Why not a smart meter?

[mik]

Don’t have one.

Lekky company want to fit one.

IDGAF personally. I see lots of “don’t do it” on line, but it feels a bit 5G / Covid fear-y ? Surely them knowing imho much electricity I have used is - y’know - ok?

[Jay-me]

Edf used to call me all the time about installing one. So I said let’s book one Saturday/Sunday but they don’t work weekends. I’m not booking a day off in the week just to install an electronic spy meter. Then they’d know how much weed I’m growing.

[V8Granite]

My parents had one installed, they’ve had issues with billing since like they are randomly shouting numbers at chickens and they shot it an amount.

Dave!

[Ascender]

I remember reading about how they were evil but for the life of me I couldn't work out why. It seemed to be the most wafer-thin conspiracy theory to the point where there didn't seem to be any actual theory behind it. I'm still none the wiser although its clearly not very smart as I still have to give the company a manual meter reading.

[Mito Man]

It’s about taking a stand against the gubberment penetrating into every aspect of your life Mik. They’re going to control what you drive, they’re going to control what you eat and soon, they’ll even know when you sleep or when your electric car is plugged in and tax you £1 a kWh. And then you’ll get a text every time you have more than 3 items plugged in because it’s using too much power and drowning the penguins. Say no to smart meters #defundthepowernetworks

[Swervin_Mervin]

Some loons believe that because smart meters may ultimately enable providers to "manage" supply during busy periods, that's going to mean we'll all be sat in the cold and dark, with food rotting in our fridges and the only entertainment being to read by candleight (or fornicate I guess). Or summat

We had leccy and gas ones when we moved in 9yrs ago. 12mo later and we switched from BG to EDF and they haven't been able to read them since, no matter the provider We also went on a water meter from rates, which meant a smart water meter, but we've never had any trouble with that.

[Jobbo]

Smart meters rely on the mobile network to send the readings back to the provider. We have no mobile signal at home.

And like Mike, I've heard too many stories of them working with the company you're with at installation but not if you switch providers.

Basically the infrastructure doesn't support them properly yet so I've no particular reason to want one.

[Barry]

I'm getting spammed with letters and emails from BG to get my meters "upgraded". Ignoring them so far, for just those reasons.

[ZedLeg]

Yeah, we've been getting chased to install one for years both from Eon at our old place and Bulb at our new place. Haven't taken them up on it as it seems like more hassle than it's worth.

[Carlos]

My parents had one installed, they’ve had issues with billing since like they are randomly shouting numbers at chickens and they shot it an amount.

Dave!

My sisters was the same and it took them multiple visits to resolve during office hours whilst refusing to refit the standard meter.

When it was fixed she moved suppliers it wasn't compatible !

[Simon]

Smart meters rely on the mobile network to send the readings back to the provider. We have no mobile signal at home.

And like Mike, I've heard too many stories of them working with the company you're with at installation but not if you switch providers.

Basically the infrastructure doesn't support them properly yet so I've no particular reason to want one.

SMETS1 meters used the mobile network directly, but SMETS2 are able to create a mesh network with each other to bunny hop to get a signal.

[Mito Man]

Smart meters rely on the mobile network to send the readings back to the provider. We have no mobile signal at home.

And like Mike, I've heard too many stories of them working with the company you're with at installation but not if you switch providers.

Basically the infrastructure doesn't support them properly yet so I've no particular reason to want one.

SMETS1 meters used the mobile network directly, but SMETS2 are able to create a mesh network with each other to bunny hop to get a signal.

That will work really well in your typical crap signal area in a rural house which will be quite distanced from other houses

[Jobbo]

Smart meters rely on the mobile network to send the readings back to the provider. We have no mobile signal at home.

And like Mike, I've heard too many stories of them working with the company you're with at installation but not if you switch providers.

Basically the infrastructure doesn't support them properly yet so I've no particular reason to want one.

SMETS1 meters used the mobile network directly, but SMETS2 are able to create a mesh network with each other to bunny hop to get a signal.

If only they were connected by some sort of cable....

[Simon]

But of course remember that they aren't, completely. It's 3 phase in the street and only 2 phase to each house, with alternate phases going to alternate houses. So yes and no.

[Simon]

Anyway, on the topic I took the plunge and allowed bulb to install a smart meter a few months ago, when I was having a new boiler and new windows fitted (this winter should see my bills go down basically).

The elec meter goes out via the mesh, but the gas meter has a battery and sends its readings to the elec meter first. For ages the gas meter didn't work, due to a 'bug' that Bulb were hoping to fix sometime. Still it's not working properly - the gas readings don't show on my IHD and they only go to the online account once a month. So pretty pointless from a monitoring PoV. I could do those readings myself! Elec works as it should.

I kinda regret getting them installed now, because I want to switch provider and a lot of the better tarrifs are only for people who _don't_ have smart meters but will let the provider install them when you sign up.

[V8Granite]

Some loons believe that because smart meters may ultimately enable providers to "manage" supply during busy periods, that's going to mean we'll all be sat in the cold and dark, with food rotting in our fridges and the only entertainment being to read by candleight (or fornicate I guess). Or summat

We had leccy and gas ones when we moved in 9yrs ago. 12mo later and we switched from BG to EDF and they haven't been able to read them since, no matter the provider We also went on a water meter from rates, which meant a smart water meter, but we've never had any trouble with that.

I believe it was because they want lots of household information so they can determine how to throttle supplies. So if say your car is charged by midnight but you don’t use it till 06:00, it will throttle the supply so it’ll be ready by 06:00. Which to me is fucking atrocious.

I was informed about this by a militant Norwegian, it may be rubbish as I don’t see how they can throttle the supply and also he really was very militant

Dave!

[Beany]

Some loons believe that because smart meters may ultimately enable providers to "manage" supply during busy periods, that's going to mean we'll all be sat in the cold and dark, with food rotting in our fridges and the only entertainment being to read by candleight (or fornicate I guess). Or summat

We had leccy and gas ones when we moved in 9yrs ago. 12mo later and we switched from BG to EDF and they haven't been able to read them since, no matter the provider We also went on a water meter from rates, which meant a smart water meter, but we've never had any trouble with that.

I believe it was because they want lots of household information so they can determine how to throttle supplies. So if say your car is charged by midnight but you don’t use it till 06:00, it will throttle the supply so it’ll be ready by 06:00. Which to me is fucking atrocious.

I was informed about this by a militant Norwegian, it may be rubbish as I don’t see how they can throttle the supply and also he really was very militant

Dave!

Some info around this here, but it's mostly regarding having intergrated smart appliances that you let the power company into.




There are justifiable reasons for it, but they're only justifiable because various governments have utterly fucked their own power grids by politicising them. IE "No nuclear to please the greens" (germany), "no government control/oversight of the grid to please the 'don't step on me' types" (the US - texas specifically) etc.

[Mito Man]

It's not beyond belief if we do end up with that in the future. Everything is pushing towards rapid electrification yet the national grid remains inadequate for it unless we spread out our energy load across the whole 24 hours. The other alternative would be blackouts as a majority of the population finish work at the same time, arrive home, plug in their EV's, turn on their inefficient heat pumps to heat the house, then their electric hobs to start cooking their lab sourced faux meat. I can imagine having a kWh limit in place, after these covid restrictions anything feels possible.

[simon_g]

Had a smets1 meter fitted ages ago, was sorting out a cupboard under the stairs and wanted it done before I started. Switched once and had to go back to meter readings but then moved to Octopus who can pick it up.

No downsides as far as I’m concerned, no reading/submitting faff and they let you move to time of day tariffs (eg cheap overnight for charging your car) as they get usage data by the minute.

[Swervin_Mervin]

Some loons believe that because smart meters may ultimately enable providers to "manage" supply during busy periods, that's going to mean we'll all be sat in the cold and dark, with food rotting in our fridges and the only entertainment being to read by candleight (or fornicate I guess). Or summat

We had leccy and gas ones when we moved in 9yrs ago. 12mo later and we switched from BG to EDF and they haven't been able to read them since, no matter the provider We also went on a water meter from rates, which meant a smart water meter, but we've never had any trouble with that.

I believe it was because they want lots of household information so they can determine how to throttle supplies. So if say your car is charged by midnight but you don’t use it till 06:00, it will throttle the supply so it’ll be ready by 06:00. Which to me is fucking atrocious.

I was informed about this by a militant Norwegian, it may be rubbish as I don’t see how they can throttle the supply and also he really was very militant

Dave!

It's a load of tin-foil hatted wibble Dave. If they want to introduce throttling on supplies they will. Not having a smart meter now won't stop that. They'll just change the law so they can come and forcibly fit one or cut you off.