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Energy Meters

2

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  • MrOneLung
    MrOneLung Posts: 26,853
    What the fuck !!

    just checked my smart meter, and I used way more electricity yesterday when I had the washing machine , dishwasher, tumble dryer running compared to between 1 and 5 am this morning when we were asleep. 

    Thank god I have this Information available to me via my smart meter. 
  • MrOneLung
    MrOneLung Posts: 26,853
    Huskaris said:
    Without our smart meter we wouldn't have realised just how much it was costing to have our gas heating on. 
    Exactly, seeing live the difference having the heating on for 3 hours a day vs 6 hours, you can work out life the differences. Idiots wills say "look at your bill" but a smart meter is the difference between viewing once a quarter and reviewing once every 30 minutes. 
    Jesus wept 

    I am gonna hazard a guess here, and say having the heating on for 6 hours a day is just under twice as much as having it on for 3 hours. 
  • ME14addick
    ME14addick Posts: 9,761
    edited May 2024
    We were on a fixed deal until June 23, so we were protected from the big increases over the winter of 22/23.

    When it came to the time for the heating to go on last winter, we were able to work out how much it would cost per hour. The previous year we had it on for 2 hours in the morning and at least 5 hours in late afternoon/evening. We would also put it on in the day if we felt cold.

    This year we tried to keep to one and a half hours in the morning and an hour early evening. If we needed a bit more heat in a particular room, we would use a small electric fan heater which worked out much cheaper than using the old gas boiler.

    Without the smart meter we wouldn't have known how much we were spending on each appliance.
  • cafcfan
    cafcfan Posts: 11,198
    seth plum said:
    CAFCTrev said:
    Not sure I get the "I dont need one, coz if I really want to know how much Im paying Ill just ask the gas/electric company" argument. It's like stubbornly refusing to install a banking app on your phone coz you can just ring the bank to get your balance. 
    That is exactly the USP of my bank First Direct.
    You can call them up.
    For me it is a way better system than getting confused using a telephone appliance.
    There have been several occasions where I have been able to do a payment out loud over the phone whilst the recipient is listening in to make sure it is happening.
    First Direct use voice recognition as part of their security, and I have tried speaking differently, pitch, pace and loads of different accents but I can’t fool it, they always know it’s me.
    As an early changer from the National Westminster Bank to First Direct when they started out, it is one of the few decisions in life I don’t regret.
    IMO it will not be long before AI voice-cloning technology puts the kibosh on voice recognition as a security measure.
  • O-Randy-Hunt
    O-Randy-Hunt Posts: 10,642
    MrOneLung said:
    What the fuck !!

    just checked my smart meter, and I used way more electricity yesterday when I had the washing machine , dishwasher, tumble dryer running compared to between 1 and 5 am this morning when we were asleep. 

    Thank god I have this Information available to me via my smart meter. 
    Yea but it's cool tech innit.
  • ShootersHillGuru
    ShootersHillGuru Posts: 50,619
    This thread has a sell by date built in. Eventually everyone will have a smart meter. Fact
  • clb74
    clb74 Posts: 10,824
    This thread has a sell by date built in. Eventually everyone will have a smart meter. Fact
    I won't .
    I'll opt out of having electricity and gas
  • Off_it
    Off_it Posts: 28,845
    clb74 said:
    This thread has a sell by date built in. Eventually everyone will have a smart meter. Fact
    I won't .
    I'll opt out of having electricity and gas


    @clb74, wondering what Match of the Day is saying about the controversial VAR decision that saw Charlton go 25 points clear at the top of the Prem ....
  • cafcpolo
    cafcpolo Posts: 3,811
    This thread has a sell by date built in. Eventually everyone will have a smart meter. Fact
    But how will people feel all manly reading 5 digits off a meter every month for no reason other than stubbornness whilst some of us are benefiting from about 25% off their monthly bill?
  • Off_it
    Off_it Posts: 28,845
    cafcpolo said:
    This thread has a sell by date built in. Eventually everyone will have a smart meter. Fact
    But how will people feel all manly reading 5 digits off a meter every month for no reason other than stubbornness whilst some of us are benefiting from about 25% off their monthly bill?
    Can we please just stop this nonsense that getting a smart meter will automatically save money. Unless they bring in a lower rate for those with one then it wont.

    What a smart meter CAN do is give people more info which could then allow them to make changes that will save them money. That COULD be a useful tool for some people. Possibly less useful for others.

    The fact is that if in winter you sit in the dark with the heating off then you WILL save money. But you don't need a smart meter to tell you that.

    If you want one then that's fine. If you don't then that's also fine. Don't see what the problem is either way.
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  • ShootersHillGuru
    ShootersHillGuru Posts: 50,619
    It really doesn’t matter. Personally I find it useful but accept others won’t. I do find it amusing though that some people refuse to get one for reasons that baffle me. Everybody will have one eventually. That’s a given. I imagine people having the same sort of discussion about giving up their crystal set for a new fangled valve radio. 
  • cafcfan
    cafcfan Posts: 11,198
    But if you sit there watching the smart meter in-house display rather than reality (sic) TV, that would save you money.
  • clb74
    clb74 Posts: 10,824
    Be a waste of time me getting a smart meter, because after a month I'd be kicked out the home and divorced.
    I'd drive the wife mad, trying to beat the cost of the previous day.
    In fact I might get a bit longer than a month because the wife would have to defrost before I got kicked out.
  • valleynick66
    valleynick66 Posts: 4,890
    It really doesn’t matter. Personally I find it useful but accept others won’t. I do find it amusing though that some people refuse to get one for reasons that baffle me. Everybody will have one eventually. That’s a given. I imagine people having the same sort of discussion about giving up their crystal set for a new fangled valve radio. 
    And they vote in general elections and bemoan the actions of politicians 😉😆
  • cafcpolo
    cafcpolo Posts: 3,811
    Off_it said:
    cafcpolo said:
    This thread has a sell by date built in. Eventually everyone will have a smart meter. Fact
    But how will people feel all manly reading 5 digits off a meter every month for no reason other than stubbornness whilst some of us are benefiting from about 25% off their monthly bill?
    Can we please just stop this nonsense that getting a smart meter will automatically save money. Unless they bring in a lower rate for those with one then it wont.

    What a smart meter CAN do is give people more info which could then allow them to make changes that will save them money. That COULD be a useful tool for some people. Possibly less useful for others.

    The fact is that if in winter you sit in the dark with the heating off then you WILL save money. But you don't need a smart meter to tell you that.

    If you want one then that's fine. If you don't then that's also fine. Don't see what the problem is either way.
    Which is exactly what I was referring. Octopus do have smart meter only rates and it's been saving about 25% recently.
  • clb74
    clb74 Posts: 10,824
    Here we go.
    Round me mum and dad's.
    I put the kettle on and me mums moaning about I've put to much water in and will need boil longer.
  • Off_it
    Off_it Posts: 28,845
    clb74 said:
    Here we go.
    Round me mum and dad's.
    I put the kettle on and me mums moaning about I've put to much water in and will need boil longer.
    You should've boiled it when the energy was cheaper - in the middle of the night. I only boil kettles between 1 and 3 in the morning. I've studied my smart meter for a month and have worked out that's the optimum time to use the kettle.

    Obviously the missus isnt happy when she wakes up in the morning and her tea is cold, but that's life. Saved myself 15p.
  • ShootersHillGuru
    ShootersHillGuru Posts: 50,619
    I can’t quite understand how having instant and in real time access to your energy isn’t a good thing. How can information about your energy use not be helpful. Information is power. 
  • Macronate
    Macronate Posts: 12,892
    Just asked mine who won the FA Cup final in 1947 and what the square root of 16 is?

    Nothing.

    Not sure they’re all they’re cracked up to be.
  • seth plum
    seth plum Posts: 53,448
    On the television this morning there were horror stories about energy companies and smart meters.
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  • Off_it
    Off_it Posts: 28,845
    I can’t quite understand how having instant and in real time access to your energy isn’t a good thing. How can information about your energy use not be helpful. Information is power. 
    I think you may have nailed it there. But helpful and powerful for who, is the question.
  • IdleHans
    IdleHans Posts: 10,966
    I'm refusing to have a smart meter. I've heard the power company will know how much energy I've used, not having that!
  • robroy
    robroy Posts: 4,426
    I had an electric smart meter fitted and instantly started paying for month on month. I used to send regular meter readings before and they could not explain the uplift. 

    I won’t be getting a gas one ever if I can help it. 
  • Chippycafc
    Chippycafc Posts: 14,144
    I can’t quite understand how having instant and in real time access to your energy isn’t a good thing. How can information about your energy use not be helpful. Information is power. 
    A lot of the sparkies at our place don't have them fitted in their house. That's good enough reason for me not to have one. Also they state the technology isnt up to speed with them yet either. But what would they know.

  • O-Randy-Hunt
    O-Randy-Hunt Posts: 10,642
    Off_it said:
    I can’t quite understand how having instant and in real time access to your energy isn’t a good thing. How can information about your energy use not be helpful. Information is power. 
    I think you may have nailed it there. But helpful and powerful for who, is the question.
    Doesn't the thought of boiling your kettle while watching the numbers go up on a digital display telling you how much it just cost tickle your pickle?

  • Chaz Hill
    Chaz Hill Posts: 5,217
    I can’t quite understand how having instant and in real time access to your energy isn’t a good thing. How can information about your energy use not be helpful. Information is power. 
    A lot of the sparkies at our place don't have them fitted in their house. That's good enough reason for me not to have one. Also they state the technology isnt up to speed with them yet either. But what would they know.

    Solar panels, battery and all kinds of meters in our gaff, Chips. Just in case the worst comes to the worst. ;)
  • MrOneLung
    MrOneLung Posts: 26,853
    I can’t quite understand how having instant and in real time access to your energy isn’t a good thing. How can information about your energy use not be helpful. Information is power. 
    They charge for power ….
  • MrOneLung
    MrOneLung Posts: 26,853
    Off_it said:
    clb74 said:
    Here we go.
    Round me mum and dad's.
    I put the kettle on and me mums moaning about I've put to much water in and will need boil longer.
    You should've boiled it when the energy was cheaper - in the middle of the night. I only boil kettles between 1 and 3 in the morning. I've studied my smart meter for a month and have worked out that's the optimum time to use the kettle.

    Obviously the missus isnt happy when she wakes up in the morning and her tea is cold, but that's life. Saved myself 15p.
    I boil a full kettles worth at 3am and put it in the freezer so I can use it guilt free when the prices are higher in the daytime 
  • cafcpolo
    cafcpolo Posts: 3,811
    I can’t quite understand how having instant and in real time access to your energy isn’t a good thing. How can information about your energy use not be helpful. Information is power. 
    A lot of the sparkies at our place don't have them fitted in their house. That's good enough reason for me not to have one. Also they state the technology isnt up to speed with them yet either. But what would they know.

    Sparkies know about technology now? All the ones I've ever known can barely use the internet let alone know how it works.
  • ShootersHillGuru
    ShootersHillGuru Posts: 50,619
    Off_it said:
    I can’t quite understand how having instant and in real time access to your energy isn’t a good thing. How can information about your energy use not be helpful. Information is power. 
    I think you may have nailed it there. But helpful and powerful for who, is the question.
    Bill Gates obvs