'Smart Meters'- More Problems

[BigAl1 143]

8 hours ago, lobster said:

I think the problem is that if you change tariff the software that shows the cost of usage is not updated . My shown  cost per month is way cheaper than what I am actual charged

Mine (smart meter) never worked properly from the day I had it regarding the tariff where the cost was calculated using different prices depending on what mode I was in ("today" "yesterday" "last week" and so on) so nothing to do with switching tariffs - indeed I would guess that the tariff change has been reflected as I am now according to my daily usage spending about 3 times as much a day as with my old contract

[Jim Hardie 527]

Why would anybody want one? The way they aggressively push them can only mean one thing - they are for their benefit and not yours.

[BigAl1 143]

5 minutes ago, Jim Hardie said:

Why would anybody want one? The way they aggressively push them can only mean one thing - they are for their benefit and not yours.

The energy companies push them hard for one reason only - because they are forced to by the regulator - ie Government and they are REQUIRED to set and achieve targets for installation each year and will be fined if they do not meet the targets For example EDF Energy was fined £350k in June 2018 for missing their own forecast target

 

[Jim Hardie 527]

8 minutes ago, BigAl1 said:

The energy companies push them hard for one reason only - because they are forced to by the regulator - ie Government and they are REQUIRED to set and achieve targets for installation each year and will be fined if they do not meet the targets For example EDF Energy was fined £350k in June 2018 for missing their own forecast target

 

Thanks for that. So why is the government so keen?

[BigAl1 143]

17 minutes ago, Jim Hardie said:

Thanks for that. So why is the government so keen?

well the official reasons can be found here but the idea that most customers will be able to save a significant amount is pie in the sky and of course the cost of all this has been hidden in our bills

 

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-sets-out-plans-to-drive-up-smart-meter-installations

[iansheff 88]

I follow a group on FB called EDF customers who have been, or feel ripped off by edfs tactics and there are  people on there that are saying they get estimated bills even with a smart meter, plus there are others saying their smart meters have not been working for ages and yet they can't get the supplier to come and sort them. Whether this is solely down to the suppliers customer service being poor I am not sure because there are a lot of people with issues with the supplier.

I keep receiving  emails and texts saying get your smart meter booked now., last week they started with a new one, save £5000 on a heat pump, well they can stick their heat pumps with the smart meters.

What gets me is the way the ads for smart meters imply that they will save you money, no they won't the only way you will save money is by reducing your usage of electricity

Edited July 23, 2022 by iansheff

[BigAl1 143]

2 minutes ago, iansheff said:

I follow a group on FB called EDF customers who have been, or feel ripped off by edfs tactics and there are  people on there that are saying they get estimated bills even with a smart meter, plus there are others saying their smart meters have not been working for ages and yet they can't get the supplier to come and sort them. Whether this is solely down to the suppliers customer service being poor I am not sure because there are a lot of people with issues with the supplier.

I am sure the same applies to most energy suppliers. However it is worth remembering that the idiots behind the scheme decided to let energy companies do their own thing meaning that despite all the government messages about switching suppliers no one thought to ensure that the smart meters installed by one supplier would work if you switched supplier hence a significant reason why many (not all) find their meters do not work. Often not a case of fixing but need new generation meter but as the records will show you have a smart meter the fact that it is no longer smart is of no concern because it does not affect company target

[iansheff 88]

31 minutes ago, BigAl1 said:

I am sure the same applies to most energy suppliers. However it is worth remembering that the idiots behind the scheme decided to let energy companies do their own thing meaning that despite all the government messages about switching suppliers no one thought to ensure that the smart meters installed by one supplier would work if you switched supplier hence a significant reason why many (not all) find their meters do not work. Often not a case of fixing but need new generation meter but as the records will show you have a smart meter the fact that it is no longer smart is of no concern because it does not affect company target

That is true but if you have a smart meter that isn't working then what is the point of having one, you can't track your usage and have to believe whatever they tell you about your usage. They tell you it will help you manage your usage but if they don't give you a replacement you have no idea of what you are using.  

I will stick to my old meter where I regularly record my readings and submit them to my supplier every month. Just unplug anything that is no longer in use, I have un plugged my timers for my lights as they are not needed while I am in the house.

Edited July 23, 2022 by iansheff

[BigAl1 143]

1 hour ago, iansheff said:

That is true but if you have a smart meter that isn't working then what is the point of having one, you can't track your usage and have to believe whatever they tell you about your usage. They tell you it will help you manage your usage but if they don't give you a replacement you have no idea of what you are using.  

I will stick to my old meter where I regularly record my readings and submit them to my supplier every month. Just unplug anything that is no longer in use, I have un plugged my timers for my lights as they are not needed while I am in the house.

You can still use it in the normal way and read it the issue is that it can not transmit the data to the supplier.

 

Don’t get me wrong I am in no way defending these things merely explaining in answer to questions.

 

like I said this was a another Government initiative that was badly thought out. 
 

of course if you had a smart meter and I home display you might find that disconnecting the timer for a year will save you less than not boiling the kettle once

[iansheff 88]

14 minutes ago, BigAl1 said:

You can still use it in the normal way and read it the issue is that it can not transmit the data to the supplier.

 

Don’t get me wrong I am in no way defending these things merely explaining in answer to questions.

 

like I said this was a another Government initiative that was badly thought out. 
 

of course if you had a smart meter and I home display you might find that disconnecting the timer for a year will save you less than not boiling the kettle once

Yes I know and people are being asked to submit readings but there are some people saying their display isn't working and they have not been able to get a new meter.

I have unplugged 3 timers and also the phone upstairs as I very rarely receive calls on the landline and if i do it is only from a couple of people and they never call at night.

My electricity usage this month has dropped by 10KWH on last months usage. I am obviously not saying the timers and phone use all that but I know my usage and can see how it has dropped. I bought a new fridge freezer to replace a separate fridge and freezer back in February, since then my usage dropped by over 1KWH a day, I know exactly what I use per day.

[crookesey 633]

Not being arrogant but, I have enough going on in my life not to worry about a few quid one way or the other, plus I’d have to ask someone to conduct the readings as I couldn’t manage this, and wouldn’t wish to rely on anyone to do this for me.

[redruby 279]

On 23/07/2022 at 10:53, Jim Hardie said:

Why would anybody want one? The way they aggressively push them can only mean one thing - they are for their benefit and not yours.

Agreed. We got one about 6 years ago after my OH got fed up with constant emails, texts, letters and phone calls pushing for it. 
It has made NO difference to the amount of energy we use.  We are not wasteful so didn’t even bother using the little monitor they gave us. The only benefit was not having to bother giving readings.
Anyway a year or so ago we were asked to send meter readings again as apparently the meter had stopped sending signals. So we are back to sending readings.  What a waste of time.