To think lots of people are dumb over smart meters

[InkedGreen]

Fab little devices, we have ours on the kitchen table and is a great reminder to use less or to turn off stuff when we're not in the room. Showers make it go crazy and we've really cut down the shower lengths if not washing our hair

I'm clever enough to figure out for myself that if I have something plugged in and switched on it will be costing me money. I don't need a gizmo to tell me that!

How dumb do you have to be to need an electrical device to tell you you are using electricity?

How dumb do you have to be to need an electronic box to tell you that using electronic devices use electricity that you have to pay for?

No thanks.

I don't want one because I'll be watching how much my DP wastes when he forgets to turn lights off and forgets to switch the washing machine of when it's finished it's cycle.

Oh yeah, as some people have said, the energy companies make it sound like it's compulsory to have smart meters.

We got a letter (5 or 6 times actually, during late 2017, and 2018,) from our energy company, saying 'we are ready to install your smart meters!' Like they were going to do it whether we liked it or not. The letter said 'ring NOW to book your appointment!!!'

We don't want them, we don't NEED them, and we are not easily bullied.

So I ignored the letters. I think they have given up now, because they haven't bothered us for about 8 or 9 months!

You do seem to be massively promoting smart meters, which have been proven to be shit, faulty, unnecessary, or generally pointless

This.
For the record I'm very happy to be dumb, which coincidentally is what any smart meter here installed would be as they rely on mobile network and there is no signal here.

When I wanted a smart meter years ago I was told I couldn't have one because I was on the wrong tariff.

Since then I discovered if you change energy suppliers, like I do, every 12-18 months that the meter version most energy companies are still installing aren't compatible with other suppliers.

In other words I risk blowing up my neighbours - yep some of the meter installers aren't trained sufficiently - to get a meter installed that will very likely stop working in 6 months when I change suppliers.

@InkedGreen glad you like it ...

We do have smart bulbs which use less electric, a nest thermostat that lets you know how you are doing on heating usage to be more green, and good insulation ... also if I do forget to turn lights off I can do
So remotely from
My hue app or if I forget to turn off a device I can do so from my Alexa app as I use smart plugs.

Not sold on the smart meter though as I believe it almost locks you in with your current provider making it almost impossible to save money on different tariffs ... but when that changes then I will Defno
Get it.

we have the smart meter so it doesnt need to be read.

The gimmick to show you when you are using more power is in a cupboard somewhere. I don't need something to tell me if I use anything that produces heat or has a motor its going to use much more power!

LOVE mine. Have been able to massively reduce my usage and therefore my bills. Biggest thing for me was realising how much residual electricity something like a toaster or microwave still draws even when not in use. Washing machine in ‘standby’ but not on for example.

Have been able to massively reduce my usage and therefore my bills. Biggest thing for me was realising how much residual electricity something like a toaster or microwave still draws even when not in use. Washing machine in ‘standby’ but not on for example

Did you honestly need a machine to tell you this? Surely it is common sense to turn off sockets not in use and to not leave electrical items on standby.

Maybe you're so dumb you needed a smart meter to tell you when you're using electricity. 🤷🏼‍♀️

Well, if a smart meter performs as well as our utility company who seem to be desperate install one (that is to say, extremely badly) we will continue to refuse one.
Not least because if we change suppliers it will cease to work with the new company but also because we are not clearly informed what they are able to do with the data they collect from us on usage, time etc. (For example, sell it on to other companies or entities).
We have told our supplier numerous times we do not want a smart meter and they say they have put a note to that effect on our account. We still get the letters.
Meanwhile they cannot get our bills right at all despite us supplying them with meter readings regularly and additionally whenever they request one. Apparently they now owe us over £1,000.

As far as I can see the only benefit was to prove to our electricity provider that a well built new build where everyone was out all day used far less energy than they ‘had to assume for that sized house’ therefore getting our direct debits reduced.

We are not having one fitted until the company can guarantee it will be a SMETS 2 meter, and will be interavailable between the different energy companies, if we want to change supplier.

The SMETS 1 meters that a lot of people have fitted now will not be inter-available if they switch energy supplier. The meter will still show them how much energy they are using, but will no longer transmit the data to the energy company, so they will have to go back to reading the meter again.

I also dislike intensely the calls from energy companies telling me that it is government policy/the law that I MUST have a smart meter, when there is no such law. I am not going to be intimidated into getting a smart meter, but some people might be scared into it, and I think this is despicable behaviour on the part of the energy companies.

Why is it dumb OP? Do you think we’re all too thick to decide how we use our electricity and shouldn’t be allowed to have a long shower?

I am dumb for living too far away from my meter for the box to managed. My electric company is very dumb to keep sending me reminders to get one, even though they were the ones to tell me I couldn't have one

I discovered if you change energy suppliers ... the meter version most energy companies are still installing aren't compatible with other suppliers.

This is very important. If you decide to get a smart meter you MUST check that you can still switch suppliers. Switching suppliers and avoiding the standard ‘inertia’ tarrif is more likely to save you money than taking a shorter shower.

I'm quite capable of knowing that showers use a lot of electricity without having a little box telling me about it, or not when it stops working the next time I change my gas and electricity supplier, which I do most years as it's the only way to not pay over the odds for utilities.

What's the energy used in manufacturing an electrical device that will stop working in a few month's time especially if it's presence is unlikely to change my behaviour because I'm already careful to only use the energy that I need because I don't enjoy setting fire to money unnecessarily.

It's also quite likely that the mobile signal is too weak for it to work as it's shit in our house, so it wouldn't work anyway.

I want one, but not just yet, as there are still problems with the tech ie. not working when you swap suppliers.

I won’t be getting one: slippery slope towards energy companies using your data for marketing purposes. I like my clunky old analogue meter.

Ok slightly off topic but does turning appliances off at the plug save energy? How if the appliance is off? This is a revelation!

Blast those dumb Georgians, building our house in such a way that a smart meter wouldn't work.

So inconsiderate.

Maybe I should LTHouse so I can get a 'fab little device' that reminds me that using electricity costs money. I'd never work that out without it.

I suppose they might be useful if they help people see that a 10.5kW electric shower uses as much electricity in ten minutes, as a modern LED lightbulb uses in 175 hours. Or as a microwave on standby uses in 24 days. And pay attention to the power-hungry appliances, not the trivial ones.

A smart meter is actually not very good for measuring particular appliances. You can get a plug-through watt-hour device for about a tenner that will measure usage of the appliance plugged into it. Or you can get electricity monitors that were briefly popular before the government decided to make us all pay for smart meters. Many monitors were put away into cupboards and surface on ebay for a few pounds.

But I can tell you what it will say.

Modern energy-saving or LED lightbulbs use so little electricity that you may as well forget about them. So does a modern extractor fan. Devices on standby use so little that you will not be able to accurately measure it. So do phone chargers and the like.

A tumble drier uses a lot. A fan heater uses a lot. Any electric heater uses a lot, and all of these are liable to be used for long periods on many days of the year.

A washing machine might use about 3kW, but only for about 10 minutes for each 60 degree load. A kettle or toaster the same, but only for about three minutes. For a single mug of tea or coffee, you can heat a glass jug containing the correct amount in a microwave more cheaply.