HSTEd
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They'll send a man with a van to turn your power off for a few hours a day?
That's not going to be very practical.
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"Smart" meters spamming from electric supplier
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That's not going to be very practical.
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Bletchleyite
Veteran Member
I am talking about changing to prepay or cutting off for non payment.
If you think "brownouts" set up by a commercial company would take into account who you vote for (something that can be traced back, but due to our electoral system is very hard to do en masse rather than as a one off to work out an electoral fraud case) then I think you're well into tin foil hattery.
Meanwhile, I never get estimated bills, I don't need to read my meter or have anyone else come in to do it, and I might in future get dynamic discounts that you won't.
I had to ask for ages to get a smart meter for electric and it took even longer for gas.
Thankfully I got both eventually and now I share my data with an app that gives me (near) real time monitoring with loads of useful stats - and it even tells me exactly what I'd pay if I had solar/home battery based on the electricity usage time, and how many panels I say that I want to have (and I can change that in real time to see the difference).
It is why I am very keen to invest in some panels and a battery in the future - as on many days I could get over 70% of my electricity off grid.
Anyway, for me there's no conspiracy and only benefits for me in that I can monitor phantom loads and anything out of the ordinary.
In the future, any variable tariff or discounts can be managed more effectively by the meter with more options available.
The free display I got is useful as a running total on the day, but apps can do so much more - and you won't need the display.
Thankfully I got both eventually and now I share my data with an app that gives me (near) real time monitoring with loads of useful stats - and it even tells me exactly what I'd pay if I had solar/home battery based on the electricity usage time, and how many panels I say that I want to have (and I can change that in real time to see the difference).
It is why I am very keen to invest in some panels and a battery in the future - as on many days I could get over 70% of my electricity off grid.
Anyway, for me there's no conspiracy and only benefits for me in that I can monitor phantom loads and anything out of the ordinary.
In the future, any variable tariff or discounts can be managed more effectively by the meter with more options available.
The free display I got is useful as a running total on the day, but apps can do so much more - and you won't need the display.
GusB
Established Member
As a matter of interest, which app do you use for this? I can view data through my supplier's own app, but it's not great.
Dai Corner
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One thing remote switching could be used for is load-shedding at the premises level.
In the event of an incident requiring demand to be reduced urgently domestic consumers deemed vulnerable and businesses considered essential could be spared the power cut.
I'd also like to see a 'true renewable' tariff where consumers are disconnected when no renewable electricity is being generated.
In the event of an incident requiring demand to be reduced urgently domestic consumers deemed vulnerable and businesses considered essential could be spared the power cut.
I'd also like to see a 'true renewable' tariff where consumers are disconnected when no renewable electricity is being generated.
Turning the power off to one house would have no effect on reducing load. You would need to do it over wider areas. Rather than switching off individual meters it would be easier to do it at the substations which have suitable switchgear and in many cases these days fitted with a SCADA system.
HSTEd
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That would require you to cut off everyone in the circuit.
Using the smart meter system you could, for example, cut off most people but leave the "most vulnerable" (selected ofcourse based on voter demographics) with their power on.
Doing that is much more politically palatable and with smart meters in every home, little more difficult.
Why don't they just get us to switch of the power ourselves by controlling us using the Covid vaccine nanites and the 5G death beams? That would be more politically palatable.
Bletchleyite
Veteran Member
This is serious tinfoil hattery of the highest order.
What is proposed long term is that some appliances may be designed to accept a signal asking them to shut down if things are getting tight. An example would be a freezer, which you could unplug overnight without food wastage provided you didn't open the door. But so far as I am aware there are as yet no such appliances in existence.
In the rather energy wasteful US of A there are widespread schemes where a load control is wired in to interrupt power to their AC systems. These operate on both a radio controlled and preset delay modes in case of power outages. Customers of course obtain varying discounts.
Suggesting you shouldn't get a smart meter for those reasons is absolutely crazy. If this was what they wanted to do, they could mandate no electricity without fitment of a smart meter.
Busaholic
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I think I've established in my own mind (after reading many websites of power companies, government bodies, CAB etc) what may occur in the future after non-smart meters will no longer be available for fitment. Smart meters with the 'smart' function disabled/turned off will be supplied, but no realtime data will be going to the electricity company. In other words, it will just sit there requiring to be read in the time-honoured way, and may solve the problem in high rise flats etc. Whether it makes the smart meter less likely to start a fire I don't know: personally, that's a lot of the reason why I'm reluctant to accept one, as a fire in that location would be very likely to take me with it.
What have smart meters got to do with starting fires? And how does a high rise flat make any difference to the meter? Either the meters are all in the basement or in the individual flats at with the fuseboard. Sounds like your reading the wrong kind of websites.
Bletchleyite
Veteran Member
Exactly how would a smart meter be likely to start a fire? More likely for your fridge to do that, particularly if it's a plastic backed one.
GusB
Established Member
This is the second time such a ridiculous proposal has been made in this thread. My "100% renewable" tariffs have increased in price along with others, reflecting the increase in gas costs. If you want to disconnect me when there is no renewable energy being generated, give me a much cheaper rate!
Western Sunset
Established Member
Anything "smart" must be good, right?
So a smart meter must be a good idea. But then we have smart motorways...
So a smart meter must be a good idea. But then we have smart motorways...
What a weird connection, but I'll bite:
Smart motorways done properly aren't actually a terrible thing. Hard shoulders that can be opened and closed using cameras/sensors, with a safe refuge as soon as someone breaks down. I have no issue with these (although perhaps some specific areas could do with improvements).
Smart motorways done on the cheap later on, like the M25 in Hertfordshire, are terrible. A lane you can't easily close (too few gantry signs and monitoring) and weirdly spaced refuge zones. I have a big issue with these and hope they're not only banned from future rollout, but are actually converted into 'proper' smart motorways or returned to having a hard shoulder as before.
Now, what about smartphones or smart people?
PeterY
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I don't have a smart meter and I've never been offered one, neither have I asked for one. I just read my meter once a month, when British Gas ask and I enter the numbers on their website.
I don't have or want a smart phone.
Smart motorways scare the hell out of me.
Perhaps we should start a threat about "smart" things, or not so smart.
Just to note that with Octopus, you get to choose how often they store your meter reas - half hourly, daily or monthly.
Not sure how that affects other apps such as Loop, but if the reading is only being transmitted once a month, then you've just saved yourself a job and "big brother" can't tell that you had the tumble dryer, washing machine and dishwasher all running at once last Friday
Not sure how that affects other apps such as Loop, but if the reading is only being transmitted once a month, then you've just saved yourself a job and "big brother" can't tell that you had the tumble dryer, washing machine and dishwasher all running at once last Friday
I don't know how often my smart meter sends out data, but the data is time stamped such that even if I don't get the data for a few hours (even days), once I do, I can read the information as normal. My energy provider (Shell) often has gaps, but they're soon filled in.
There are credible reports. What is less clear is whether the problem is the meters themselves, or dodgy installations. When you are drawing 40/60/100A, all the connections need to be good. There are at least four connections to get right. It only takes one poor connection.
Bletchleyite
Veteran Member
Which is not a problem with smart meters. It is a problem with any meters installed badly. It could as easily happen with a replacement mechanical meter, as they do replace them periodically as a matter of course.
I thought the smart meters were supposed to help us Monitor our energy use.
We can’t even read ours. The old meter had clear numbers that could be read by standing below it but on the smart meter the display is very small and flashes so cannot be read - the meter is above the front door by the ceiling.
So we now have no idea how much electricity we are using until we get the bill through the post.
We can’t even read ours. The old meter had clear numbers that could be read by standing below it but on the smart meter the display is very small and flashes so cannot be read - the meter is above the front door by the ceiling.
So we now have no idea how much electricity we are using until we get the bill through the post.
Bletchleyite
Veteran Member
Were you not supplied with a little plug in display that shows consumption in real time? If not ask your supplier to send you one.
I didn't mention cutting anybody off, that's your imagined scenario. Pricing based on actual availability of energy is inevitable to ensure that irresponsible use of resources is rewarded with higher costs. When consumers consider others needs they be rewarded with lower prices.
But my comment was in respect of those who thought that they might be exempted from smart metering because of difficulties in a GSM data channel. There are other methods to deal with them, which may be more costly but if rolled out would likely only be incrementally moreso, compared with the overall benefit of universal smart metering.
DelayRepay
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I got a display, but I can also access my energy account via the supplier's website or mobile app and see the previous day's usage. There are other apps that allow you to see real time usage I believe.
Or ask the supplier for an In Home Display - I thought they were provided as standard.
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