General Chat

Whilst not compulsory all meters have to be replaced as a matter of routine when they reach the end of their certified life. Typically between around 10 and 25 years.

There will probably come a time when the only available replacement is a smart meter although, under current rules you could choose to have smart functionality disabled.

There is another point worth mentioning is that if choose not to have one then in future you might not benefit from lower energy tariffs.

We have our electric one for several years now, in fact we are on the second generation and would highly recommend. We can't have a gas one just yet unless we move to dual fuel as they need for them electricity to work!

i had mine fitted in 2015 ,they had been scheduled but even tho hubby was then hospitalized I went ahead with the appointment

Our meters too are on the floor level at the back of the under stairs walk in cupboard but they are very difficult to read as the ceiling is very sloped down where they are

I was having problems getting down to them and then getting up again so I guess the advantage to having the smart meter put in meant that saved me too :-)

I HAD MY METERS FITTED THE FITTER STRECHED THE LEAD PIPE TO MAKE IT FIT....TWO DAYS I COULD SMELL GAS......THE PIPE HAD SPLIT LEAKING GAS COULD OF BLOWN MY HOUSE-UP TAKING NEXT-DOOR ASWELL

Blimey Malcolm how dangerous. The initial fitter should get more than rapped knuckles.
Trouble is they source out jobs to outside contractors but don't check the credentials of the individuals

It's unbelievable that could happen Malcolm glad you caught it in time.

!Cor! strike a ligh!!

2nd generation smart meters are due for roll out October 2018 though there are some test installations. This is a site giving a fair summary of the situation:

https://www.ovoenergy.com/guides/energy-guides/smets-1-and-2-new-smart-meter-generation.html

The 1st gen meters do not do much more than record energy usage and automate meter reading. Another downside of 1st gen meters is that they are NOT supplier independent - change supplier and you lose smart metering.
They send and receive data using the mobile phone network which has proved to be a flaky option.

2nd gen smart meters are supplier indendent. They do not use the mobile phones for comms but a dedicated network set up by the DCC ( the Data Communications Company ) at high cost. This new data network is independent of the energy suppliers.

The long term objective is that as appliances and homes become "smart" the energy companies will be able to control energy use in an area / home and ( the big apple ) charge for energy by time of day - someting that already happens to many industrial users. That might give people charging their electric car at night a shock in the wallet.

I doubt it will ever become compulsory to install a smart meter as over time the only option will be to have a SMETS2 meter. Quite possibly not going "smart" in a few years time could be an expensive choice.

"Smart Meter automation will result in the redundancy of Meter Readers."

Well consider Dermot some similar vocations to meter readers.

Copywiters, Draughtsmen, Lamplighters. Clock winders. Piano tuners. Short hand typists. Data entry clerks, speeding detectors, bank clerks.

Technology moves on and people perforce move on with it.

Now we have nail shops, Amazon distribution centres, zero hour contracts, wall to wall internet, call centres, internet banking and of course speed awareness instructors (who have lost their jobs to GATSOs).

hey ho

Speed awareness instructors there's a blast from the threads past....

I'd rather have a meter reader - I'm getting fed up with doing the admin for every other big institution - the Government and Local Councils being the worst :-| :-|

We've had one for about a year and our bills have gone down.
The display is in the kitchen and by glancing at it I can see the current consumption which is a reminder to turn off lights, heaters or whatever which are not necessary.

There are apps which run on a mobile phone displaying some or all of the info on the smart meter. Nearly all of them are from the power companies themselves though there are a few independent ones. They will not work at a distance. SSE has recently pulled its app for non disclosed reasons but possibly hacking.

The arrival of SMETS2 later this year will make it much easier to make apps for smart phones, iPads. There would be no technical block to such apps running at a distance.

Thanks to our SMETS1 smart meter like Brian we have knocked a over 10% off our energy usage. The meters (gas and electric) still get physically checked every 6 months.

Do we really need a smart meter to tell us to turn off a light in an empty room?

My smart meter is smarter than the other two known smart meters in our road.

And I believe what the installer told me. :-P

Why is it presumed everyone has - or even wants - a smartphone?

last thing at night(usually) I look at the current reading...best was 70 watts...one night 400...hmmm freezers running? fish tank heaters on...?

.cos all the things plugged in are using...POWER!!!
those computers.....router, ...phones....plugged in shut down? standby?

but still sucking wattage......

All these smart things are making people less smart....

When I was young, smart meters, mobile apps, tablets etc had not been invented.
My parents were always conscious of saving money so switching off unneeded lights, hanging out washing on good days so not using tumble drier etc was second nature.

We didn't need anyone to tell them how to save money, it was common sense.

In summer, radiators were either turned off or down to the minimum until October.We did not have the luxury of electric blankets so if it was really cold, we put on extra thick blankets on top of our beds.

Our local electricity meter reader said a couple of years ago now that they only have to read the meter once a year but you can read your own the other quarters to keep your bills up to date.

if they reduced the price per unit of electricity instead of just increasing it, then we would all have lower bills.
In 1993 my unit price was 5p for daytime and 2p for night storage heaters.
My unit price is now 16p all the time.

Even when the oil price drops, you fill 500 litres and it may be cheaper than the last fill.The price changes daily.
But I don't ever recall the unit prices for electricity ever being reduced.
Does anyone else?

I'm on the cheapest tariff, pay by D/D so get a discount. I still have a paper bill but that's my personal choice.

I currently pay £35.00 per month and would struggle to reduce that.

Florence
in the hebrides

In the Mirror today:

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/woman-demands-smart-meter-removed-12366333

If you read the comments - she's not the only one.
Seems to be 'swings & roundabouts'!

Apparently - according to the article, Ofgem says no-one has to have a smart meter, but:
"Choosing not to have a smart meter may mean you don’t have access to all the available tariffs on the market, some of which could be cheaper"

"Some of which COULD be cheaper" - but may not be, I presume!

Joan, we are the same with no mains gas available.I have to buy a medium canister for my hob.My oven is electric.

yes we are discriminated against. I pay by direct debit, have checked the tariffs and can do no more to reduce my bill other than sit in the dark every evening!

Florence
in the Hebrides

PS If we got a pay rise everytime they upped the tariff, that would be ok wouldn't it? And pigs might fly!