Southern Electric are constantly writing to me about getting these put in. Has anyone made the change and noticed a difference in their bill? (Either way)
They will make no difference to your bills unless you are constantly checking usage via the display they give you - and acting on it - so going around the house and turning off lights and the like. However it does mean you never have to read the metres again or send off a reading.Originally Posted by bonzo697
I think that's incorrect - I had one fitted a few weeks ago and thought the same - had a guy read my meter yesterday and said it still has to be done - the law
Actually googling say the meter reader was wrong - gov site says no reading needed
Thanks, in that case I think I'll leave it for now. It's probably a way for them to make money from the government rather than benefiting customers. I've also had the same old boy reading mine since I lived in the house and I guess he'll be put out of work if everyone installs them.
I've had the same request. You are not required to upgrade to a smart meter. However you are required by law to have your meter changed at regular intervals for safety reasons. I don't recall how often (it's a long time interval) but check they haven't caught you that way like they did me.
Personally I think if the billions (and energy/CO2 etc.) being spent on making and installing smart meters was spent on reducing bills and improving energy efficiency and education directly, everyone would be better off except the makers and installers of smart meters.
It's the same mentality as people that get water meters in. They always say they'll wont change their usage when they get the meter but they always do! Neighbour said 'I won't change' then gets a water meter. Then complains his plants are all dying why? Doesn't want to water them and pay for it!
But the smart meter needs internet access yes? Just don't let the meter connect to your internet. Raises another question though... what about these people that are going over to not having an internet connection/land line i.e. all through their phone. How will that effect the government's commitment to have everyone on a smart meter by 2020?
Got to laugh at human nature,. Maybe but for £7bn or £11bn or £13bn, which are some of the estimates I've seen, we could find an easier way. The future is probably smart thermostats and so on controlling everything anyway and then the smart meters will be obsolete.
Or we just tell everyone that they are being metered now. Half the country would believe it
I believe they connect over Wide Area Network (WAN) and not your domestic WiFi.
Yes, they have a SIM card in like a mobile phone so connect that way. If you take the card out they don't work and someone will come to fix it.
Oh well good luck with that where I live then!!! No mobile phone signal unless you stand at the end of the driveway!
I receive the same persistent request to update my meter to a smart meter. When I enquired a few years as to whether they were specific to a supplier i.e. if I had one fitted when supplied by, for example, NPower and subsequently change to Eon, would the meter be able to report to this new supplier? I was told 'no' and, therefore, have not pursued it. If this has now changed I may look at it again.
I won't have one until I'm forced to. They are probably the first step in charging different rates at different times of day ie higher rates at peak periods.
I'm having them fitted this week just to avoid having to take meter readings/getting estimated bills.
+1
'over my dead....'
A friend who works for E.ON tells me that the utility companies love smart meters because it enables them to remotely cut you off or switch you to pre-payment.
The flip to that is that one of the purposed purposes of smart metres is that you will be able to share the usage data with price comparison sites when you want to swap companies and get a more accurate picture of who will save you the most money.
I looked at it a lot when I first got it, now it sits covered in dust.
I had a water meter fitted about 4 years ago as there is only two of us at home now and it has cut my water bills in half.
If I need to water the plants or wash the car i just do it .
Also I have smart meters fitted last year, at first I used to look at it quite a lot, now I don't bother, but at least I do not have to give any readings and I can see my daily usage on line when I want to.
Having the water and power meters fitted has not changed my usage patterns in any way.
At the end of the day it is up to the individual to access what they want.
Good on you.... most of the people I speak to HAVE changed their usage though - my mum, father in law, sister in law.... but of course we're talking of tight Yorkshire people here ;-)
My electricity meter is outside the front door, so there's never any access problem when it needs to be read, but thanks to an inspired piece of design the gas meter is carefully concealed in one of my kitchen cabinets. So the ritual reading of the meter can only take place by consent, and I'm not going to forfeit a day waiting for some oik from G4S to come and read it. I presently submit my own readings online, and I would be happy to have a smart meter installed.
Besides, anything that takes business away from G4S has my wholehearted support, as they are a cowboy outfit.
My energy supplier (E-On) supplied me with an electricity usage monitor a few years ago. When I first had it I monitored it religiously, and after a while I was able to reduce my electricity use as a result of what I learned from it. It wasn't difficult.
Since I had a new boiler installed, along with new windows and doors I'm using far less gas anyway, so I'm comfortable that I'm certainly not wasting energy. I've set my monthly payment to accrue a surplus during the warmer weather so that I don't have any concerns if I need to use the heating more during the winter. As long as I'm comfortably warm and know that it's not going to result in any unpleasant surprises I'm happy.
I despise G4S with a passion but whilst they are totally incompetent with everything else they seem to be quite good at getting any market a government (from one side of the house or the other) puts to tender. So they'll find a way to milk it one way or another.
G4S. What a W4NK name.
Smart Thermostats can do that (or at least one or two on the market can or will shortly).
IMO it's unlikely we'll see any of the savings, but it will increase the efficiency of the grid as a whole by allowing better balancing of supply and demand. Do they still want to charge a fee to install them?
I suspect the suppliers are far more interested in accurate trading of electricity than cutting people off as that is big bucks, particularly if they get it wrong and have to make up a shortfall.
There is no fee, they are required to fit them by the Govt.
Getting mine fitted end of the month. Likely just highlight the wife leaves all the lights & TV on while I'm away
You need a meter to suss that? Lol.
Realistically, it's all a bit of guff to me - we have certain things that are on (timed) because that is when we need them to be on. Lights are all low energy bulbs etc.
When you look long into an abyss, the abyss looks long into you.........
LEDs? If you mean CFLs - swap them out for LEDs, you can actually see stuff before you need to leave.
Interesting thread, getting a stack of these requests to upgrade our meter now and wondering what to do.
When companies like British Gas are offering free electricity from 9-5 on saturday or sunday, you have to question why it is that they're so keen for you to have a smart meter.
Oh yes there is.. Estimated roll out costs are £11bn, this will be passed on to customers in their bills.
I have had N Power come out to fit a Smart Meter four times now, every time with no success. They checked the signal strength which was fine but every time they can't get the meters to communicate with the display box in the house, on one occasion they left me with a bad gas leak which we had to call Transco out to effect emergency repairs for. I for one am very unimpressed and wish I never let them onto my property to start with. Over a year down the line and I still don't have a Smart meter.
I have tried to contact them on several occasions by phone and email and have a 'live complaint' on-going but still they will not communicate with me. I have given up and wrote to tell them that if I am not receiving the service from them I will not pay their bill. I stopped the DD two months ago, first they wrote to me, then they phoned me. I explained the situation and they said leave it with us we'll come back to you. I'm still waiting. It's a joke. I want my old analogue meter back!
Grumpy of Chelmsford. :-(
And once they've rolled them out, any savings through balancing the grid supply and demand will not be passed on to customers.
Had mine done here in darkest Kent last week courtesy of EDF.
For those of you old enough, the display almost looks like a CB72 unit.
Some kind of "bung" in play to get these contracts?
They had to change their name from Group Four Security to ditch all the bad publicity they got when taking over the prisoner transport contract some time ago...and losing a prisoner or two on the first day! cf. Windscale and Sellafield.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contro...urrounding_G4S
This is funny:
"In August 2011, G4S staff attached an electronic monitoring tag to the false leg of a one-legged criminal, meaning he was able to go out and leave it at home. G4S sacked the two members of staff responsible.[2]"
Last edited by Gruntfuttock; 29th September 2016 at 06:21.
I had a smart meter fitted around 2 years ago when I was with Ovo Energy (Ovo at the time were a money saving expert Best Buy and in the 1st yr were excellent). Nothing but hassle as the company couldn't cope with the level of work. It was installed but I had inaccurate readings for nearly a year. Constant apologies but meant I had no idea what my real costs were. Eventually they sorted it out so the reading became accurate. . . . . . . By then their prices were far higher than elsewhere and I moved. Meter works fine now with new supplier I presume as not had any issues. Hopefully if you get one all the teething problems are long gone.
We had BG smart meters fitted and looked at the display on and off for a week before we put it in a drawer. Then, shortly after, changed to a much better deal and as they are BG smart meters and we're now with First Utility they can't read them so we're back to manual readings. No joined up thinking in this industry at all.
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