Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think lots of people are dumb over smart meters

290 replies

InkedGreen · 18/09/2019 11:34

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

OP posts:
IronicalCallSign · 18/09/2019 21:06

@GooseberryJam seconded!

Saddler · 18/09/2019 21:06

No thanks. They linked to specific suppliers, I change mine most years. You can keep them, I don't need one.

welshsoph · 18/09/2019 21:06

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Drabarni · 18/09/2019 21:12

Good god no, hideous things. If you need one to tell you how to save and use less, then I'd question your intelligence.
have you tried to change provider.

Likethebattle · 18/09/2019 21:14

I think people who need a gadget to tell them that leaving a light on costs money are pretty dumb. I change supplier regularly and until the meters can cross between companies I won’t have one as it would be a waste of time. My friend list her electricity for 4 days due to the ineptitude of the installer. I use what I need and use it sensibly. I am in the living room, I have two small lamps and tv on. Nothing else electrical is on (apart from fridge freezer) when I leave a room I turn out the lights etc. I won’t suddenly stop washing my clothes ( I don’t have a tumble drier due to the environmental impact of them. I line dry of hang inside as it rains a lot here in Scotland), or charging my phone because a machine is telling me it costs money. I bloody know that!

Drabarni · 18/09/2019 21:15

Don't think you won't have to give readings, you will still get calls/ asked for your readings. I know a local company who do this and have family who work there.

speakout · 18/09/2019 21:16

I have recently changed energy suppliers- I change usually yearly, always tracking the best deals.

This year I noticed that all the big suppliers ( who were the cheapest too) all had a clause saying that part of the deal was to agree to a smart meter being installed within 3 months.. THis was written in the first couple of lines outlining the deal- on Compare the Market, Money Supermarket, Uswitch etc.
They also stated that if I didn;t agree to a smart meter then my tariff rates would become invalid and the would change me to amore expensive tariff.
I don't really want a smart meter, but I didn't want an energy company I hadn't heard of either, so I was stuck.
I wait to see how they will enforce that.

Apollo440 · 18/09/2019 21:26

You do know these are for the electricity company's benefit and not the consumers?
They can cut you off or alter your tariff without having to access your meter.

BrightYellowDaffodil · 18/09/2019 21:29

I don't need a smart meter to tell me how much something costs. I'm perfectly capable of doing that for myself (e.g. seeing how many units I use per hour (averaged over several hours to give a more accurate reading) then putting on, say, the oven for an hour to see the change.

There are some things I'm not going to fuck about with - I can't turn off the fridge or freezer for example - nor do I care how much my hairdryer costs for the minute I use it. I have got better things to do with my life than worry how much it costs to charge up my phone - it needs to be charged and therefore paid for. End of.

Tobeshared · 18/09/2019 21:33

I'm sure it has already been said but these smart meters are a license requirement for your electricity company - they are not pushing this - your Gov are! Of course it would be better to wait until all the companies can use the same meter - it seems ridiculous that they have pushed this out when agreement has not been reached. We do not have one and will not get one installed unless it is multi company compliant.

enjoyingscience · 18/09/2019 21:43

As many others have said, having a device which tells you that electrical things use electricity isn’t something I feel the need for. I’ll pass thanks.

The best argument I’ve seen so far was the advert on TV today making the case that it allowed companies to predict demand better and be responsive, but even that’s a massive cop out. Hugely doubt that live data diverges from standard patterns, and a bit of AI is likely to tell you as much.

I’m really not a conspiracy theory fan, but the only major advantage to anyone is the ability to peak price/price surge at times of high demand. It may be inevitable, but I’m not going to enthusiastically embrace it.

bluegirlgreen · 18/09/2019 22:35

Seriously though! WHY are the government/energy companies soooooo desperate for everyone to have a smart meter? Confused

Even bullying and threatening people to try and con them into having one. Hmm

WHYYYYYYY???

dadshere · 18/09/2019 22:46

Yes lots of people are dumb over smart meters. They get them installed. Smart meters do nothing for customers. They do enable power companies to find out when the most electricity is used and thus introduce 'peak' pricing. Anyone who is so stupid that they need a little box to tell them that when they use an electrical appliance, it uses electricity, which costs money cannot be helped.

AutumnCrow · 18/09/2019 23:05

No thanks I don't want one of those intrusive gadgets @OP/SPAD

It gives any nomark at the power company information on when my house is empty. Some of us don't live in Fort Knoxes (or want to).

justanotherworkingmum · 18/09/2019 23:08

Have a number of smart meters on various sites at work. We still take regular meter readings and not a single one bill has tallied with our readings!

What with that and the fact that we are not yet at a stage where smart meters are truly universal across all companies, it's a no from me!

Drabarni · 19/09/2019 00:03

Anyone who is so stupid that they need a little box to tell them that when they use an electrical appliance, it uses electricity, which costs money cannot be helped

Ha Ha, brilliant Grin

Aridane · 19/09/2019 00:09

I am so dumb I submitted a complaint to EDF under GDPR about their relentless anti social calling on smart metres, despite requests to stop and withdrawing consent for my personal data to be used in this way

Aridane · 19/09/2019 00:09

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

Fabulous

Aridane · 19/09/2019 00:10

Cross post with Drambari!

PickAChew · 19/09/2019 00:14

Um, I'm not going to use things less than I use for a reason. My none hair washing showers are already as short as I can bear. I don' need a metre to tell me that.

Aridane · 19/09/2019 00:14

How dumb would it be to have a smart meter which only works with one electricity company!

Pollywollydolly · 19/09/2019 00:17

Very smart - until you change suppliers and it doesn't work any more!

Aridane · 19/09/2019 00:19

And also according to Which