I’ve just got an email from my energy supplier that says my electricity and gas meters are too old and need replacing, and delicately hint that getting a smart meter is the new and cool thing to do, so why not get one and we’ll give it to you for free? The email suggests I have to accept this, but the UK legislation makes it clear I have no obligation to accept a smart meter, and can insist on an older “dumb” one.
I’d like to hear about smart meter experiences from people who’ve had them - I have some misgivings about the intrusiveness of smart metering, especially in terms of them knowing at what times we are home, and being able to disable appliances remotely when required. Does anyone have experiences to share, or advice on whether this is a good idea? The geeky part of me thinks it’s very cool, but I’m not sure I’d have access to the data, or what other use they might be making of the data in terms of marketing. Confused. Help? Thanks!
I thought the main reason for smart meters was so they could charge you extra for using electricity in the day. If they’re not doing it now they might start when everyone has them.
Smart meters here in Ontario are required so that electricity can be billed at different rates depending upon the time of day. I have access to a website that instantly shows me my usage and therefore I can make some adjustments to my schedule to try and drive down costs by running certain appliances, etc. at different times of the day.
As far as I can tell there’s no sharing of the data and no marketing involved; they simply want to be able to charge different rates for different hours of the day, and there’s no longer the need for a meter reader to visit my house. This helps in monthly billing because I get my actual usage, and not some interim predicted usage based on history.
Meters… as they age… slow down and report less of what you use. By putting in a “new smart meter”, they are indeed cutting down on excess waste.
ie the extra amount of gas/electricity that YOU have been using and not paying for.
Swap them out as you will, but please do know the reason why.
They can’t. But when paired with other smart thermostats, etc. they can change your air conditioner setting remotely to help alleviate overburden on the grid.
I’d be very afraid that a smart-meter might badly mis-measure how smart I am, with grievous consequences to me when that information gets uploaded to the various PTB.
This is what is typically offered for free in the US. This way when the grid is tight during the summer midday’s they can remotely turn the thermostat up in your house by 8 to 10 degrees F. No way in hell, I’m giving the power company that kind of control over my own house.
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They can’t. But when paired with other smart thermostats, etc. they can change your air conditioner setting remotely to help alleviate overburden on the grid.
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In the UK very few private homes have air-con. As for registering when you are home or out, do they log individual appliances? I have a bunch of things on timers (water heater, washing machine, some lighting, storage heaters…) and there’s no real way just a raw log of power usage would really tell anyone nosey what I was up to. Just that I’m very… regular.
I’d have to list 4 years of prior employment back in the day at a gas/electric utility. I wasn’t allowed to take the training books with me when I left… and you are right: none of those materials seem to be on-line.
I’m not sure how I can cite training classes with multiple instructors.
As for the rest, the company makes money on smart meters because it can read them faster & with less people using drive-by capture. It was never brought up but after a quick search I see another cost savings is when the meters need to be shut off.
I remember that there were reports monthly of assaults on meter readers who were either reading the meters or disconnecting service for non-pay.
By being able to remotely disable the meter/valve, you limit the exposure of your employees to danger and give the public one less target to shoot at.