Anyone removed a smart meter successfully?

[MrsTrue]

Hi all - anyone had success removing a smart meter from their house?

I'm buying a new build with my husband and the only option is to have a smart meter installed. My husband wants it gone but is worried we won't be able to get it swapped out. We don't mind paying for it to be gone, he's just worried it'll take ages and/or not be possible. Please help me find some success stories!

Did you mean '...you can't burn wet wood...'?

These threads make me laugh a bit.

It's not really your choice whether or not to have a smart meter. The meter is owned by the supplier.

The reason suppliers can't "force" you to have a smart meter is because there would have been public outcry over it. So what they have done is made it non obligatory until the vast majority of people have them. At that point they will just make it mandatory. Because the few remaining tfh who hold out they will not care about and because again, it's not your meter. You don't own it and you don't control access to it.

The idea about the electric companies being able to switch people off remotely, or monitor your consumption, electric companies can implement that either on or off your property if they wish. So again it makes no odds. They have control over the supply and they can choose how they will deliver it and meter it. The only thing that will stop them is if there is enough political capital in it for the government to place restrictions on them, which is unlikely to happen if everyone is on a smart meter.

In refusing a smart meter you are frankly swimming against the tide. It's going to happen sooner or later, either by choice or it will be forced. So may as well get used to the idea rather than expend a load of effort trying to stop it.

In refusing a smart meter you are frankly swimming against the tide. It's going to happen sooner or later, either by choice or it will be forced. So may as well get used to the idea rather than expend a load of effort trying to stop it.

This doesn't make sense as an argument. If you see something happening that you think is awful, then even if you think it will inevitably happen to you too because it will happen to everyone, it still doesn't make sense to volunteer for it, bringing it closer and spreading it further. It does make sense to resist things you think are harmful and inappropriate (further privacy invasions), to protect yourself/limit the damage to the extent you are able to and to try to get other people to do the same. Even if you think you can't win against something bad, it doesn't make sense to support it in winning.

We resisted a smart meter for ages and ages, because of the all the horror stories. We are on a prepayment meter for gas and electricity (by choice as it makes it easier to manage and not suddenly get a big bill and DDs always seem to hold money in the account).

We had a power cut and our meter would not switch back on afterwards. The utility company were adamant that during a power cut one meter in all of those affected "blows' and needs replacing (who knows how true that is?).

I argued for ages to get the old meter replaced like for like, but they were adamant that it could only be replaced by a smart meter. It took two months to get the smart meter fitted and during that time we had no meter, so got gas and electricity free for that time as they couldn't check our usage.

We are now happy with the smart meter and feel a bit daft for putting it off for so long. The main difference for us is that we can top up at home rather than having to go a shop.

At the end of the day, if the utility companies want to throttle/restrict our services they can do that with or without a smart meter.

People can waste a huge amount of effort fighting against smartmeters if they want (see pp). If they do I don't care and why should I waste my time on it - it's pointless.

The vast majority of people have got better things to do with their time. They've seen it, done it and realised there is not much to be concerned about. And that's why ultimately everyone will end up with smart meters whether they like it or not, unless they want to go completely off grid.

That is the reality and one of the prices you have to pay for being part of society.

So many brainwashed people on this thread thinking that theres nothing anyone can do as it is 'going to happen anyway'
You have to push back. there is no legal obligation to have a SM.

Exactly what privacy invasions are you fighting against exactly? Smart meters allow the company selling you gas and electricity to know how much you are using - as is their right.

As the data is real (ish) time they can see when you are using more gas or electricity which helps them plan to meet demand in a more responsive way.

They really aren't noting down every time you put on the kettle or use your hair drier (not least because the data isn't that granular).

What most people seem to get horribly confused about is that they don't own the meter and they don't own the electricity cable going into their house.

An electricity company could meter off your property if they wanted too and in any way they liked. It's chosen to be done by the current meter because a) it is more convenient and cheaper and b) the cabling might need to be changed (I don't know how individual properties are wired back to the substation, but it probably isn't independently).

But ultimately they can do it anyway. So by the time 99% of people have got the meters the companies might decide to just place additional meters from people who refuse off property anyway, although they probably won't bother because by then they will be allowed to change their meters independently of the homeowners wishes.

They control the supply and they can monitor what you use if they want to whether you like it or not. The only thing you can do is either choose to, or not to use it. The smart meter replacing existing meter just makes it more convenient for them as a replacement mechanism.

If you want to "confuse" the enemy from understanding when you switch the hairdryer on or start baking cookies the best way is to place a buffer between the mains and your usage - probably in the shape of a massive (and expensive) battery. That way you can charge up the battery overnight and then draw the power down independently of anyone externally being able to monitor it. That way you can have that sneaky brew or wash your pants knowing that noone else can tell. Seems a bit pointless to me.

There do seem to be some things that people get oddly concerned about and smart meters is one of them.

Not.so.fast.

The electricity suppliers certainly has the right to know the meter readings at the beginning and end of each billing period, and at any time there is a change of tariff.

Which is about 12 readings a year, if you pay monthly.

AND NOTHING MORE

What makes you think the ANYONE is entitled to collect half-hourly information about your electricity usage, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year?

Under the specious argument about all that information being needed for "planning the grid" - which is in plain speak a plain lie and total BS.

As is most of the marketing spiel for these remote control and metering devices. It's not difficult to find very official documents about what is the real purpose of these meters that are accidentally also a remote switch to your supply. You could maybe take a look, instead of regurgitating the electricity companies' marketing spiel?

I happen to know few things about high voltage electricity grids. All the electricity supplier needs in order to plan production is the aggregated consumption by whole towns, at the most detailed by substations (serving hundreds of homes).

Half hourly information about someone's individual usage is of no use for planning. But it can nicely be sold.

Regarding "this is going to happen anyway", find the story about how identity cards got scrapped few years after the end of WW II. Might give you some ideas about things that "can't be done" - until they're done.

Another thing: you surely know that you can buy your own meter and have it installed by an approved electrician - in which case who owns the meter?

I mean why would you be so bent out of shape by providers collecting half hourly usage data?

Half hourly data is useful as that is how energy is bought and sold on the markets. So at an aggregated level it is useful for providers to know half hourly domestic demand.

Buying and fitting your own meter, is i belienve allowed as long as your supplier agrees to it. It is common for larger non domestic cusotmers but not for domestic customers

So the smart meter bit is that it can give readings directly to the supplier. The little thing they give you to plug in just shows a usage breakdown for your own use. I never plug it in, I just use my electricity wisely. Regarding gas - I don’t have a smart meter yet because they wanted me to be in for 3 days. When they can give a specific day they are coming, I’m on board

I was always under the impression that your electricity supply could always be manually turned off, regardless of whether there was a smart meter in place? Have I got that totally wrong?

For our information production and consumption of electricity needs to be balanced every second, and that has precious little to do with methods of billing, either wholesale or retail. More to do with long term planning of production capacities, but that's another story.

You keep obfuscating the issue by repeating what is true about the aggregate demand for a whole town and then forgetting to say anything about the substantial issue: why would INDIVIDUAL statistics of consumption of anyone's home - couldn't be more private personal data - be needed at all for planning? They are not and that is where the BS and lies are. You work in PR or marketing by any chance?

Also, the fact is once you get this so-called "smart meter" your supply can be easily disconnected REMOTELY by a click of a mouse, without the electricity company having to bother with due judicial process, maybe for good reasons or maybe based on some trumped up bill, or even by mistake by some incompetent employee sitting in some office. Or the electricity company can flip you on prepayment tariff on a whim, without any warning and without having to bother to prove to a judge they have good reason for doing so. Very "smart" - for the electricity company.

You don't need to "believe" anything. No one needs to "allow you" to use certified equipment. In few minutes of web searching you can find companies that can install a standard meter for you.

We just unplugged ours and gave it back to the company. We're with Octopus no smart meter needed. Just unplug it and find a supplier that doesn't require you to have one.

Zombie thread 🙄

Our smart meter has been a complete pita. Due to where are meters are positioned (Victorian house) the meter doesn't pick up on the gas being used and returns a zero usage every day. We didn't realise this and ended up after 2.5 years with a 3k gas bill. Engineer came out, problem is unsolvable, but we can't have the thing removed.

A "Zombie" that obstinately refuses to die for good.

It would be nice if this topic could be a thing of the past, but it's not happening so far.

A "Zombie" that obstinately refuses to die for good.

You literally just revived it!

That's not the meter. That's the display unit. The meter is the box on the wall atrached to your mains.

I really like my smart meter, it's actually made me feel much more in control of our usage.

I don't think you can get them removed though, not without a lot of stress anyway.

If I were you op I'd leave it and see how it goes, if after 6 months you're not happy with it then think about having it removed again.

Just confirming that we've been without a smart meter in our new build property for over 12 months now. The energy company replaced the 'new' smart meter the builder installed. This is an old thread, so for anyone else considering it, it was very possible 12-18 months ago.

Hi I am in a similar position.

who was your energy supplier ? And what did you do? Did you have to pay ? Was it difficult or pretty straight forward ?