'Smart' meters V 'Dumb' meters

[Alex321]

I have set up the house quite well to save power, then had smart meter fitted as they kept pushing. Has made no savings whatso ever.
Not worth having except to them. I feel i have been conned.

A smart meter doesn't make any savings in itself.

It can help you to see how you are using energy, and therefore may help you to change your usage.

It is also necessary if you are going to have your own energy source installed and want to export anything from it.

But apart from any possible benefit to you, the government have set a target for the energy companies for the number of smart meters they must install. And that target basically means that about 80% of domestic customers should be on smart meters by the end of 2024.

 

[cougie uk]

I have set up the house quite well to save power, then had smart meter fitted as they kept pushing. Has made no savings whatso ever.
Not worth having except to them. I feel i have been conned.

Doesn't it let you access peak and off peak tariffs though? Will be handy if you get an EV.

 

[Salty seadog]

I'm not getting one. All the advantage is with the supplier.
I was getting regular emails and texts from eon telling me they were ready to install my smart meter free of charge. Even when I opted out of these notifications by replying with 'STOP' each time as the text said I could they just kept coming. Eventually some time ago I rang them and complained that after my continual turning down the offer and requesting the messages stop I told them I felt this was bordering on harassment. That was over a year ago now and they haven't bothered me since.

 

[Alex321]

I'm not getting one. All the advantage is with the supplier.

That is simply not true. While there is some benefit to the supplier, overall there are more benefits to consumers (which doesn't mean any specific individual will necessarily see benefits) - which is why the suppliers have had to be required by the government to fit them.

The suppliers aren't pushing them because they want to fit them, they are pushing them because of the targets they have been given by the government - who want 100% smart meters in place.

And the main reason the government want them is that they believe they will help to reduce the overall energy usage across the country - which of course means less profits for the suppliers.

 

[cougie uk]

I'm not getting one. All the advantage is with the supplier.
I was getting regular emails and texts from eon telling me they were ready to install my smart meter free of charge. Even when I opted out of these notifications by replying with 'STOP' each time as the text said I could they just kept coming. Eventually some time ago I rang them and complained that after my continual turning down the offer and requesting the messages stop I told them I felt this was bordering on harassment. That was over a year ago now and they haven't bothered me since.

Your loss.
Off peak electricity is saving me a fortune.

 

[PaulRoberts]

it's continuing to hear about stories like this that leads me to decline a SM every time they've suggested fitting one.

plus the will only fit them Monday-Friday, so t hat would be an unpaid day off for me.

 

[PeteXXX]

Your loss.
Off peak electricity is saving me a fortune.

I had off peak leccy at my previous abode with my dumb meter, too.
The difference between day & night with my smart meter is only about 1p but daytime tariff is a lot lower (with 🐙)

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Off peak electricity is saving me a fortune.

Yeah but having lights on during the day time, and sitting in the dark with a candle at night with a book. Where’s the joy in that?

 

[Alex321]

Yeah but having lights on during the day time, and sitting in the dark with a candle at night with a book. Where’s the joy in that?

Huh?

What on earth does that have to do with what was said (by cougie_uk or anybody else in the thread)?

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Huh?

What on earth does that have to do with what was said (by cougie_uk or anybody else in the thread)?

Use your imagination 🙄

 

[Alex321]

Use your imagination 🙄

I tried to.

Nobody in this thread has suggested anything even remotely close to being similar to what you are suggesting.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

I tried to.

Nobody in this thread has suggested anything even remotely close to being similar to what you are suggesting.

Off peak electricity, come on even you must be able to work it out.

 

[Alex321]

Off peak electricity, come on even you must be able to work it out.

Indeed. Which means pretty well the opposite of what you were suggesting.

Benefiting from using off-peak electricity doesn't mean putting extra things on like lights in the middle of the day, it means moving some of the things you use in the middle of the day or early evening now to the middle of the night - such as washing machines/tumble driers, dishwashers.

Tariffs offering two rates for peak and off-peak almost always have off-peak running from 10pm to 8am.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Indeed. Which means pretty well the opposite of what you were suggesting.

Benefiting from using off-peak electricity doesn't mean putting extra things on like lights in the middle of the day, it means moving some of the things you use in the middle of the day or early evening now to the middle of the night - such as washing machines/tumble driers, dishwashers.

Tariffs offering two rates for peak and off-peak almost always have off-peak running from 10pm to 8am.

Try again, you are wide of the mark. If you don’t get the joke, just say!

 

[Gillstay]

A smart meter doesn't make any savings in itself.

It can help you to see how you are using energy, and therefore may help you to change your usage.

It is also necessary if you are going to have your own energy source installed and want to export anything from it.

But apart from any possible benefit to you, the government have set a target for the energy companies for the number of smart meters they must install. And that target basically means that about 80% of domestic customers should be on smart meters by the end of 2024.

Nope had our own energy source already. Not needed for exporting, only for charging you if you use your own energy so afraid your a bit out on that point.