Smart meters

[biggs682]

My parents and a lot of their neighbours have been swapped on to a smart water meter so that if they wanted to they could check the hourly usage .
When I checked our own water meter sure enough so have we so yesterday we applied to be able to watch our usage.



Then this is the meter.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

I don't know if it would be categorised as 'smart' but our meter has never been read physically but every year the water company has an accurate reading from it

so it communicates with the company somehow and at some interval - the same as the smart meters do

However there is no home display unit or anything like that.
The meter was here when we moved in - which was over 8 years ago -so not a new thing!

 

[Oldhippy]

They are rubbish, I was asking one simple questions like 'What is the capital city of France'. Nothing! Just silence. Looking forward to the 'you may have a claim adverts'.

 

[biggs682]

We have been watching the usage over the last few weeks and initially it was showing usage in every hour all day long .

But when we checked yesterday both our meter and my parents one both had a few hours where no usage had taken place so that's good as we were wondering if there was a leak between meter and house.

 

[sevenfourate]

….so yesterday we applied to be able to watch our usage.

How times change. When I was growing-up all we got to watch was Moon Landings, Land Speed Records, the building of the Hoover dam etc.

Now look what the youngsters of today get to look forward to. They don’t even know they were born…….

 

[Electric_Andy]

I don't know much about meters but I pay £13/month and I've never checked the meter in 5 years. Nor have I seen SW water check it either

 

[biggs682]

Thread resurrection and change of title to incorporate all of our experience with smart meters.
Our gas and electric suppliers have finally installed a smart meter as when we have asked before they claimed because of our solar panels the meter they supply wouldn't work.
Been interesting watching the daily charges and uses , for instance my morning shower today cost 9p .

 

[colly]

Thread re-resurrection.

I had a 'Smart meter ( actually two) fitted on Friday afternoon.

First question. Why will it take up to 2 weeks for the home device to become active? It's like having a tv installed and being told:

Yeah well guv BBC will take about a week to work an' ITV a bit longer. Course you won't be getting Channel 4 'cos like they're like naff innit'

So why the delay? I managed to get the app on my phone but that tells me pretty much rock all. It tells me how much I spent yesterday but that's too late. Fat lot of good that is knowing the electric was going like the clappers a day after the event.

I imagined it would be real time.

 

[Slick]

We got a smart meter fitted months ago. Its never been able to connect to the main meter and now lives in a cupboard.

 

[cougie uk]

Thread re-resurrection.

I had a 'Smart meter ( actually two) fitted on Friday afternoon.

First question. Why will it take up to 2 weeks for the home device to become active? It's like having a tv installed and being told:

Yeah well guv BBC will take about a week to work an' ITV a bit longer. Course you won't be getting Channel 4 'cos like they're like naff innit'

So why the delay? I managed to get the app on my phone but that tells me pretty much rock all. It tells me how much I spent yesterday but that's too late. Fat lot of good that is knowing the electric was going like the clappers a day after the event.

I imagined it would be real time.

No idea why it would take two weeks to become active but things are usually more complicated than we think.

My smart meter is real time. Really handy for seeing what I'm using and tracking down wasted electric. Like my wife smuggling in lamps with old bulbs that use ten times the amount they need to.

 

[Drago]

My Mum had terrible grief changing suppliers, and that was with one of the supposdly better gen 2 meters. I've refused to have one fitted, and have gone as far as fitting padlocks to my meter cupboards to stop them sneaking one in while I'm on the bog.

 

[CXRAndy]

We have three new smart meters installed. It all comes down to the installer, setting the correct details and informing the electic supplier.

One of our meters didn't talk to the display, when another engineer came to fit our third meter. I mentioned the problem. He checked the installation and said that the previous fella hadn't don't it correctly. Within minutes I had the display working. Sometimes you do get a delay, but nothing more than a day

 

[markemark]

I’ve been told via email my business is legally obliged to get a smart meter. Will need to look into that but I’d be surprised if edf would blatantly lie if that were not the case despite them wanting to.

 

[lazybloke]

We have been watching the usage over the last few weeks and initially it was showing usage in every hour all day long .

But when we checked yesterday both our meter and my parents one both had a few hours where no usage had taken place so that's good as we were wondering if there was a leak between meter and house.

Was there a leak?
Go into a quiet house near the rising main and you can often hear if there's a leak in the communication pipe.


Press a stout stick between ear and pipework to better hear the noise.

 

[Deleted member 26715]

Thread re-resurrection.

I had a 'Smart meter ( actually two) fitted on Friday afternoon.

First question. Why will it take up to 2 weeks for the home device to become active? It's like having a tv installed and being told:

Yeah well guv BBC will take about a week to work an' ITV a bit longer. Course you won't be getting Channel 4 'cos like they're like naff innit'

So why the delay? I managed to get the app on my phone but that tells me pretty much rock all. It tells me how much I spent yesterday but that's too late. Fat lot of good that is knowing the electric was going like the clappers a day after the event.

I imagined it would be real time.

Best advice if you are really interested in your half hourly usage, unplug the display unit, open a drawer as wide as you can & insert siad display as far back as you can. Then go buy a proper clamp meter, the displays are as useful as a chocolate fireguard