Smart energy meters, should I/shouldn't I?

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Ming the Merciless

There is no mercy
Location
Inside my skull
 

Inertia

I feel like I could... TAKE ON THE WORLD!!
If you are going to switch - make sure it's to a second gen Smart Meter. Lots of companies are only offering the original version which is then pretty much tied to the company that supplied it. Second gen links to a national network which means that any supplier to take over receiving the data.
They talked about smart meters on the news this morning. They mentioned the bit about them being tied to a company so when you switch they become ‘dumb’ again. the person pushing smart meters, he ignored that point.
 

plainlazy

Über Member
Location
South coast
Don't get one, the energy firms will have you by the short and curlies.
There is a hidden agenda’ which is time-of-day pricing. You will all be moaning when you find that you are paying a lot more for your gas and electric when you get up in the morning, when you come home from work and at weekends.
 

classic33

Leg End Member
Don't get one, the energy firms will have you by the short and curlies.
There is a hidden agenda’ which is time-of-day pricing. You will all be moaning when you find that you are paying a lot more for your gas and electric when you get up in the morning, when you come home from work and at weekends.
Surge pricing. Price can change every 30 minutes, if you opt in.
 

icowden

Veteran
Location
Surrey
Surge pricing. Price can change every 30 minutes, if you opt in.

So make sure you get a good, ethical supplier. Bulb seem to be pretty good so far, with honest pricing and purchasing energy from renewable sources. I'm impressed with them. I think more people are going to move away from the big companies, due to this sort of behaviour.
 

swansonj

Guru
Don't get one, the energy firms will have you by the short and curlies.
There is a hidden agenda’ which is time-of-day pricing. You will all be moaning when you find that you are paying a lot more for your gas and electric when you get up in the morning, when you come home from work and at weekends.
Paying for a costly product in a way that is linked to the cost? Paying for an environmentally damaging product in a way that is linked to the extent of environmental damage? Pray tell me, why is that a bad thing?
 

classic33

Leg End Member
So make sure you get a good, ethical supplier. Bulb seem to be pretty good so far, with honest pricing and purchasing energy from renewable sources. I'm impressed with them. I think more people are going to move away from the big companies, due to this sort of behaviour.
Three price rises this year for their customers. Possibly another before the year end.

Sold in its first year.
 
U

User6179

Guest
Three price rises this year for their customers. Possibly another before the year end.

Sold in its first year.

And substantial losses, now trying to fund operating expenses by putting up direct debits so customers are paying in advance.
 

Drago

Legendary Member
Paying for a costly product in a way that is linked to the cost? Paying for an environmentally damaging product in a way that is linked to the extent of environmental damage? Pray tell me, why is that a bad thing?

It's not a bad thing per se. But as aforementioned, it's unreliable, prone to obsolescence when changing providers, and gives power companies the ability to change pricing on the fly to maximise their profit opportunities, and that may be at odds with environmental protection.

The technology is immature and open to commercial abuse. Once the technology is proven, once there is an industry standard data format and protocol, and once there is legislation to properly govern how the suppliers use the live data, then I'll be elbowing my way to the front of the queue. Until then, I'll minimise my consumption without their help, which is quite feasible for any thinking person.
 

swansonj

Guru
It's not a bad thing per se. But as aforementioned, it's unreliable, prone to obsolescence when changing providers, and gives power companies the ability to change pricing on the fly to maximise their profit opportunities, and that may be at odds with environmental protection.

The technology is immature and open to commercial abuse. Once the technology is proven, once there is an industry standard data format and protocol, and once there is legislation to properly govern how the suppliers use the live data, then I'll be elbowing my way to the front of the queue. Until then, I'll minimise my consumption without their help, which is quite feasible for any thinking person.
The average thinking person can reduce their consumption (the research evidence shows that providing even thinking people with data on their consumption triggers further reductions, and it did for me, but i’m happy to credit you with being more rigorous and rational than me). They can’t do so in response to real time factors. There is cloud covering Devon and Cornwall, so solar generation is reduced, but it will clear in an hour or two’s time, so could I delay running my washing machine or charging my electric car please? Not without smart meters.

I agree with most of the rest of what you say. The UK has cocked up smart meters from start to finish. We gave them to suppliers not distributors, thereby effectively preventing standardisation. We attempted to standardise function rather than technology. And, in typical post Thatcher fashion, we tried to market them on the selfish short term saving to the individual (where the cost-benefit ratio was never big enough for it to be a safe investment) rather than the broader benefit to society or the longer term benefits to individuals.

I stayed in California probably ten years ago, when every home had the identical single model of smart meter all installed by the same company who also controlled the data.

But hey, I shouldn’t complain, smart meters gave me my one and only opportunity to appear before a House of Commons select committee....
 

Drago

Legendary Member
And I in turn agree with much of what you say!

At some points during the warm, bright summer we had the entire UKs electricity capacity was being met by renewable sources. Marvellous stuff. However, we may face the scenario where at tea time the entire nations needs may be met by renewable cotsing in effect nothing and the energy firms the will still crank up the cost because demand has risen. Thanks almost inevitable - they exist to maximise shareholder return and will do anything legal to maximise profit. Until that is legislated against the padlock is staying on my meter cupboard.

Now, thanks to my solar and the big controller screen doo dah I know exactly what my electric consumption is, but I'm not a hostage to demand pricing or any other smart meter grief.
 
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icowden

Veteran
Location
Surrey
...now trying to fund operating expenses by putting up direct debits so customers are paying in advance.

Not really true. All price rises have been communicated in advance, and all customers can leave at any time without penalty. The direct debits are based on the cost of energy. Mine are pretty exact on what I've used and actually are usually slightly under rather than over - my account is usually in debit rather than credit. When they roll out SMETS2 Smart Meters then the direct debits will be for exactly what has been used. They are on a pilot at the moment but deliberately did not roll out SMETS1 Meters.
 

classic33

Leg End Member
Not really true. All price rises have been communicated in advance, and all customers can leave at any time without penalty. The direct debits are based on the cost of energy. Mine are pretty exact on what I've used and actually are usually slightly under rather than over - my account is usually in debit rather than credit. When they roll out SMETS2 Smart Meters then the direct debits will be for exactly what has been used. They are on a pilot at the moment but deliberately did not roll out SMETS1 Meters.
I'd not expect the amount taken via Direct Debit to match what was used.
 
U

User6179

Guest
Not really true. All price rises have been communicated in advance, and all customers can leave at any time without penalty. The direct debits are based on the cost of energy. Mine are pretty exact on what I've used and actually are usually slightly under rather than over - my account is usually in debit rather than credit. When they roll out SMETS2 Smart Meters then the direct debits will be for exactly what has been used. They are on a pilot at the moment but deliberately did not roll out SMETS1 Meters.

I am seeing on twitter people who are already £2-300 in credit complaining because their direct debit has went up a lot, this has nothing to do with the price rises which you rightly say is warned well in advance, I am talking about putting customers direct debits up so they are always hundreds in credit.
 
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