Smart Meters Thread

[Organgrinder 1,946]

4 hours ago, El Cid said:

The energy tariffs which are paperless, online and use smart meters are lower than the others, so that proves technology saves you money.

What tariff are you on?

No idea as I don't deal with it . It's my partners realm.

She checks what's happening and switches suppliers quite often so I doubt we are being robbed.

Don't know whether you work for the energy companies but,   I AM STILL NOT HAVING A SMART METER.

[Thirsty Relic 213]

8 hours ago, El Cid said:

The energy tariffs which are paperless, online and use smart meters are lower than the others, so that proves technology saves you money.

 

The tariffs that you speak of (and also those using Direct Debit) give the energy providers more power to collect money from your account, make savings by not sending you paper bills, and tying you to the internet.  All much easier and cheaper for them of course, and gives them more power now (and significantly more with the next generation of smart meters - as discussed earlier).  Not everybody can take advantage of them of course, as not everybody is on the net (and not everybody that is on the net wants to run all their finances from the net).

 

Dual pricing works for companies and those willing to sign up for it all, at the expense of the rest, particularly the elderly.

[alchresearch 214]

18 hours ago, Organgrinder said:

 

Don't know whether you work for the energy companies but,   I AM STILL NOT HAVING A SMART METER.

Not sure what the issue with your attitude is? Why do you need to belittle people or make sweeping accusations just because you're a luddite?

[Organgrinder 1,946]

36 minutes ago, alchresearch said:

Not sure what the issue with your attitude is? Why do you need to belittle people or make sweeping accusations just because you're a luddite?

No isue at al except being averse to being told what to do by someone else who's been conned by the energy companies and doesn't even know it.

Don't know whether I'm a Luddite or not but it doesn't worry me in the least.

[Baron99 794]

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for doing my bit to protect the environment but every home, shop, office block in the country could be covered with solar panels.  Every garden & spare bit of land could have a wind turbine plonked on it but the power companies would still find a way of billing you. 

[Organgrinder 1,946]

3 minutes ago, Baron99 said:

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for doing my bit to protect the environment but every home, shop, office block in the country could be covered with solar panels.  Every garden & spare bit of land could have a wind turbine plonked on it but the power companies would still find a way of billing you. 

Very True.

The Government claims to have a green agenda but not much sign of it yet.

God help us when everyone is running electric cars.

[El Cid 218]

On 13/10/2020 at 15:51, Organgrinder said:

No idea as I don't deal with it . It's my partners realm.

She checks what's happening and switches suppliers quite often so I doubt we are being robbed.

Don't know whether you work for the energy companies but,   I AM STILL NOT HAVING A SMART METER.

If your wife decides she wants a smart meter, you will have a smart meter 

[Organgrinder 1,946]

19 minutes ago, El Cid said:

If your wife decides she wants a smart meter, you will have a smart meter 

Ha Ha, you are a comic but, I'm afraid,  you are wrong again.

[nightrider 13]

On 11/10/2020 at 11:07, Arthur Ritus said:

Completely agree, yet again public money being used for a government backed con like cavity wall filling and condensing boilers, i find it hard to believe that the average person can believe that they will save any money with a "smart meter". Even the name is fashionable crap labling suprised it wasn,t called a"Digital  I smart E meter", it just reads the meter electronically, no -  "smartness" at all

I know one person (not the sharpest knife in the drawer) that was telling me they had one and it was going to save them £100 a year, i asked where it was (the display part) - "i put it in the drawer out of the way" was the reply, "how will it save you money in the drawer?" i asked, " i dunno how it works but the people on the phone said it would so i must be right" was my answer.

If you have to have a meter telling you how much you are using to not leave the shower on more than you need then you are a strange person to say the least.

 

A plugin meter that you can keep a check on your fridge/freezer as their consumption can rocket when worn / faulty or stick it on the dish washer or washing machince/ tumble drier to compare the cost of different programmes and ask yourself if its worth it rather than getting  a pot towel out to dry the pots or wait for a dry day and hang the washing out, now thats real benefit.

The main benefit, for me, is that I don't have to move all the kitchen furniture, lift the trapdoor and climb into my cellar to read the letters anymore. I never look at the usage display they gave me, and anyway it does not break down usage by device so the information is not very useful unless you constantly monitor it in real time with each device in your house (far too much faff to be practical). For that to be useful you really need all your electric/gas devices made smart too so they can report their individual usage.

[alchresearch 214]

17 minutes ago, nightrider said:

The main benefit, for me, is that I don't have to move all the kitchen furniture, lift the trapdoor and climb into my cellar to read the letters anymore.

Same for me, mine are at the back of the garage.  

[ivan edake 13]

The energy companies are blackmailing us.Most of them will only allow people who already have a smart meter,or who are willing to have one fitted,sign up for their cheapest tariffs.So a smart meter can save you money.This practice should of course be illegal,but of course it isn't.

[Organgrinder 1,946]

1 hour ago, ivan edake said:

The energy companies are blackmailing us.Most of them will only allow people who already have a smart meter,or who are willing to have one fitted,sign up for their cheapest tariffs.So a smart meter can save you money.This practice should of course be illegal,but of course it isn't.

Martin Lewis said tonight,  in answer to a question on the Martin Lewis Money Show on TV,  that the power companies cannot force you to have a Smart Meter

and also that anyone can have  the same  cheapest tariffs as those  with Smart Meters.

I thought this was the case but am glad that Martin has confirmed it.