Smart meters

[adorablecat]

Are there any downsides to having one? I have never found it particularly onerous to read the meters every month.

We have a smart meter, which means we can have a "time of use" tariff. We rarely pay more than 7.5p per kWh for our electricity as we pull from the grid overnight and store it in a battery for use during the more expensive peak hours. Couldn't do it without a smart meter.....

We don't have one and I'd like it to stay that way, though British Gas are very insistent we NEED one. Since smart meters have become a 'must have', British Gas have determined that ours is now a fire risk and we MUST have a smart meter. Conveniently, they also 'lost' our meter readings from last year too...

Yes there are many issues with smart meters. Everyone I know who has one - including me - have had problems with them. Wish I'd never got one now!!

It's also nonsense that they 'help' you to save energy. No they don't. The old ways of making sure things are switched off, turning the heating down etc, people know that anyway, we don't need a flipping smart meter to know that!!

We have a smart meter, arranged while I was out and a boiler service was taking place. DH agreed to it to cut off the spiel and get back to his desk. I never wanted one. We're one of the many British Gas customers whose meter hasn't been sending electricity readings for months, so I've been contacting them to submit interim readings, which can be very time-consuming with no official mechanism to do this since the smart meter was installed. They've finally caved and admitted there's a problem so that I can go back to sending them online now.
Personally I find seeing the amount being spent quite stressful if nobody else in the family is changing their consumption. This is compounded by the current situation of wondering what the problem with the meter was. I thought it was just us for ages. I'd much rather just send readings and get shot of the bloody thing.

Thank you all for your views. I won't be rushing to get one installed.

We have one (installed about six months ago), and I had one in the past. When I was struggling to pay bills, it helped me to reduce the electricity we were using - if the reading shot up, I would make everyone go around switching off stuff not being used. It also showed, for example, exactly the difference in washing at 30 deg or 60 deg. I could have worked all of this out without using a smart meter, but it was a good visual reminder and prompt.

This time, I don't watch the display, but I regularly check at the app and, again, it's a reminder not to let things slide. If I lived on my own, or if I lived with people who weren't careless about leaving on lights (and TVs in the past) and so on, it would be less useful.

I think I will be using the display and app a lot this winter.

I had them installed at a previous house. I waited in three times before they actually turned up and then they caused damage to my meter cupboard during installation. I now refuse to change them at my current house because why would I put myself out for something that doesn't benefit me?

Also I've had a few people tell me that theirs haven't worked properly anyway so it was all pointless.

I've had smart meters for years in two different houses, and haven't had any problems with them. Both houses had meters in inaccessible places, so they're great for me as I don't have to move furniture to read them! Bills are always accurate and I don't have to remember to send readings in, I can't see any reason not to have one.