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Original poster

Smart meter - yay or nay?

106 replies

FuckingHateRats · 12/08/2022 13:06

We're with Bulb.

Currently pay £229 DD every month (four bed semi with shit windows). Sitting with £475 credit at the min.

Bulb are keen to install a smart meter.

Those who have one, would you recommend it? Will it make my payments go up or down?

OP posts:
commonfik · 13/08/2022 10:19

Can you get a smart meter for a few months then ask for it to be removed?

commonfik · 13/08/2022 10:20

(So you get educated re your energy use … then you’re done right. You no longer need it on an ongoing basis, so long as your monthly meter reads are done).

NoWordForFluffy · 13/08/2022 10:21

Here's MSE's latest info on the DD discount.

It's worth more to the consumer than the interest you'd earn.

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

Cost of living
cakeorwine · 13/08/2022 10:29

C8H10N4O2 · 13/08/2022 10:14

@MsPincher
How have the suppliers benefitted at the expense of the customers? Surely it’s better for customers to get a more accurate idea of usage which can help them budget

My point is you don't need a smart meter - info on usage patterns for different types of devices used to be issued by the energy companies to help customers manage use. Some of the info was a bit trite but it was practical.

The value of the data sets captured is absolutely huge - it tells companies not just about energy usage but the type of devices customers have, individual households movements and make up - information of immense value for marketing and sales and manufacturers when they sell it onward. With the wrong sort of government it can be put to many other uses. As with all smart devices it enables a surveillance society and we don't discuss this enough.

I'd like to see a lot more open and honest discussion about the pros and cons of the current and future levels of data capture. We should be talking about where that balance of benefits should apply to individuals, companies and government and how privacy management will be handled.

Google knows about me - including my location.
My ISP knows about me - they can clearly tell when I am at home and when I am out

Tesco knows my shopping habits
My bank knows a lot about me

So yes, you are right on that - but honestly, a lot of data is out there already.

BeechFairy · 13/08/2022 10:36

Smart meters have improved.
The original ones that were tied to one supplier are no longer installed. If you get one now it's second gen.
I have no mobile signal and when they tried to install an original smart meter despite my warning it had to come out again as it couldn't connect.
The newer ones don't use mobile signal and my new one worked first time.

I think it's a little disingenous to say that it's easy to just switch things off. I was brought up proper poor, I am not pretending I am strapped for cash now, but we are all getting a shock from the sudden increase in costs. There will be a lot of people who, while not well off, have never had to budget as tightly as those on very low incomes.It's a learning curve and the smart meter helps.

Fluffyboo · 13/08/2022 11:37

Dontfuckingsaycheese · 13/08/2022 01:24

They don’t come out and fit them. You just get them out of the box and plug them in and they work by … erm… magic? 🤔

The engineer came and replaced the actual gas and electric meters and then plugged the smart meter display in when he was finished.

woodhill · 13/08/2022 12:01

So do they actually update your meters

Our seem so old fashioned

cakeorwine · 13/08/2022 12:06

woodhill · 13/08/2022 12:01

So do they actually update your meters

Our seem so old fashioned

A Smart Meter is the meter where the gas / electric comes in. It's all fancy electronics with several buttons and a digital display.

That's what sends the readings to the company via mobile data

The display people have is simply a monitor that gets the data from the Smart Meter and displays a useful data dashboard for you.

lightningstrikes · 13/08/2022 12:16

toooldtocarewhoknows · 13/08/2022 09:54

If you have solar panels do not get a smart meter fitted under any circumstances.

The way it's going you will have to have one at some point sadly.

I'd advise you to get your own 'smart' meter fitted to help you monitor your energy consumption.

The difficulty with the smart meters fitted by the electric companies is only for solar panel owners.

At the moment solar panel owners are paid for every KW hour they produce. Not for every kw hour they export.

Once the smart meter detects that you've used what you produce you won't be getting paid anymore.

At the moment I earn £1,600 tax free in a year in solar power tariff. If I get a smart meter fitted that drops to £500. So it's not in my interests to get an official one fitted.

I do have one but It's a privately fitted smart meter so I can track my usage minute by minute if needed. This means we still have a man come to read our meter.

This isn't correct for new solar owners. You are on FIT payments which are no longer available. For anyone not already on FIT payments you won't get paid anything for exported energy unless you have a smart meter which can track what energy is going to the grid. You now can apply to get SEG payments from your energy company. What you get paid varies from different companies, but all pay a lot less than you are charged for import! We've just had ours installed and already regretting that we didn't spring for a battery to store our excess for nighttime use. My friend is on FIT which is due to end in a couple years, he will then get a smart meter so that he can get payment for the excess their system generates.

PritiPatelsMaker · 13/08/2022 12:19

DH works for a utility company and says we’ll get one over his dead body Grin

When our energy provider last offered us one and I declined, they asked me why. I told them and their response was "fair point" Grin

They haven't bothered offering one again.

TonTonMacoute · 13/08/2022 13:15

No.

DH worked on the smart meter project for an energy company and he asked the boss if we should get one, boss replied 'I can't think of a single good reason why you should'.

theoldhasgone · 13/08/2022 13:26

We got one fitted when we moved, and discovered the previous owners had left an immersion heater on 24/7 that we were now paying for. Our electricity bill went down by about a third.

woodhill · 13/08/2022 14:40

Thanks *cakeandwine"😀

Previous poster mentioned they had also replaced her original meters at the same time hence my question

SwelegantParty · 13/08/2022 15:03

The value of the data sets captured is absolutely huge - it tells companies not just about energy usage but the type of devices customers have

How does a meter know what devices you have?

FayeGovan · 13/08/2022 15:52

C8H10N4O2 · 13/08/2022 09:18

So really useful for affluent middle class home owners who have their own home battery and electric vehicle. And who don't already have Economy 7 type tarriffs for this purpose.

What about the other 98% of the population?

Show quote history

I thought that too. If youve got an electric car outside you arent shitting yourself and shouting at who left the hall light on. And whats a house battery, ive never even heard of that?

cakeorwine · 13/08/2022 16:16

FayeGovan · 13/08/2022 15:52

I thought that too. If youve got an electric car outside you arent shitting yourself and shouting at who left the hall light on. And whats a house battery, ive never even heard of that?

Show quote history

A house battery is a way of storing electricity in the house. There are giant batteries now - the issue with electricity is that it is hard to store. So when we generate a lot of electricity when it's sunny or windy, it's hard to store it for when we need it for later use.

A house battery is a way of storing electricity in the house. You could have energy collected overnight when it's cheap and then have it for use during peak time. So it allow electricity to be stored.

cakeorwine · 13/08/2022 16:17

SwelegantParty · 13/08/2022 15:03

The value of the data sets captured is absolutely huge - it tells companies not just about energy usage but the type of devices customers have

How does a meter know what devices you have?

It doesn't

FayeGovan · 13/08/2022 16:35

So why arent we all buying house batteries? I take it they cost a fortune?

cakeorwine · 13/08/2022 16:41

FayeGovan · 13/08/2022 16:35

So why arent we all buying house batteries? I take it they cost a fortune?

They do

But in the future, who knows...

Battery technology, storage technology - it's all very interesting technology.

LMBoston · 13/08/2022 17:07

Sorry, this is long but I feel like smart meters are like the seventh circle of hell 😂

I’m with Eon, and they hounded me for months about getting a sm. The decent fixed tariff I was on was only available to customers who agreed to have one, so in the end I gave in and tried to book an appointment.

I live in a tiny, very old cottage and the meters are in really weird places (practically on the ceiling from where the electricity used to come in from the street, and the gas in a weeny alcove cupboard at floor level by the fireplace). When I went online to book, you had to say whether an engineer would have room to “hug” the meter and whether they would need a ladder. Obviously neither of mine are easily accessible — if indeed possible to replace — so I answered truthfully and was told I couldn’t have them. I rang Eon and offered to send photos to save an engineer coming to see — they said “not necessary” and put a note on my account saying “property not suitable” and said I could still have the fixed tariffs so all good…

… until now! Went to renew my tariff in July, no good deals showing (although with hindsight I wish I’d gone for them!) so went onto variable with the idea I’d fix once my budget for winter was clearer. So did all my sums, went back to look at the fixed deals again, and they’d all disappeared from my dashboard. Rang Eon and they said it’s because I told them I didn’t want a smart meter! I didn’t tell them that, they told me it wasn’t possible. “Apologies for the miscommunication” was all I got regarding my previous conversation, and no explanation why the fixed tariffs were showing only a couple of weeks before.

So today I tried to book an engineer appointment (thought they could at least come and see) and the website just takes me back to my account dashboard every time I hit “book appointment”. I’m going to have to ring them I think… that’s hours on hold I’ll never get back!

Tl;dr — some energy companies do indeed financially penalise customers for not having a smart meter for whatever reason, they just do it through the back door (so to speak).

Fluffyboo · 13/08/2022 17:59

woodhill · 13/08/2022 14:40

Thanks *cakeandwine"😀

Previous poster mentioned they had also replaced her original meters at the same time hence my question

Yes they did replace the meters, as our meters were not 'smart' (gas was an old fashioned analogue meter, electric was digital but not smart) so they put in a new gas meter and a new electric meter.

As cake and wine said the monitor is just a display (but a lot of people seem to think that is the smart meter)

RedWingBoots · 13/08/2022 18:33

commonfik · 13/08/2022 10:19

Can you get a smart meter for a few months then ask for it to be removed?

Nope.

Also utility meters have a limited life span of 6-15 years as they can be runny too fast or too slow.. Some get recalibrated but if they passed certain tests their lifespan can be extended for another few years.

Anyway if you are thinking of getting a smart meter after 2025 no installer can put in the first type ones.

StripeyDeckchair · 13/08/2022 19:54

I keep getting text messages about getting a smart meter installed, however I can only book an appointment Mon- Fri 9.00-16.00 & there's no way either of us can take a days leave to get a bloody meter put in (especially as they are over fond of cancelling on the day by all accounts).

Snailsaresweet · 16/08/2022 14:11

I was changed to Shell about 6 months ago (previous energy company went bust) and a couple of months ago their bills started saying I had a smart meter. I was convinced I hadn't, but when I finally got through to a human being, they reminded me that back in 2017 I had had a smart meter fitted when I was with Scottish Power. When I'd left them (I used to move every year or so, looking for cheaper rates), my new supplier told me I couldn't continue to use the smart meter, so I forgot about it. Spookily, Shell have picked up that I had one, and started using it again. I've now dug out the separate monitor and it seems to be working, but I have no confidence it is aligned with the smart meter.

lljkk · 16/08/2022 17:10

DH got so depressed at what ours was saying (high usage by teens last summer) that he taped over the entire display for 6 weeks !!! I am indifferent to it. Makes no difference to me what it says.

I guess it could help you recognise zombie items, things that might suck power even when nominally turned off.

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