Another energy meter post.

[presta]

I sent an email to Ofgem yesterday:

...and the reply:

"Thank you for contacting Ofgem regarding estimated bills.

Ofgem is the regulator for the retail gas and electricity market in Great Britain. Ofgem’s role is to issue licences to energy companies and ensure they comply with these. We operate in a statutory framework set by Parliament. This establishes our duties and gives us powers to achieve our objectives. Please note that the information provided is not intended as any form of legal advice or to be fully comprehensive.

Suppliers may use estimated figures to calculate an energy bill when the actual usage figures are unavailable. However, they must take all reasonable steps to ensure it is based on the best and most accurate information that is available.

Energy companies are obligated by their licence conditions to provide you with clear billing for the energy you have consumed and will be able to provide you with a full breakdown if requested. Energy suppliers must make it clear on the bill or statement of account whether any estimates of your energy consumption have been used in producing your bills. Using this information, you should be able to see how your bill was calculated and what estimated consumption values were used by your supplier."

From the way it's worded it's not entirely clear that they understand I'm asking about the case when all information is lost due to a faulty meter rather than a monthly reading being missed and then caught up with the following month.

I had a smart meter on my to do list because I'd like daily meter data downloadable as a spreadsheet to use in my heating model, but I'm not sure it's worth the risk. I still have a jaded view of smart meter reliability, mainly fuelled by the recurrence of stories like this on internet forums.

 

[icowden]

I had a smart meter on my to do list because I'd like daily meter data downloadable as a spreadsheet to use in my heating model, but I'm not sure it's worth the risk. I still have a jaded view of smart meter reliability, mainly fuelled by the recurrence of stories like this on internet forums.

Which to be fair are a small minority of problems given the number of meters rolled out. Once they were working I have not had any problems with mine :-)

 

[presta]

Which to be fair are a small minority of problems given the number of meters rolled out. Once they were working I have not had any problems with mine :-)

I'm comparing the number of faulty smart meters against the number of faulty electromechanical meters rather than faulty vs working. I'm also thinking of the PITA using my new boiler with a roomstat, compared to the old one without.

 

[icowden]

I'm also thinking of the PITA using my new boiler with a roomstat, compared to the old one without.

How did you regulate the heating without a thermostat?

 

[presta]

How did you regulate the heating without a thermostat?

The sensible way: with the radstats. Having a roomstat when there's a radstat in each room is like using the consumer unit to switch the hall light off then wondering why the rest of the house has gone dark.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

How did you regulate the heating without a thermostat?

I have a wife that makes the judgement
We have a decent thermostat now - but the previous one was so insensitive that she would be complaing about "too warm" or "freezing" long before the thermostat told the system ot take action
In her old house she only ever had the thermostat on zero or full - and used it as an on/off switch
which I have known a lot of people do

In my wife's case it is due to sensitivity to temperature
In a lot of cases it has been due to a lack of understanding of how a thermostat works (e.g. put the oven on 240 degrees so it heats up quicker!)

 

[lazybloke]

The sensible way: with the radstats. Having a roomstat when there's a radstat in each room is like using the consumer unit to switch the hall light off then wondering why the rest of the house has gone dark.

Yeah - I've got upstairs and downstairs heating loops, so can control separately, but individual radstats would be better.
The downside is that smart products aren't supported for long enough. Nest and Hive have lists of products that are obsolete or going offline soon.

 

[icowden]

In my wife's case it is due to sensitivity to temperature
In a lot of cases it has been due to a lack of understanding of how a thermostat works (e.g. put the oven on 240 degrees so it heats up quicker!)

I feel your pain... !

 

[icowden]

Yeah - I've got upstairs and downstairs heating loops, so can control separately, but individual radstats would be better.
The downside is that smart products aren't supported for long enough. Nest and Hive have lists of products that are obsolete or going offline soon.

I haven't got separate but I did fit hive wifi connected radstats and they work very well.

Hive are discontinuing their home monitoring and leak detection:-

• Boiler IQ wifi - this will stop working on 1 August 2025.
• Hive camera - this will stop working on 1 August 2023.
• Hive HomeShield - this will stop working on 1 August 2025.
• Hive View indoor camera - this will stop functioning on 1 August 2025.
• Hive View outdoor camera - this will cease to work on 1 August 2025.
• Hub 360 sound detection - this will stop working on 31 December 2022.
• Leak sensor - this will stop working on 1 September 2023.
• Nano 1 Hub - This will stop working on 1 August 2023.

They are focusing on heating (translation - they realised that we were losing money on the home security stuff) so rad valves should be fine.

 

[MrGrumpy]

I haven't got separate but I did fit hive wifi connected radstats and they work very well.

Hive are discontinuing their home monitoring and leak detection:-

• Boiler IQ wifi - this will stop working on 1 August 2025.
• Hive camera - this will stop working on 1 August 2023.
• Hive HomeShield - this will stop working on 1 August 2025.
• Hive View indoor camera - this will stop functioning on 1 August 2025.
• Hive View outdoor camera - this will cease to work on 1 August 2025.
• Hub 360 sound detection - this will stop working on 31 December 2022.
• Leak sensor - this will stop working on 1 September 2023.
• Nano 1 Hub - This will stop working on 1 August 2023.

They are focusing on heating (translation - they realised that we were losing money on the home security stuff) so rad valves should be fine.

What a waste , will the actual products still work ? Or will they switch off ??

 

[presta]

I haven't got separate but I did fit hive wifi connected radstats and they work very well.

Hive are discontinuing their home monitoring and leak detection:-

• Boiler IQ wifi - this will stop working on 1 August 2025.
• Hive camera - this will stop working on 1 August 2023.
• Hive HomeShield - this will stop working on 1 August 2025.
• Hive View indoor camera - this will stop functioning on 1 August 2025.
• Hive View outdoor camera - this will cease to work on 1 August 2025.
• Hub 360 sound detection - this will stop working on 31 December 2022.
• Leak sensor - this will stop working on 1 September 2023.
• Nano 1 Hub - This will stop working on 1 August 2023.

They are focusing on heating (translation - they realised that we were losing money on the home security stuff) so rad valves should be fine.

I don't understand why anyone would put up with this sort of crap, except insofar as they're forced to when it becomes a fashion craze that excludes all else from the market. Everything has to be computerised beyond all bounds of common sense these days, like internet connected fridges & kettles etc. If I could have my old boiler back I'd do it in an instant, it was simple, convenient, and effective, none of which I can say for the new one.

 

[Squirrel Chaser]

I don't understand why anyone would put up with this sort of crap, except insofar as they're forced to when it becomes a fashion craze that excludes all else from the market. Everything has to be computerised beyond all bounds of common sense these days, like internet connected fridges & kettles etc. If I could have my old boiler back I'd do it in an instant, it was simple, convenient, and effective, none of which I can say for the new one.

I'm having a new gas boiler next week, new connection is done.
I'm getting rid of the oil system having noticed a house in the street for sale has mains gas.
Missed the fact there's a gas main along with the other 12 houses only two will be mains gas.

Anyway my new gas meter won't talk to my electric meter so Ned a new electric meter.
So I said I don't think my gas meter and electricity meter yapping to each other at night is very safe and the call handler just didn't get it.
So I'm not paying for the new electricity meter. If they want to do it then carry on...
Idiots