Next round of smart meters

[Shearwater]

Hi all

Just had an email from Bulb energy asking if I want a next generation smart meter fitted?

I know the 1st round of meters had a raft of problems, but what are peoples experiences of the new ones?

Thanks

[DUNKS]

Dont know, but they do keep chasing me to have one. J just dont fancy the idea. My aged sister has one. She is on a fixed payment plan and daily she watches the meter and if it goes over plan she switches something off. I think there must be a lot of old folk caught like this. 

[The Heron]

EDF keep telling me that I need one personally I can't see the point in them

[figgy]

My wife gives the meter readings regular, don't want some dumb supposed smart meter.

[PhilR]

We keep being chased by Eon to get a new smart meter installed, by email and letter.

They reckon they can't get the meter readings remotely anymore from the old smart meter.

Strange that our bills turn up and figures are similar to the readings we physically take. 

They get told to go forth, but they still keep asking. 

 

[SpringDon]

We got one with bulb over a year ago. Hasn’t worked since installation and after a few months I gave up asking.

[team tractor]

I just don’t worry and have one . I pay £57 a month gas and electric  currently for a 4 bed house . 
 

[DUNKS]

52 minutes ago, team tractor said:

I just don’t worry and have one . I pay £57 a month gas and electric  currently for a 4 bed house . 
 

Wow that's half ours for a smaller house.

 

[Fisheruk]

We have one and our green energy bill is £80 per month. Gas and Electric. We have been home since March 24/7 and do a lot of cooking with bread making every day. So we’ll pleased.

[Centrepin]

Slightly off topic, Eon sent a "technician" to a field to fit a smart meter. The guy kept arguing it had to go somewhere, he'd been sent. My son suggested he fitted it the hedgerow as he packed his shooting gear away and we left. I couldn't be bothered with his stupidity and just hoped his van got stuck in the mud.

 

 

[Dougy]

I told Green network if i got one more hard sell call they can swivel. 

[Wilts#Dave]

2 hours ago, team tractor said:

I just don’t worry and have one . I pay £57 a month gas and electric  currently for a 4 bed house . 
 

Blimey, are you ever home / and or switch the heating on? 
Otherwise Gas and electric must be cheap where you are! 

[team tractor]

1 hour ago, Wilts#Dave said:

Blimey, are you ever home / and or switch the heating on? 
Otherwise Gas and electric must be cheap where you are! 

Never in 😂. I put it on a few times a week 

3 hours ago, DUNKS said:

Wow that's half ours for a smaller house.

 

I’m a bit tight with the heating but I live on my own 90% of the time 

[Bangbangman]

We have second gen smart meter. It's been good and we've saved money on Octopus Go tariff. 

[vmaxphil]

I think you will find that the government is going to fine companies because they haven't fitted enough meters to meet government quotas 

[JohnfromUK]

39 minutes ago, Bangbangman said:

We have second gen smart meter. It's been good and we've saved money on Octopus Go tariff. 

I am with Octopus on a 12 month fixed - but no smart meter and not been offered/asked about a smart meter.  I understand I can't have a direct replacement smart gas meter as my (existing) gas meter is a larger size (U16) for now historical reasons (gas Aga, now removed).

[oowee]

Old meters run slower. 

In the long run we will want a smart meter when smart tariff is available. 

[Sciurus]

I don’t understand how smart meters are supposed to save you money. 

If I want a cup of tea, I switch the automatic kettle on. If it’s dark, I switch the light on. If I leave the room for a length of time I switch the light off. I can’t switch the fridge or freezer off. How will a smart meter save me money in this instance- unless I drink water and sit in the dark.?

I understand I can stop using the oven to roast and make stews and use the microwave instead but I don’t want to eat ‘ping’ food every meal!

I can only see them as being useful to the Energy Suppliers.

In short, We only use energy when we need it. Am I missing something?

[oowee]

Just now, Sciurus said:

I don’t understand how smart meters are supposed to save you money. 

If I want a cup of tea, I switch the automatic kettle on. If it’s dark, I switch the light on. If I leave the room for a length of time I switch the light off. I can’t switch the fridge or freezer off. How will a smart meter save me money in this instance- unless I drink water and sit in the dark.?

I understand I can stop using the oven to roast and make stews and use the microwave instead but I don’t want to eat ‘ping’ food every meal!

I can only see them as being useful to the Energy Suppliers.

In short, We only use energy when we need it. Am I missing something?

Because in time we will get 'free' electricity or paid to take it off peak and charged very high rates at peak. You currently use energy you dont need to even though you are are not aware of it. Washing machines, fridges etc can all run off peak no issue. We are also moving to electric cars that may be handy as feeders and off peak offset earning money for the owners. Much of it is mind set. Of course you can have your roast dinner at 1700 but you may have to pay £5 for the privelidge.

The grid is currently dumb where solar from house roofs is mostly burnt off as heat. We want to use this power and put it back in the grid and the grid needs to be more responsive. Electric (with small scale nuclear) will become the power that we rely upon more and more as fossil fuels tail off and we move to 2050 targets. At the same time we dont want to build hundreds and hundreds of new power stations so need to spread loads. 

[JohnfromUK]

4 minutes ago, Sciurus said:

I don’t understand how smart meters are supposed to save you money.

A Smart meter can 'help you' to save money .......... but for the majority here who are fairly 'tech aware' - it is unlikely that they will save electricity/gas usage as a result of a Smart meter.  There are a few people who might learn a little more about how much running certain appliances costs (particularly things like these modern fancy and very heavily and in my opinion possibly fraudulently advertised electric panel heaters).  But most people understand fairly clearly how their energy is used - and those who don't already know - probably aren't interested.

There is the likelihood that various new tariffs will be introduced that can only be taken advantage of by those who have Smart meters.  Details are not clear - but that is the way it will go and it is possible that may save money by having cheaper rates at off peak times in a much more flexible way (current 'off peak' systems are crude and usually have a higher 'on peak' tariff and a higher standing charge).

[Dougy]

Having replaced washing machine and dish washer both AA+ rating and used during low tarrif time, replaced all lights to AAA+ led, water heater is (this time of the year) by log burner when not its low tarrif on a timer. I really cant see how i can get it cheaper, if the smart meter reduced the actual amount of power into my consumer unit then OK,  but that cant happen unless we changed every electrical item in the home. 

And as nobody has tested the longevity of electric cars how can they be sure its going to save the planet do you really think your going to see  a 2019 Tesla driving round in 2050  

[Fisheruk]

1 hour ago, Dougy said:

Having replaced washing machine and dish washer both AA+ rating and used during low tarrif time, replaced all lights to AAA+ led, water heater is (this time of the year) by log burner when not its low tarrif on a timer. I really cant see how i can get it cheaper, if the smart meter reduced the actual amount of power into my consumer unit then OK,  but that cant happen unless we changed every electrical item in the home. 

And as nobody has tested the longevity of electric cars how can they be sure its going to save the planet do you really think your going to see  a 2019 Tesla driving round in 2050  

 

1 hour ago, Dougy said:

Having replaced washing machine and dish washer both AA+ rating and used during low tarrif time, replaced all lights to AAA+ led, water heater is (this time of the year) by log burner when not its low tarrif on a timer. I really cant see how i can get it cheaper, if the smart meter reduced the actual amount of power into my consumer unit then OK,  but that cant happen unless we changed every electrical item in the home. 

And as nobody has tested the longevity of electric cars how can they be sure its going to save the planet do you really think your going to see  a 2019 Tesla driving round in 2050  

And what happens when they have dug all of the Lithium out of the ground?!

[kernel gadaffi]

E-on are badgering me to have one, to the point were I'm getting letters, informing me that "I have to have one", no I don't.  When I switched to them a year ago, I did state that I didn't want one and that I would not be happy, if I was constantly getting letters, calls and emails requesting my interaction.  My contract is almost out and they offered me the best deal, so I've stayed with them, but also reminded them that I didn't want a smart meter, a letter arrived from them this morning asking me to make arrangements to have the smart meter installed!

I boils my p!ss when people/companies don't listen.

[AVB]

2 hours ago, Dougy said:

 

And as nobody has tested the longevity of electric cars how can they be sure its going to save the planet do you really think your going to see  a 2019 Tesla driving round in 2050  

How many 30 year old cars do you see on the road? That would be ‘H’ prefix. Very, very few. 
 

Electric cars will last longer than ICE cars due to less moving parts. Batteries can be replaced/recycled and regardless it’s not the age of batteries that degrade them it’s the charging cycles and they are very efficient at doing that. 

[oowee]

32 minutes ago, AVB said:

How many 30 year old cars do you see on the road? That would be ‘H’ prefix. Very, very few. 
 

Electric cars will last longer than ICE cars due to less moving parts. Batteries can be replaced/recycled and regardless it’s not the age of batteries that degrade them it’s the charging cycles and they are very efficient at doing that. 

👍 And they are getting better year on year.