Smart meters - what's the current thinking?

Smart meters - what's the current thinking?

Author
Discussion

Riley Blue

Original Poster:

20,915 posts

225 months

Monday 17th October 2016
quotequote all
My energy supplier, Scottish Power, has invited me to have a smart meter fitted. Most of the comments I've read on PH (the search facility worked!) are around a year old so has anything changed in the last twelve months? I understand that the early smart meters may lose their 'smart' features if supplier is changed. Are current versions different or should I wait or not have one at all?

User experiences welcome, especially from anyone who has changed supplier - thanks.

MDMA .

8,849 posts

100 months

Monday 17th October 2016
quotequote all
you do away with estimated bills. if that's what you want, get one fitted.

softtop

3,048 posts

246 months

Monday 17th October 2016
quotequote all
these will only drive up your costs earlier than everybody else. The benefit is to the supplier and not the consumer.

V8mate

45,899 posts

188 months

Monday 17th October 2016
quotequote all
MDMA . said:
you do away with estimated bills. if that's what you want, get one fitted.
Yeah, but the Chinese will be monitoring his entire house and downloading his children and stuff!

eybic

9,212 posts

173 months

Monday 17th October 2016
quotequote all
softtop said:
these will only drive up your costs earlier than everybody else. The benefit is to the supplier and not the consumer.
Is that actually the case? I had a water meter fitted and saved around £200 a year.

PurpleTurtle

6,940 posts

143 months

Monday 17th October 2016
quotequote all
V8mate said:
MDMA . said:
you do away with estimated bills. if that's what you want, get one fitted.
Yeah, but the Chinese will be monitoring his entire house and downloading his children and stuff!
The Sunday Times were rolling out that story yesterday. Remote shutdowns of entire towns and cities etc etc

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/chinese-link-as-...

Personally I see that as scaremongering. I see the benefit to the Utility Co only (cutting meter reading costs) but very cynical about the cost savings being passed on to the consumer. However, my wife leaves every single light on so am considering getting one to show her how much money we are wasting!

Andehh

7,107 posts

205 months

Monday 17th October 2016
quotequote all
I'm hoping to get one actually - but can't as i'm not with someone who offers them. I understand the worry about future tariffs/restrictions/remote shut off etc but they could force that on you without Smart Meters to be honest.

I don't see it as saving me much money, short of being more careful about what stuff is left on & what uses more background power but for the accurate, real time bills, the benefits out way the potential risks IMO.

dxg

8,121 posts

259 months

Monday 17th October 2016
quotequote all
I want one. I like data.

I have asked for one to be fitted twice. And have been ignored twice. I guess e-on had hit their targets on those particular months (over a year apart)...


Hmmm. I think I'll ask again.

V8mate

45,899 posts

188 months

Monday 17th October 2016
quotequote all
Andehh said:
I'm hoping to get one actually - but can't as i'm not with someone who offers them. I understand the worry about future tariffs/restrictions/remote shut off etc but they could force that on you without Smart Meters to be honest.

I don't see it as saving me much money, short of being more careful about what stuff is left on & what uses more background power but for the accurate, real time bills, the benefits out way the potential risks IMO.
Given that most people pay a flat monthly DD to avoid the seasonal peaks and troughs of usage, are 'accurate, real time bills' really that beneficial?

Jaguar steve

9,232 posts

209 months

Monday 17th October 2016
quotequote all
Why would you want one though?

Surely if you're aware enough not to waste energy in the first place and keep on top of bills by semi regular switching to stop your existing supplier screwing you once whatever introductory deal they sucked you in with expires and provide your own meter readings two or three times a year to avoid estimated bills then it doesn't really matter how much gas or electricity you're using. You just use what you need to use and that's the end of.

Or am I missing something here?

richard_86

8 posts

97 months

Monday 17th October 2016
quotequote all
PurpleTurtle said:
The Sunday Times were rolling out that story yesterday. Remote shutdowns of entire towns and cities etc etc

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/chinese-link-as-...

Personally I see that as scaremongering. I see the benefit to the Utility Co only (cutting meter reading costs) but very cynical about the cost savings being passed on to the consumer. However, my wife leaves every single light on so am considering getting one to show her how much money we are wasting!
As someone who works for a utility, switching off a town or city remotely is something we can already do very easily if we're ordered to in an emergency.

V8mate

45,899 posts

188 months

Monday 17th October 2016
quotequote all
richard_86 said:
PurpleTurtle said:
The Sunday Times were rolling out that story yesterday. Remote shutdowns of entire towns and cities etc etc

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/chinese-link-as-...

Personally I see that as scaremongering. I see the benefit to the Utility Co only (cutting meter reading costs) but very cynical about the cost savings being passed on to the consumer. However, my wife leaves every single light on so am considering getting one to show her how much money we are wasting!
As someone who works for a utility, switching off a town or city remotely is something we can already do very easily if we're ordered to in an emergency.
I think the security concerns around smart meters rolls up into wider concerns about security/privacy around the 'internet of things'.


Janosh

1,735 posts

166 months

Monday 17th October 2016
quotequote all
I've booked to have one fitted tomorrow, can't really see the downside to knowing what you're spending.

I'm with Britsh Gas and pay by DD for everything. If I go to a comparison site, it tells me that I 'could' save £150 per year. That doesn't feel like I'm getting screwed.

My parents did the shopping around thing, switched, then after 3 years got a bill (without warning) for £8k as the estimates were wrong. They contested it and paid something like £1200. The whole switching and guessing seems farcical to me!

I'm getting one but in the spirit of PH.... please tell me I'm wrong.

austinsmirk

5,597 posts

122 months

Monday 17th October 2016
quotequote all
no idea of its use- I give readings each money to my supplier, so I know my yearly averages.

as for cutting out waste- its easy, I go around turning lights and the CH off/down accordingly to what the wife and children are doing.

HTP99

22,443 posts

139 months

Monday 17th October 2016
quotequote all
Had one fitted a few weeks ago by British Gas, I'm really good with not wasting electric and gas and even though I also live with two women and I moan about them whacking up the heating needlessly etc, we are low consumers of electric and gas, so I don't really see it as saving me any extra money, I just like gadgets and I like looking at the app to see what I'm using and how it compares to previous years.

MrChips

3,263 posts

209 months

Monday 17th October 2016
quotequote all
My current supplier seems to have a habit of estimating around 15x my actual usage, cue scary bill and an angry phone call, and they reset them. Given them readings regularly, but in their words "if the readings aren't given exactly on the 28th of each month, then this is bound to happen"
So it looks like i either need to change supplier or change my mind and take one.

I don't see the issue at present, but i have no doubt that eventually they will be used for peak time tariff increases, although maybe battery tech (like the Tesla home thingy) will be more readily available by then.

juice

8,509 posts

281 months

Monday 17th October 2016
quotequote all
V8mate said:
I think the security concerns around smart meters rolls up into wider concerns about security/privacy around the 'internet of things'.
Indeed, there's a DDoS botnet (Mirai) doing the rounds now.

https://www.us-cert.gov/ncas/alerts/TA16-288A

ARHarh

3,701 posts

106 months

Monday 17th October 2016
quotequote all
do they work with solar panels?

Al U

2,311 posts

130 months

Monday 17th October 2016
quotequote all
Mine is going in on the 11th November from British Gas.

I am looking forward to being able to see the exact figure it is costing me each day and if doing things differently impacts that. Apparently the meter sends a reading every 30 seconds (they said that we can ask for less frequent readings if we want confused) so the bill becomes very accurate. I also don't like the idea of the estimated bill as we rarely have the heating on in our house.

Zoon

6,654 posts

120 months

Monday 17th October 2016
quotequote all
Absolute shambles of a system.
They work whilst you are with the supplier that installed it.
Switch supplier and it's back to manual meter readings again.

The data of what you are using still works, but won't submit billing info for you.

Complete waste of time, unless you remain loyal to suppliers for years on end, which you won't if you like to save money.