that if they've cut you off. The positive is they will never cut your supply off if you need electrically powered life saving equipment even if the rest of the street is cut off.

[bluemoon1]

I love mine, but I live alone, if I was cohabiting the others would hate it because I'd watch it like a hawk. :-)

[bednobs]

i dunno if you've even been in the process of being cut off but you are looking at at least six months - if you haven't sorted it out in six months, when would you?

[OldChestNuts]

I am currently on variable rate with Scottish Power. The bill is currently paid via direct debit and I provide monthly meter readings.

I don't have an issue with this arrangement. I just looked into installation of the Smart meter on the web, a few articles seems to suggest if they haven't installed properly, they can cause fire. This is the last thing I want. So I won't be having it installed.

And people are correct saying that they can remotely control and monitor your meter. I will be the last person to have it install.

[bednobs]

ps if you had a traditional meter and needed to go into a care home, pr look after someone away from home and didnt sort your bills, you would still get cut off byy the same process - having a traditional meter does not confer any additional protection

[New Judge]

//They would still get a court order to cut you off.//

They don't do that with domestic customers, bednobs. Ofgem's Code of Practice for energy suppliers actually prohibits the disconnection of supply in occupied domestic premises. What they do is apply to the Magistrates' Court for a warrant of entry. Before that is granted the Magistrates will need to be satisfied that there are good reasons for requiring entry and that the vulnerabilities of anybody living there have been assessed.

When they have used the warrant to gain entry they will fit a pre-payment meter. This will be set to pay for the current usage and an amount to recover any monies owed.

[johnny.5]

they slow down your wifi
or more accurately
use some of your wifi signal reducing what is left available for other devices