Boring but am I the only person left that doesn't have a smart meter?

[Sparklingbrook]

SSE are bombarding me with letters and phone calls about getting someone around to fit one.
What's in it for me? And what does it entail to have one fitted? We currently have the two cupboards with doors with a little key for Gas and Electricity and the meters are inside.

I have little interest in seeing exactly what we're using, it's always the same and we do everything we can to not waste energy.

@Sparklingbrook

So there's no advantage to the consumer but they REALLY want us all to have one so they reach a target?

They want to charge more for 'peak time' use. They need new meters to monitor it. It's definitely not to the customer's advantage.

@murbblurb

Obviously they don't help you save money unless you a real fool who doesn't understand what uses energy.

If they did help me save money in some way then great. But fortunately I understand how using energy and paying for it works.

My boiler is too old apparently! Suits me!

Absolutely not, no way, not ever.
One more excuse to take human beings out of the employment market by automation.
I like that it's someone's job to come out and read a meter and have a human interaction with other human beings, even if it's only "cor it's bitter out!"

@Leonberger

My boiler is too old apparently! Suits me!

My boiler is an antique piece from 1987-what's yours?

No - I wouldn't mind having them, but DH hates that kind of thing and doesn't like his/our data being collected by anything. Don't have an Alexa for that reason, but I'm fine with that.

I don't have one 🌺

@Sparklingbrook ours is a 50 year old antique with with a very old tank! Still going strong and never broken down plus it heats the water to scalding hot in less than an hour. We knew the previous owners of the house very well and they told us never to replace it as it’s a workhorse

When we moved in we were going to replace it with a combo but when we got someone out apparently it only has two parts so is pretty much bombproof!

We will have to replace it one day in the near future but I’ll let it die first

@Sparklingbrook

So there's no advantage to the consumer but they REALLY want us all to have one so they reach a target?

Yes, targets set out by the government.

Not energy suppliers. The government are threatening energy providers with fines if they don't fit so many by a certain date. It's part of the government's carbon neutral plan.

This is what i mean about there being a MUCH bigger picture to it. Smart meters enable smart energy efficient homes and the progression of an electric car grid.

Boiling it down to only what's beneficial to YOU is very small minded.

We had them round to install. Electric one there is a bit of wood in the way and the gas meter is a bit covered by the side of a cupboard so they said they couldn't do either. I'd need to sort out the stuff and book them again. Can't be arsed!

@MrsBrunch source?

Because every energy provider so far is offering much cheaper tariffs for smart meter households now.

@Sparklingbrook
They replace the old meters with new smart ones, my meters were old and the pipes from the meter went down under the concrete floor and through to the back of the house for the gas boiler. The install cracked the pipe further along under the floor - probably because it would have been the original 1960's pipe

No, we don't have one and just keep declining every time they phone us about it. Our old meters are working fine, but I suspect the new meters are fairly flimsy and will be prone to misbehaving as the cheap components wear out.

@Sparklingbrook

No, you are not

DH worked at SSE on the smart meter project and I've just read him your OP. He said 'I can't think of one good reason to have one, and you've got to pay for the bloody thing!'

Boiling it down to only what's beneficial to YOU is very small minded

Oh dear. I will get the blame for the whole system falling apart if I'm not careful Still not having one though.

They are bloody useless. I got one due to being disabled, the meters being in a hard to reach place, and no meter readers. First time I switched, they went "dumb". Still no meter readers, so I had to go back to struggling to read them if I wanted an accurate bill. For years and three providers later I am still waiting for the "priority" upgrade to make them work again. And still struggle every quarter to read my bloody meters.

[quote Leonberger]@Sparklingbrook ours is a 50 year old antique with with a very old tank! Still going strong and never broken down plus it heats the water to scalding hot in less than an hour. We knew the previous owners of the house very well and they told us never to replace it as it’s a workhorse

When we moved in we were going to replace it with a combo but when we got someone out apparently it only has two parts so is pretty much bombproof!

We will have to replace it one day in the near future but I’ll let it die first [/quote]
That is impressive. My friendly neighbourhood heating man says ours was built to last, and we'll just keep going until it dies and he agrees.

@Sparklingbrook

I only want one if there's some advantage to me. I am not seeing there being one yet.

AFAIK it's worse than that.

If you have a smart meter, in times of shortages they can decide which appliances are essential and which are not and supply electric accordingly.

I don't know if anyone here can confirm this but I don't like the concept.

It would be major disruption here and I cannot see any benefit to me. i like to check the meter reading myself to match the bill in any case.

[quote gingerninja99]@Sparklingbrook
They replace the old meters with new smart ones, my meters were old and the pipes from the meter went down under the concrete floor and through to the back of the house for the gas boiler. The install cracked the pipe further along under the floor - probably because it would have been the original 1960's pipe[/quote]
OMG that's awful. There must be so many variables from house to house. I wonder how much training they get?

[quote TonTonMacoute]@Sparklingbrook

No, you are not

DH worked at SSE on the smart meter project and I've just read him your OP. He said 'I can't think of one good reason to have one, and you've got to pay for the bloody thing!'[/quote]
Hang on a minute! I am paying?

No, we won't be having one.

I just assumed all these letters were offering it for free as I know they have green shit to do. No idea there was payment involved.

I am tempted to answer the phone when she rings back. I have many questions...

Putting in smart meters is purely for the utility companies’ benefit, so they can sack all their meter readers and cut the wage bill.
Think of the environmental cost of manufacturing all those meters and throwing millions of perfectly functioning old meters into landfill.
And don’t get me started on SSE. They keep asking me for a meter reading. I have emailed twice and phoned three times to tell them the meter is outside in a locked cabinet to which only their meter reader has a key. I’ve lived here since 1983 and never had access to it.
They claim they can’t send a reader “because Covid”. How they think he will catch it from an isolated cabinet in my front garden, which he can open without even ringing my doorbell, let alone speak to me, I have no idea!

There’s nothing in it for you. We don’t have one.