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Original poster

Smart meters - how accurate are they?

37 replies

Zaphodsotherhead · 12/03/2020 19:10

I've just moved into a new house. Tiny cottage, two (and a half) bedrroms, downstairs bathroom. Heating is two new-fangled gel filled radiators downstairs, no heating upstairs (well, plug in radiators but I've not even tried plugging them in yet). Immersion tank.

Moved in mid Jan. Got my first electricity bill a couple of weeks ago. Apparently I have a smart meter (never wanted nor asked for one, but I assume the previous owner left one) and my actual bill, for one month, is, apparently nearly £200!

Now, I know things got a bit lax when I was moving, heating on more than usual to warm up the house which had been empty, so I'm paying up on this one. I've turned the immersion tank to only come on for 1 hour a day and only have the heating on for an hour in the evening, but my question is...how accurate are smart meters? Does £200 for a month in a tiny cottage even sound feasable, and what do I do if next month it's similarly high? Is there any way I can query it?

I don't have the little 'viewer' thing for the smart meter which I guess would alert me to high drain devices. Apparently it's somewhere in the house, guess I ought to dig that one out.

OP posts:
dementedpixie · 12/03/2020 19:13

Are you all electric? Have you stayed with the existing supplier? You will be on a standard tariff so you should use you usage to switch to a better tariff

Original poster
Zaphodsotherhead · 12/03/2020 19:19

Yep, no gas in the village. I wanted to switch supplier but in order to switch they asked me for the reference number off a current bill (for the new house which I'd just moved into and therefore didn't have), I'm apparently on the best tariff too!

OP posts:
Fluffycloudland77 · 12/03/2020 19:27

Tbh if your rural and electric only then yes.

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Cost of living
Original poster
Zaphodsotherhead · 12/03/2020 19:35

Honestly, Fluffy? I live alone (unless the dog is switching on the heating while I'm out , like those cats in the boiler advert!)

I'm wondering if it was the twice daily immersion tank that pushed it up so high. I've knocked it down to once, one hour only in the morning, just in case.

OP posts:
Fluffycloudland77 · 12/03/2020 19:40

Yep, have you checked the loft for 12” of lagging?. What you won’t know about insulation in 12 months time won’t be worth knowing.

The water won’t have helped, hopefully you have a dishwasher.

dementedpixie · 12/03/2020 20:31

What sort of heaters do you have? Are they storage ones or something else?

Original poster
Zaphodsotherhead · 12/03/2020 20:34

No dishwasher. Loft is converted into a bedroom but was done recently so am assuming that the roof space is insulated inside the ceiling. The heaters are two of these very modern gel filled ones that look like they've come from the space shuttle - fitted in the last two years, so very up to date and, I'm assuming, efficient.

OP posts:
TheQueef · 12/03/2020 20:36

I shuddered when you said the immersion heater was left on!

TheQueef · 12/03/2020 20:37

And yup Grin it will be cheaper now you've turned off the massive kettle.

Original poster
Zaphodsotherhead · 12/03/2020 20:38

It's on a timer, Queef. It was coming on twice a day for an hour each time, now only one once a day. It wasn't left on continual heating...I may be large but I don't need THAT many hot baths in a day!

OP posts:
dementedpixie · 12/03/2020 20:40

Twice a day for 1 hour isnt excessive tbh

TheQueef · 12/03/2020 20:45

Ah I thought you had switched it on and left it!
I may still get PTSD from leaving it on once in the 70's.

I live in a cold cottage, I've resorted it hot water bottles (I WFH) to save heating costs it's mild here too.

Fluffycloudland77 · 12/03/2020 20:50

You can buy heated pet beds.

You’ll save loads with a dishwasher, your water bill will fall too.

Original poster
Zaphodsotherhead · 12/03/2020 20:56

The kids keep trying to persuade me to get a dishwasher. They all have them in their houses. I just don't see the need. I don't wash up every day - more like once every two (or sometimes three) days, so I'm not sure it would impace my water bill that much.

OP posts:
Original poster
Zaphodsotherhead · 12/03/2020 20:57

It's a mid terrace so it holds the heat well. I'm not caving in to a heated pet bed, she can sleep under her throw on the sofa and like it!

OP posts:
TheQueef · 12/03/2020 21:08

But you can hide the dishes.
My Ddad is chuffed when he gets a full week in.

My cats are partial to bottles but you can get microwave pads for pets, and bums.

Original poster
Zaphodsotherhead · 12/03/2020 21:13

We've moved from a house with no heating or hot water, so dog is really enjoying the fact that the house is warm all day. She seriously doesn't need a heated bed at all!

And I really don't need a dishwasher. There isn't room for one in the kitchen anyway, I've had to squeeze to get the washing machine in!

OP posts:
TheQueef · 12/03/2020 21:30

Very outing if you wanted to find me but I made the choice to evict my washer for a DW Shock
I don't have young DC any more but it was still in once a day, tea towels and cloths from wiping up after the bloody cats.
Also my adult DC liked to wash his special jeans on their own etc.
Now it lives outside next to the line in a shed Grin and we have cut down to one wash each a week and a towel wash, plus it gets hung out so I gave the drier away.

I'm very selfish as I get older Blush

Fluffycloudland77 · 12/03/2020 22:13

Well you’ve done the most important bit by turning the immersion off, can you check the thermostat on it?. All of ours have been set to 70c but I turn them to 55c. Hot enough for domestic supply but not scalding.

Do you keep curtains closed at night, doors shut etc?.

FlamingoAndJohn · 12/03/2020 22:18

Smart meters are as accurate as any other kind of meter. All they do is take the reading from the meter and put it on a display. Then they phone in with it every month or so.
It means that your bill is up to date and accurate and you don’t need meter readers.

Paperthinwalls · 12/03/2020 22:21

I find mine is accurate.
I’ve got a link to Bulb here which will give you £50 off your first bill with them (and I get £50 too)
www.bulb.me/kate6795

safariboot · 12/03/2020 22:27

The meter measures kWh for electricity and cubic meters for gas and this should be accurate. This is what you should focus on. Check your usage and see if it's reasonable for your home. If your usage in kWh is grossly above the national average, demand the meter be checked for accuracy.

The display of costs is much more prone to error. IMHO it's an unneccesary distraction at best and quite likely to be misleading.

Yellredder · 13/03/2020 06:31

We're in a tiny three bed rural terrace with good insulation, but all electric. We're about £200 a month in winter. I often feel cold as we can't afford for it to be on any longer than it is.

Mumdiva99 · 13/03/2020 06:51

I can also see my daily useage online (if you can't find the box....though you really want to try to find it...just because it will help see when it's running high etc), try logging into your account online and see if you can see the useage. It will give you an idea of what you have used since you moved in. £200 sounds really high to me for only heating downstairs.....

HouseOfCrayCray · 13/03/2020 07:12

Hi OP. Have you actually checked the dates on the bill? Just asking because you said you don't have a reference number to switch but you will have if you've let the current supplier know you've moved in, it'll be on the bill. If you haven't given the current supplier your details yet then do this, the bill may cover a period before you moved in it not.