Why don't we want a smart meter?

[ChimChimeny]

I've seen a lot of comments basically saying posters will never get a smart meter, but I don't know why!

I do monthly meter readings so sending usage automatically doesn't interest me but I'd like the box thing which shows how much we're using because we don't know which appliances are the most costly.

But what are the downsides??

I have had a terrible experience with a tenant and smart meters. Energy company (I'm looking at you EDF) managed to completely mess up the whole thing so gas is on top up and electricity is monthly payment but neither knew that, nor did the app (showed monthly payment option only) or the company. Managed to cut off the gas two Friday evenings running at 7.30pm in December. Obviously, no-one to speak to. Lots of other issues which took forever to sort out and they ended up giving both of us some compensation but it wasn't enough for the hassle it caused both of us.

So, yes, they absolutely can cut you off using smart meters, even if they aren't 'allowed' to. Has made me very wary.

No positives stories from me.
My elderly Dad had one fitted so he didn’t have to send the meter readings himself. It packed up after 2 months and they have still not replaced / repaired it 6 months later!

As for me - twice I have requested one and both times they have gone to an address over 20 miles away from me! I have had long emails with them ensuring it is my address attached to my account and the correct meter serial number etc, but they still have this random address on the account.

I'm happy with my smart meter. I no longer have to provide readings and it's great for identifying spikes in usage and makes me more mindful of my consumption. I can see no negatives whatsoever.

Never in the last 30 years has any of the assorted electric suppliers I've been with has any of them checked the meter is working correctly, it must be 2 years since I last had a human meter reading!

@Yirk

Exactly. Whether a smart metre or old school one I don’t know a single person who is accurately able to monitor the usage of every appliance in their house, for different settings and different time lengths to determine the readings are correct.

Don’t get a smart metre if you don’t want one but it’s batshit people think a 30 year old metre is more accurate.

@Tulipomania

Nope, you're not convincing me, You can keep your smart meters. I will NEVER EVER have one. Even if I DO have to spend approximately 2 minutes of my life (3 times a YEAR,) giving a perfectly accurate meter reading to my energy supplier. YEAH I KNOW, a whole six minutes of my life every year doing meter readings. Shocker eh??!!! Much less time I think, than faffing around trying to sort out the shitstorm caused by wanky malfunctioning smart meters!

You crack on with your smart meters and follow the herd... I will stick with my credit meters ta muchly! I have not had any issue with them, OR my bills in 50 years, so jog on with your nonsense about my 'inaccurate bills' because you're talking rubbish. My bills are NEVER inaccurate! (Even though I know you would love for them to be.)

Oh and also, you can shove your EVs where the sun don't shine too, along with the smart meters. I will not be getting an electric car either. You seem really oddly invested in trying to make people think like you. Being strong minded and assertive as I am, it won't work with me. So go peddle your manipulative nonsense elsewhere.

A 30 year old credit meter is very likely more accurate than a LOT of smart meters. From what I have heard and read - (on this forum and many other forums,) some smart meters and shit. Many people have nothing but trouble with them. Inaccurate readings galore, with them ending up owing lots of money.

If people want them, and they get them (and get on OK with them,) then good for them!!! But they need to bore off trying to convince others to get them, with this shitty attitude that they're 'wrong' for not getting smart meters, or stupid, gullible, foolish, and narrow minded for not getting them.

I don't want them. I am not getting them. What the fuck has it got to do with anyone else? Why are some people so over-invested in what I do?

From what I have heard and read - (on this forum and many other forums,) some smart meters ARE shit. (Typo!)

I'm not a fan of extra/unnecessary gadgets that contribute to waste/carbon/energy use and don't actually improve my life.
You guys can have them, I'll just do my occasional scrabble to the meters with my back of an old envelope and pencil while I still can.
Heat pumps are coming relatively soon, so smart meters will have to change again!

I won't have one on principle because the adverts annoyed me saying 'get a smart meter, it will reduce your energy use' that is a lie, it is plugged in and therefore uses electricity! People would have to change their usage to reduce energy costs.

I cancelled my smart gas meter, I cannot rely on being able to contact British Gas if anything doesn't work as it should after fitting, now my electric smart meter is working I cannot see any readings or usage on their app or website, I can see my gas at the moment and don't want my gas to go the same way especially at a time when I am using it most. The electric seems a bit of a shambles and wouldn't want to willingly put my gas the same way.

The blurb in the email about my new smart meter said that once I had it fitted I would be able to see my usage in great detail on the app and website so I would know exactly what I was spending, this is not true with the electric and I have no reason to think the gas would be any better, so I will be keeping my old ugly gas meter for a few months yet.

So you have a credit meter?

I guess that is the type you just top up with money / credit - so you never actually get bills. Just a statement showing how much you have topped up and how much energy you have used.

Personally, I find it useful and interesting to see the daily usage. I can predict monthly costs quite accurately and can use the data to see the effect of reducing gas / electricity on a monthly or even daily scale.

But I like data

The blurb in the email about my new smart meter said that once I had it fitted I would be able to see my usage in great detail on the app and website so I would know exactly what I was spending, this is not true with the electric and I have no reason to think the gas would be any better, so I will be keeping my old ugly gas meter for a few months yet

I can see daily usage - and I could see half hourly usage.

Prior to a smart meter, I could only work that out if I took daily readings. It does it for me.

So yes, I can see my usage in much more detail.

@WhileMyGuitarGentlyWeeps

I couldn’t give a shit whether you get a smart meter or not. I just find it odd you and many people are posting comments that can’t possibly be true. A smart metre IS a metre FFS. It just comes with an additional display showing current usage.

A 30 year old credit meter is very likely more accurate than a LOT of smart meters.

How can you possibly know this? No one can know how accurate their metre is, smart or otherwise, without serious bits of kit and enormous spreadsheet calculations.

I can't see any usage from my electric smart meter at all, it's set to send readings every half hour, website and app are absolutely abysmal, impossible to contact anyone, I can see usage from my non smart gas meter though. It was totally abysmal customer service and lack of information that has put me off as I really wanted my nice new meter but it's not worth the risk and I will re-evaluate next summer

I was told that old metres are really reliable and if anything may run a little slower as they age 2-3%. I’m another if it’s not broke don’t fix it. I lived in a rental with my DS1 as a baby which had a prepayment metre and the batteries ran out coinciding with a bad snow storm. No electric till they replaced batteries so no heating. It took 3 days for someone to come round and they wouldn’t give me a time so had to wait in freezing building for hours. I’m not signing up for something that will likely inconvenience me in the future for the benefit of electric company.

It shows you in real time your energy usage and does generally lead to a change in behaviour. My usage has gone down for that reason.

Same here. I'm with BG and get random emails saying that they are coming to fit a smart meter and I cancel each time.
I won't have one until BG say my old skool key meters are defunct.

My daughter lives in an old Victorian flat. Green energy we very persistent with the smart meter. So for giggles she invited them to fit one. Problem being the meter is in the cellar. 3 floors from her flat. It wouldn't work.
None of the 20 flats have smart meters for this reason.
Once a month all tenants troop down to the cellars to take their readings.

I'm at a loss to understand how seemingly intelligent people need a smart meter to tell them that a 15 minute shower is more expensive that a 10 minute one, or boiling the kettle 4x per day costs more than 2x a day etc. Why did some people not realise this before hand?

It's useful to a family, and in general, as a visual reminder - a little nudge, if you will.

It's also very clear when you see the impact - especially on the daily usage - of different activities on the cost and the usage.

Nudge behaviour. Little changes.

But I could have posted your statement before I got a Smart Meter. I didn't understand the need for one, I was perfectly capable of taking readings and I understand exactly how energy works and changes that need to be made.

But having got one, I love it. I like the monitor. I like the daily data. I transfer the figures to my spreadsheet. I can use them to see what I am spending, my prediction and I input variables to see the effect of changes.

It's just so much easier to do than having to take readings.

I know my 'background' house reading - it was 43 watts but - and with the help of the monitor - I got it down to 33 watts. I know exactly how much energy each electrical device in my house uses - on standby and when working.

The linked display has made that research so much easier.

Some people seem to be mixing up the smart meter with the monitor. You can have a smart meter installed and do not have to use the monitor.

I already restrict usage as much as possible, so the monitor is no use to me. I don't need to know that I spent £1 on electricity today as I couldn't have done anything any differently.

Eon fitted my first SM , they actually insisted on it as part of the contract when I moved to them, then kept asking me for readings. When I asked why as I had a SM they said that they had no record of me having a SM!. I told them that they had insisted that I had one and that they had installed it!! I had to send them photos of their own meter, covered in their tags and labels before they would believe me.

I left Eon as soon as the contract allowed and moved to Scottish Power. I haven't had any trouble with them at all and the readings go automatically with no problems.

Some people seem to be mixing up the smart meter with the monitor. You can have a smart meter installed and do not have to use the monitor

True

But you can't have the monitor without the smart meter.

I love knowing that I can look at the daily data that the Smart Meter has sent to the company - it's interesting to look at and has enabled me to make predictions this year and adjustments.

I also like the monitor and the simple ease of use.

There are some real dinosaurs on this thread

I like being a dinosaur.

Dinosaurs survived for tens of millions of years, so they were doing something right.

Spending 10 minutes a month taking my readings and telling the energy company so they can give me an up to date account status doesn't worry me at all. I don't need a gizmo to tell me that having something switched on uses power and is going to cost me, and living alone in a one bedroom flat means that I have control over what's on and what isn't.