Cynical but probably true
Discussion
This excuse for a government has just announced the new 'smart' meter that will be able to read remotely your meter readings, which seems a great idea unless you are a meter reader.
It will also be smart enough to be able to turn appliances on/off on such items as fridges so that they are used only when required and if possible during off peak times, which again seems reasonable.
But here could be the rub, if a meter can be that smart and identify appliances then it would be able to determine what power consumption for that appliance as well.
So those of you that have succumbed to the hype and own 'Coal Powered' electric cars , the tax free energy that you now enjoy could soon be a thing of the past. All they need to do is have a car charger appliance and bobs your uncle they will know how much the car has used and tax/extort as they want.
There is no way that they will allow motorists to drive tax free.
It will also be smart enough to be able to turn appliances on/off on such items as fridges so that they are used only when required and if possible during off peak times, which again seems reasonable.
But here could be the rub, if a meter can be that smart and identify appliances then it would be able to determine what power consumption for that appliance as well.
So those of you that have succumbed to the hype and own 'Coal Powered' electric cars , the tax free energy that you now enjoy could soon be a thing of the past. All they need to do is have a car charger appliance and bobs your uncle they will know how much the car has used and tax/extort as they want.
There is no way that they will allow motorists to drive tax free.
WOO5IE said:
This excuse for a government has just announced the new 'smart' meter that will be able to read remotely your meter readings, which seems a great idea unless you are a meter reader.
Actually, this is an industry initiative, not something thought up by the government, by why let facts stand in the way of a good rant?WOO5IE said:
So those of you that have succumbed to the hype and own 'Coal Powered' electric cars , the tax free energy that you now enjoy could soon be a thing of the past. All they need to do is have a car charger appliance and bobs your uncle they will know how much the car has used and tax/extort as they want.
There is no way that they will allow motorists to drive tax free.
Ironically enough, if you want to avoid paying tax to the government on the fuel to drive your car, a domestically-charged electric vehicle is the way to go. Put Solar panels on your roof, put up a small wind turbine, and away you go. If you want to, you can do the whole thing off-grid and never pay a penny in tax. There is no way that they will allow motorists to drive tax free.
On the other hand, you can also use it to cut the rest of your electricity bills. The clever thing about the smart meters is that they are able to cope with micro-generation: when the sun is shining or the wind is blowing and you don't need it to recharge your car, then the power you are generating will effectively unwind your electricity meter, reducing not only the amount of tax you pay but also your electricity bill too. And if you're bothered about sourcing the rest of your electricity from high-carbon coal or gas, just buy your electricity from Ecotricity, their standard tariff is 50% renewables and the rest is nuclear.
This government is responsible for an awful lot of insidious control freakery, but trying to pitch smart meters as another indication of their evil is just plain silly. Quite why a bunch of petrolheads who are into high-technology in their cars, gadgets, computers and what-not are expected to be a bunch of stone-age luddites when it comes to energy generation and consumption is beyond me.
WOO5IE said:
This excuse for a government has just announced the new 'smart' meter that will be able to read remotely your meter readings, which seems a great idea unless you are a meter reader.
It will also be smart enough to be able to turn appliances on/off on such items as fridges so that they are used only when required and if possible during off peak times, which again seems reasonable.
But here could be the rub, if a meter can be that smart and identify appliances then it would be able to determine what power consumption for that appliance as well.
So those of you that have succumbed to the hype and own 'Coal Powered' electric cars , the tax free energy that you now enjoy could soon be a thing of the past. All they need to do is have a car charger appliance and bobs your uncle they will know how much the car has used and tax/extort as they want.
There is no way that they will allow motorists to drive tax free.
depends how it is ussed, ie you could have potentiall cheap rates throughout different times of the day..It will also be smart enough to be able to turn appliances on/off on such items as fridges so that they are used only when required and if possible during off peak times, which again seems reasonable.
But here could be the rub, if a meter can be that smart and identify appliances then it would be able to determine what power consumption for that appliance as well.
So those of you that have succumbed to the hype and own 'Coal Powered' electric cars , the tax free energy that you now enjoy could soon be a thing of the past. All they need to do is have a car charger appliance and bobs your uncle they will know how much the car has used and tax/extort as they want.
There is no way that they will allow motorists to drive tax free.
ie economy seven, whenever, their is capacity but low demand..
you have an instant view of howm much you are using.
Also, you can see how much you are using at any particular time..
I got one of those smart energy monitors, when we had some massive bills...
Turned out a very badly programmed (electric) undefloor heating system was costing a fortune,
Saved the money and made it back threefold in three months
Edited by BJWoods on Tuesday 1st December 12:22
DrTre said:
ETA as in, electricity is already taxed.
Taxed at 5% VAT. Petrol is taxed at 190%.1 kWh of off peak leccy costs about 5p before tax. 5% tax on 5p is 0.25p. CO2 emissions for the UK generating split are usually quoted at around 500-600g CO2 per kWh. Let's use the lower end of that. So the tax for emitting 1 kg of CO2 from your house is:
0.25p / 0.500 kg = 0.5p tax per kg CO2.
1 litre of petrol costing £1.07 costs 70.15p in tax. Burning 1 litre of petrol releases 2.39kg of CO2. So the tax for emitting 1 kg of CO2 from your car is:
70.15p / 2.39 = 29.35p tax per kg CO2.
That is the bottom line. That is what makes running an electric car look cheap. If you think that the government will long allow some cars to get away with paying 0.5p/kg when most are paying 29p/kg, you are more of an optimist than I am.
I predict one of three options will be taken:
1. Smart meters that require you to pay more tax on leccy for your car
2. Different tax bands for electricity billing, so that you pay a much higher rate of tax on extra power over what a household that isn't also powering a car uses.
3. Road pricing.
It's an aside, but even if you accept that emitting CO2 is a bad thing that should be discouraged, does it not boil your piss that emitting a kg of CO2 by driving to work is taxed at nearly 60 times the rate for emitting a kg by leaving all your lights on while you do so?
So, I have a white (now thrice grey) box on the outside of my house. It is there to house the leccy meter so that the leccy company don't need to enter my house to read the meter. How is hiding a digital display of a new leccy meter behind the white (now thrice grey) door of the white (now thrice grey) box meant to save me money? Because, as sure as eggs are egg-shaped, I'm not having a new leccy meter installed anywhere except the white leccy meter box. Unless, of course, the leccy company are willing to remove all traces of the white (now thrice grey) box from the house wall and make good (to my standards, not theirs) any and all mess/damage they cause.
Gaspode said:
Ironically enough, if you want to avoid paying tax to the government on the fuel to drive your car, a domestically-charged electric vehicle is the way to go. Put Solar panels on your roof, put up a small wind turbine, and away you go. If you want to, you can do the whole thing off-grid and never pay a penny in tax.
And that would get you, Oh I dont know, approx a few hundred meters down the road before the charge was exhausted. If that.I can see the benefit of smart meters to a degree, but my concern is the whole system will be a closed shop. If this thing is going to be reading and transmitting my energy usage, I want to be sure it's correct and secure. Same argument with e-voting machines, if we ever get them. These things need to use open standards, protocols and whatnot, otherwise there is huge scope for abuse or (probably more likely) just enormous incompetence. If they try to obscure the workings behind "commercial agreements", it's a no go for me. If I'm being forced to have one of these things, and doubtless to pay for it as well, it's fully transparent or forget it.
otolith said:
rypt said:
otolith said:
1. Smart meters that require you to pay more tax on leccy for your car
How does a meter know I have a car plugged in and not my kettle or PC?Gassing Station | News, Politics & Economics | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff