Smart meters - worth getting one now they’ve improved?

[GiantKitten]

I believe they’ve been pretty useless so far, and were tied to one supplier, but I know the supplier thing at least has been fixed.

Plusnet are installing in our area shortly so we’ve had an email inviting us to get one. My instinct is still to decline, but is anybody out there really glad now that they’ve had one put in?

Mine wasn't fitted properly and nearly burned the house down

No, wait, the technology still isn’t quite right. I’d be wary.

Not all suppliers are offering the next generation ones yet

Current ones are unlikely to work if you change supplier meaning going back to providing your own readings again. The second generations ones will have the tech/software to work with any supplier.

For this reason I am waiting. The government wants them installed in all houses so the push to get it done is intense and I can see the benefit but I want one that's going to done the job no matter the supplier.

You need to ask if they are fitting a Smets one or Smets 2. The Smets 2 are the second generation and the only ones that will allow you to switch supplier and keep the smart meter ability.

British Gad must think theirs are amazing they keep emailing me to ask what they can do to make the wait for one more bearable! Like I’m crying everyday because I’ve been waiting 18m...

We have one, we changed supplier not long after it was installed so now it's a stupid meter again- it's neither better nor worse than the old one.

Can’t believe I said Plusnet in my OP!

It’s bulb.

Plusnet don’t even do power

Anyway this is what the email says:

we’re installing the new generation of smart meters (often called ‘SMETS2’) in your area.

“If you didn’t have time to book an appointment engineers are in your area in the next few weeks, so don't miss out.
Our smart meters:
Can be read by any supplier, even if you decide to switch in the future
Take meter readings automatically, which means no more estimated bills
Give you the information you need to help cut your bills and reduce carbon emissions”

Are smart meters only for electricity or for gas too btw?

I must admit I am going to be switching shortly but purposely avoided suppliers who required me to have a smart meter - just no. I read so many bad reports

Electricity AND gas.

Absolutely not. My energy company keep emailing to arrange installation but I dont see how it will benefit me - I dont mind submitting my readings and am not bothered by how much energy Im using and i have far better things to occupy my time than watching my energy consumption, plus, I’m not going to use up a days holiday , waiting in while they fit it, just so they can meet the government’s installation deadline.

I have one with BG and do love it. I like being able to see what I’m spending, and love not having people in to read the meter anymore. But I do need to change supplier, but am also moving soon, and the smart meter isn’t transferable between suppliers, so I’m sticking with a crap tariff for now. That is the downside, but if I wasn’t moving, I wouldn’t be bothered about having another company in to fit a different one.

Take meter readings automatically, which means no more estimated bills

Unless your meter is inaccessible you can submit readings yourself, which has the virtue you won't be stung for spurious readings (or will spot a problem quickly if it's the meter itself showing odd readings).

Give you the information you need to help cut your bills and reduce carbon emissions

Ie it doesn't cut the bills itself. You have to cut usage.

You could use the smart meter In-Home Display to see what uses most power, or you could just use a clip-on power monitor available from Amazon. Or you could just lag the hotwater tank and only fill the kettle with what you need.

Smart meters do an awful lot more than just show you your usage: they're intended to be remotely reprogrammable and also give the electricity companies half-hour readings (or more frequent) of your usage.

More about some of the extra things they do here (sorry, thread isn't up to date but IIUC basics haven't greatly changed):
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/other_subjects/1327330-Anyone-having-a-gas-leccy-meter-replaced-with-a-Smart-Meter-Something-you-need-to-know

Of course you might be perfectly happy with all of that. Some people are.

Our energy company paid us £30 to get one. I am a student so home a lot, so no inconvenience for them to do the work so we got one. Wouldn't have bothered if they didn't pay us though.

I quite like my ScottishPower meter, makes me more aware of what I'm spending. Each to their own though.

I've recently had to get them as part of my new fixed-rate tariff with First Utility. The in-house display is upstairs in a bedroom I rarely go in. I'm not going to stop boiling the kettle now I can see how much it costs!

friend had one installed when she moved a few weeks ago. First night it was reading £30 a day. She probably stupidly assumed the old cooker left in the property was faulty and replaced it.
The following day it was reading £350. A MINUTE. As far as I know she's still trying to sort it all now. They blamed it on faulty software.

We were contacted the other week by EDF telling us they wanted to come and fit one. We declined but they have said it's in the small print of our contract. Hoping to keep putting them off until June when we can change providers. We are adamant we don't want this meter, we're in a very poor mobile signal area anyway so I very much doubt it would even be 'smart'.

I had British Gas out twice to fit smart meters and they deemed them too tricky to fit because one meter was inside a cupboard and the other up high on a wall. There was much sucking in of breath and complaining before they said they wouldn’t do it. I still get emails and phone calls asking me to arrange to fit them!

Thank you all for comments.

I think I’ll hang on for a while. I do regular meter readings myself with the bulb app camera & I’m happy to carry on with those.