I very nearly opted the other day to convert to a Smart Meter but stalled. I am yet to be convinced of the benefits. Seeing this thread, just reinforced my doubts.
People I know who have these displays, either unplug, lose or obsess.
Smart meter farce
- Thread starter Rilot
- Start date
I very nearly opted the other day to convert to a Smart Meter but stalled. I am yet to be convinced of the benefits. Seeing this thread, just reinforced my doubts.
People I know who have these displays, either unplug, lose or obsess.
written about IHD problem in smart meter thread before ...
I'm just waiting for the price of these to drop 50% off would be acceptable - then I'll have an accurate log of granular consumption the IHD's don't give
frient Electricity Meter Interface | Wireless Consumption Readings
I'm just waiting for the price of these to drop 50% off would be acceptable - then I'll have an accurate log of granular consumption the IHD's don't give
frient Electricity Meter Interface | Wireless Consumption Readings
I just don't get how it's smart, all it does is show you how much electricity you are using and when. It would be smart if it followed your usage and automatically changes providers and plans to save to money. Now something like that I would definitely get.
Agree, but I much prefer to pay for how much energy I actually use. I don't trust any of the companies to estimate my bill properly. So rather than having to remember to submit a meter reading every month we're getting the smart meter so it's sent automatically. We won't change how we use energy as we're already quite frugal, but at least it'll keep everyone honest.
Oh okay, I feel better about my silly situation. The previous owners of my house took the smart monitor with them, BG have actually booked me in to have a new one 'installed' thankfully as to me it's quite useful (live alone, old house)
This does not work btw....Top unethical tip, your "smart" meter uses mobile data to send in meter readings, cover the "smart" part with tin foil and wait for your supplier to contact you about a faulty meter, which they would then be seeking to replace
Think the smart really refers to the grid as a whole, real time analysis of demand allows the grid to respond more efficiently.
Smart meters dont really offer the bill payer any benefits over automatic readings or educating them on how much electricity some devices use. The purpose behind them is more about peak pricing and grid management.
Soldato
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My smart meter lets me have 5p/kWh electricity between 1230am and 430am. I'd say that was a pretty good benefit to having one.
That's early peak pricing which can be good if you have an electric car charging overnight but for most households won't counter the higher peak demand rates when they need to use appliances. Unless you start doing silly stuff like leaving the tumble dryer on while you sleep.
So all of you who are vehemently against smart meters.
Do you a) not care about energy usage?
Or b) have some other way to determine which of your appliances use lots of energy/keep an eye on what might be using more energy than you actually need to use?
I don't know how people get so upset at a little box that can sit tucked away that you can glance at every now and then to see how much you've used, weigh up whether you think cranking the heating up is worth it, or whether doing that load of tumble drying instead of hanging washing out on a grim day is worthwhile.
Do you a) not care about energy usage?
Or b) have some other way to determine which of your appliances use lots of energy/keep an eye on what might be using more energy than you actually need to use?
I don't know how people get so upset at a little box that can sit tucked away that you can glance at every now and then to see how much you've used, weigh up whether you think cranking the heating up is worth it, or whether doing that load of tumble drying instead of hanging washing out on a grim day is worthwhile.
Why would I care about my energy usage? I want to use as much as possible. Energy/electricity/gas heating brought us out of the Stone Age and powers every home comfort these days.
The government failing to have a proper energy policy for 20+ years is the problem and not my energy usage.
I'm not vehemently against smart meters, but smart meters won't save you money, unless you're ignorant of energy usage. You've got to be a bit of a simpleton to not know general energy usage of appliances etc. There's usually nothing you can do about it any way. What are you going to do? Not wash your clothes? Not have toast any more? etc Stop cooking?
Soldato
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Are you trolling or ignorant?
That's like saying no one should care how much energy they use.
If you'll admit that it's a good idea to reduce usage where you can, then surely it's logical that something on the wall that helps you to work out how much each appliance uses - and therefore how to prioritise 'how' to reduce your usage - is a useful tool?
Or to weigh up if you think it's worth marginal usage. i.e. if you don't know how much it costs you to have the heating on for an extra 30 mins, how do you decide if it's worth it or not to you?
Man of Honour
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It's not so much not caring about how much energy we use as we only use what we need to use. It's is not possible to reduce energy usage any further than we already have. Every light has been converted to LED. Nothing is left on standby, if it's not being used it's off at the wall. Heating is set to the bare minimum when on, just enough to be comfortable. I had a British Gas energy monitor 10+ years ago so I know exactly how much energy we use per day plus I bought a plug in energy monitor over 15 years ago and know exactly which things use the most energy. Submitting a meter reading takes just a couple of minutes a month so not a problem. A so called "smart" meter gives me zero benefit.
Exactly - I use as much energy as I need to to feel comfortable / enjoy my spare time. Government should focus on decarbonisation of our energy sector + cheaper bills. Spot pricing using smart meters does not achieve that.