Is there any reason not to get a smart meter?

[MrsPelligrinoPetrichor]

Just been offered one by our power company, it would be a lot easier than taking meter readings as the current meter is at the back of the garage and I can't get to it at all so I have to get dh to take a reading.

My dad is very anti them, not sure why...

Just reading some more comments...people aren't going to be individually hit by I creased bulls because they don't take a smart meter.
The tarrifs have risen crazily already...we have ALL absorbed that cost already...

Why can your husband get to the meter and you can't? If you lived alone you'd find a way

It's high up and I'm disabled so can't climb on a step ladder. I wouldn't 'find a way' as I wouldn't be able to do it and wouldn't have a choice so would have to get a smart one fitted.

My sister was with Octopus and she loved them. Tried to get me to join up with them. Then it turned out that she couldn't leave them because of the smart meter. And it never worked properly and she was suddenly lumbered with huge bills. Bit of a nightmare all told.

@TwoLeftSocksWithHoles

I heard that once enough people have smart meters the energy providers will have the facility in place to have 'dynamic tariffs' so at peak times they could charge a lot more with the aim to smooth the peaks. (Of course electricity usage will increase significantly with more and more electric cars).

It will become legal for suppliers to do this (with the 'green view' that it will reduce usage) which is why the Government are subsidising the cost.

This! I hate it when people try to ‘sell’ you stuff on the basis that it will benefit you, when really it’s for their benefit. It’s nothing to do with helping consumers manage their bills and totally to do with energy companies trying to charge more at peak times.

I won't get one unless forced to. They used to send a man round to read your meter and he earned a wage for doing it.

I switched to Eon a few months ago, cheap tariff and the possibility of a smart meter (if I want one.) Since then I have been bombarded with calls, letters and texts hounding me to have the meter fitted. I have checked the contract, it's bullshit, it only says "free smart meter." Tbh I wish I had never switched, had to spin them a yarn to get them off my back for a few months.

@Fairyliz the roll out is more being able to deal with the demands on the supply grid than billing - that may be a side effect but that's not why it was originally rolled out.
Demand is higher due to various factors but our generation network is more complicated than it used to be now it is a mix of renewables and traditional methods, managing it to run efficiently and effectively takes data, smart meters provide that data so that they can predict when they need to provide more or less capacity and manage storage for renewables. Old style meters only provide block data so aren't useful for real-time demand tracking.

@Imnothereforthedrama

Tbh I have one and hardly ever look at it , I’m quite energy efficient I think anyway and it’s higher in winter than summer . It makes no difference I have one or not , you don’t have to have it on show and we’ve put it that it’s not out of sight but unless we go and look we don’t notice iyswim .

This is what I'm like with ours. We are in a new build house, so the meter was already there. I like having all my usage data at my fingertips. Mine doesn't beep at me about anything.

@Horehound

Just reading some more comments...people aren't going to be individually hit by I creased bulls because they don't take a smart meter. The tarrifs have risen crazily already...we have ALL absorbed that cost already...

This is not the case when I have been looking at taking out a new contract. I am with Eon (migrated from npower) and my existing tariff is being replaced (if I do not consent to having a smart meter) by a far more expensive one - I call it blackmail. If you do a uswitch test or any of the other comparison sites - you will see that the best tariffs are only available IF you have a smart meter. I do know energy costs have risen but I expect the utility company not to exclude people from all the best tariffs. Eon are dreadful with bombarding you with text messages emails and calls about getting a smart meter.

@wonkylegs. I understand what you're saying and it makes sense. The problem is when you see the trouble other people have had, it makes you reluctant to get on board. And I mean people I know, not things I've read in the newspaper. The whole system has managed to get itself a bad reputation.

Yes @bunnybuggs that's true but tarrifs have risen across the board to cover the cost of smart meters, so even if those are more expensive we still have absorbed cost into normal tarrifs too.
I just switched three households and looked at a fuck tonne of tarrifs.

My grandparents had electricity at a unit rate of 14p...the minimum now was 19p but lots more like 23p...a huge jump.

I fucking hate utility companies. They absolutely rip people off. I used to live in a house with lpg and there is no regulations there (shockingly) but even when oil price went down significantly they hikes prices up a crazy extent. In fact they put them up so high they broke our contract and my clever husband showed them the calculation and all of a sudden we were on the cheapest of the cheapest tarrifs again they really are fuckers.

Only really useful if you're on top up meters and/or have limited mobility. Of course sometimes they stop working or things go wrong and you will be advised by energy company to go and fiddle with the meter anyway! But for credit customers I really don't see any advantage bar no more estimated bills/usage.

@Haywirecity oh I completely agree just trying to give some background.

Basically the government bunged some money at some private companies and hoped they would sort it all out between themselves rather than providing a robust and properly resourced plan for our nations infrastructure and it's been less than successful in its rollout but that's not really a surprise in any way.

Allows us to have a super cheap overnight tariff to charge our electric car.

Haven’t even plugged the display hub in.

@wonkylegs. My energy company wanted me to get one fitted in 2019. They were forever ringing me. I explained my concerns about 1st generation meters and they agreed there'd been problems and then said those were the ones they were fitting until the supply had run out. After which they'd start fitting second generation ones. I declined having one.
TBH I think the energy companies should have been able to sort this out themselves. It would've been a nightmare for govt, national or local, to have done it themselves. Especially with people swapping companies all the time. They'd have had to set up huge networks to share and monitor information. It would have cost a fortune. And people would complain about civil liberties and the amassing of information. And every error would make the news and there was bound to be an old pensioner that ended up without any electricity at all, and everyone would accuse the PM of being a murderer. So, I don't blame them for getting the energy companies to do it themselves.

I had mine fitted, its fine and yes takes the added work of having to submit them each time you need to.

I 've got my disaply plugged in, in the kitchen. I actually find it useful to keep an general eye on it. Interesting to know how much a dehumdifier to dry clothes indoors over winter costs etc. Also I know there has been lots on how much its costing to work from home but I haven't seen a big difference in my electricity costs from doing so.

I did find montoring my gas usage and spend through the display over the winter useful. Kept me from just sticking on the heating on a whim and instead put on a thicker jumper etc first. Otherwise pre meter I wouldn't really know how much I was spending as I had to submit my readings every 6 months so could end up with a huge bill!

@Spectre8. Can I just ask, how much does it cost to run your dehumidifier? Thanks.

@Haywirecity
I think the electricity companies should have managed the process but I think the framework to set the system up should have been more robust and well thought out and led by government - it wasn't, it was half done and not managed properly. Rollout to the whole nation is always going to be difficult and leadership from the top is needed to co-ordinate properly. I agree that it shouldn't be a centralised rollout of devices but the planning of the process should have been better by government.
In the same way we have centralised policies for building regulations, safety regulations that are managed by individuals at a local level.

@bunnybuggs

Something to be aware of that when your contract ends and you have not installed a smart meter - only more expensive rtariffs are available to you - looking at EON who are pulling this trick.

Then you try and find an alternative - again very few providers give you the best/cheapest tariff without insisting on a smart meter.

I hate being told what to do. The energy companies are cashing in on a government drive to put a smart meter in every home (why?)

I am resisting having one and searching for the best tariff with any company that does not browbeat you into a new smart meter.
Reading the meter for me is easy - easily accessible and takes at most 5 minutes.

EDF did the same to me

In time, it will allow electricity companies to charge you higher fees during ‘peak’ times - ie between 6-10am and 5-9pm. More information about when you use your electricity will allow them to set different rates at different hours of day.

You are giving electricity companies a lot of information about your life. And in my experience prices never go down and get better for consumers.

I have resisted smart meters and will not get them installed. They already now how much your electricity you use through normal metering. Now through ‘smart’ meters companies will know your electricity usage at any time in the day, and in time charge you more for that usage.

My monthly bill was £77. It's been "reassessed" and has gone up to £98.

My contract finishes end Sept. I have looked on all of the comparison websites and the cheapest fixed rate is approx, £114.

However if l stick to a non-contract variable it is £112.

Can't believe the increase

Can someone explain though.... l had my smart meter installed in August. So far l am well under £98/mth in usage.

Should what my Smart display show and my direct debit be pretty similar....taking into account that it is averaged out over the year?

@muchmorethan don't look at the £ they say it will cost you a month because if you use more it will cost more, and cost less if you use less. You need to be looking at the actual tarriff information. Unit costs per kw hour. Standing charge even if expensive doesn't make much difference to the yearly bill so even if it is a higher AC but a good Unit rate, I'd err to go with that

If you were building up a lot of debt in winter and it not being covered in summer when you use less, I don't see the issue in them reassessing you. It's to make sure you don't build up huge debts...that's not a bad thing.
I think people are really unaware at their actual tarriff costs and usage.
If you don't have a smart meter then the best thing to do is make absolute sure you are submitting a reading every month

Oh and @Muchmorethan the price cap is about to be Increased which will affect every single variable tarriff out there. So definitely definitely switch to a fixed rate ASAP.

Also sorry! If you are building up credit right now then that's a good thing because it will then cover your winter usage increase.

Agree with others, I don’t need a smart meter to tell me that boiling the kettle uses electricity, literally no shit sherlock. I don’t waste electricity so no way a smart meter can provide savings. I can send my own readings any time I want and get an up to date bill without one.
And they will definitely provide enough data to providers that eventually there will be differential pricing for different users as they work out when you personally need and use electricity more.