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Smart Meter
Derek1952
Posts: 779
Just had an email from my energy company(edf) telling me to book an appointment for a smart meter to be installed.It was written in such a way that it is compulsory to have one.As they are not mandatory
has any one else had a similar request.I told them I did not want one
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Comments
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You cannot be forced to have a Smart meter. However you may not have access to all the tariffs of your supplier if you don't have one. Not really an issue at the moment0
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Once the majority of users have SM, then the energy companies can start “surge pricing”, especially when we are all driving EVs.0
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Just ignore them if you don't want one, it's certainly not compulsory. The problem as others have said is if you want to change supplier or tariff you may not have any option.Derek1952 said:Just had an email from my energy company(edf) telling me to book an appointment for a smart meter to be installed.It was written in such a way that it is compulsory to have one.As they are not mandatoryhas any one else had a similar request.I told them I did not want one1 -
I'm pretty sure you dont have to have one however I will say that since I have had on my usage has dropped purely because when you can see what you are using in real time it focuses the mind and although in my case caused paranoia for a short time 😂 it certainly make us all think about turning stuff off when not needed3
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I was told that there's a Smart Meter shortage at the moment. At least that's the reason British Gas gave for not showing up to a booked installation the other week.0
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I already know roughly what my appliances use and how much each costs me per hour.AndyG said:I'm pretty sure you dont have to have one however I will say that since I have had on my usage has dropped purely because when you can see what you are using in real time it focuses the mind and although in my case caused paranoia for a short time 😂 it certainly make us all think about turning stuff off when not needed
I've kept my electricity bills low by just being aware and turning things off when not needed.
Nope, I don't have a smart meter. Nor do I want one.
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You can be out when they call to install.
Tell them yours is a plague house.
Say there are rare bats nesting around the old meter.
Insist anybody entering the house must do so in bare feet, those feet have to be pristine and not smell.
Cover access to the old meter with clutter and heavy furniture.
Insist on all interactions to be in Kawishana or Liki.
Insist on having the make, model and serial number of every computer your information will be stored on or passed through, and that you see the written log of technical maintenance.
Anybody remember the case of somebody being done for speeding and they pointed the camera at the wall of the court and it registered 40mph or something?
You don’t have to refuse, but with a bit of creative thinking you can string to process out indefinitely.
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I'm assuming they send the readings back to base using a sim, good luck with that as can't so much send a txt at mine without walking up the drive ...They try to force all this tech on people but not everbody will be able to use it.0
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But to what end? There is no downside to having one beyond a brief time to be at home whilst the engineer fits it. It’s a trivial inconvenience and beyond that I see no negative.seth plum said:You can be out when they call to install.
Tell them yours is a plague house.
Say there are rare bats nesting around the old meter.
Insist anybody entering the house must do so in bare feet, those feet have to be pristine and not smell.
Cover access to the old meter with clutter and heavy furniture.
Insist on all interactions to be in Kawishana or Liki.
Insist on having the make, model and serial number of every computer your information will be stored on or passed through, and that you see the written log of technical maintenance.
Anybody remember the case of somebody being done for speeding and they pointed the camera at the wall of the court and it registered 40mph or something?
You don’t have to refuse, but with a bit of creative thinking you can string to process out indefinitely.2 - Sponsored links:
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The smart meter has difficulties. I found this on the internet.valleynick66 said:
But to what end? There is no downside to having one beyond a brief time to be at home whilst the engineer fits it. It’s a trivial inconvenience and beyond that I see no negative.seth plum said:You can be out when they call to install.
Tell them yours is a plague house.
Say there are rare bats nesting around the old meter.
Insist anybody entering the house must do so in bare feet, those feet have to be pristine and not smell.
Cover access to the old meter with clutter and heavy furniture.
Insist on all interactions to be in Kawishana or Liki.
Insist on having the make, model and serial number of every computer your information will be stored on or passed through, and that you see the written log of technical maintenance.
Anybody remember the case of somebody being done for speeding and they pointed the camera at the wall of the court and it registered 40mph or something?
You don’t have to refuse, but with a bit of creative thinking you can string to process out indefinitely.The top 7 problems
Smart displays can stop responding
The installation can take hours and leave you with no power
The whole machine can stop functioning
The meter may stop being smart after you switch provider
It won’t save you money or fight climate change by itself
Your machine may not connect to the internet
Smart meters can be confusing and anxiety-producing
Power companies will have access to details about the rhythm of your personal life, in particular when you are likely to be home or not.
Such information can be hacked.
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I am on a pay as you go gas meter. Never bothered changing, it was there when i moved in to my privately rented flat. A couple of months ago, the meter showed an error when i put the payment card in. One call out and 4 hours later the guy reset the meter in 30 seconds flat, also informing me that as it was quite old, SSE would want me to swap to a smart meter. I told him no thanks and I was happy to tell them to piss off. 24 hrs later i got an automated text message informing me of my excellent choice swapping to a smart meter and an appointment for a engineer to install. I rang and 50 minutes later was able to cancel the visit. 2 days later my new smart meter cards turned up with a stack of paperwork. I now get enquiries from SSE regularly asking why I am not using my new (non existant) smart meter.
Modern life eh? What a fucking waste of time!6 -
Just ignore the letters mate, I do. You are under no obligation whatsoever to have a Smart meter installed. Citizens' Advice:Derek1952 said:Just had an email from my energy company(edf) telling me to book an appointment for a smart meter to be installed.It was written in such a way that it is compulsory to have one.As they are not mandatoryhas any one else had a similar request.I told them I did not want oneRefusing a smart meter
You don’t have to accept a smart meter if you don’t want one. If your supplier tells you that you must have one installed, contact the Citizens Advice consumer helpline.
If you refuse a smart meter, you might find it hard to access all tariffs. This is because in future the cheaper tariffs offered by suppliers might only be available to customers with smart meters.
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Scare mongering. Why create grief for yourself and others rather than availing yourself of most likely a better tariff & no ongoing correspondence whilst you try & be non compliant with the expectations of that tariff.seth plum said:
The smart meter has difficulties. I found this on the internet.valleynick66 said:
But to what end? There is no downside to having one beyond a brief time to be at home whilst the engineer fits it. It’s a trivial inconvenience and beyond that I see no negative.seth plum said:You can be out when they call to install.
Tell them yours is a plague house.
Say there are rare bats nesting around the old meter.
Insist anybody entering the house must do so in bare feet, those feet have to be pristine and not smell.
Cover access to the old meter with clutter and heavy furniture.
Insist on all interactions to be in Kawishana or Liki.
Insist on having the make, model and serial number of every computer your information will be stored on or passed through, and that you see the written log of technical maintenance.
Anybody remember the case of somebody being done for speeding and they pointed the camera at the wall of the court and it registered 40mph or something?
You don’t have to refuse, but with a bit of creative thinking you can string to process out indefinitely.The top 7 problems
Smart displays can stop responding
The installation can take hours and leave you with no power
The whole machine can stop functioning
The meter may stop being smart after you switch provider
It won’t save you money or fight climate change by itself
Your machine may not connect to the internet
Smart meters can be confusing and anxiety-producing
Power companies will have access to details about the rhythm of your personal life, in particular when you are likely to be home or not.
Such information can be hacked.
They are simply a (near) real time view of your consumption which may help you both budget better and potentially reduce your usage.
The hacking thing has been discounted on here before.1 -
I understand that the benefit is supposed to be an educational tool to let you know how much energy you are consuming, and whether there are ways to consume less without much change.valleynick66 said:
Scare mongering. Why create grief for yourself and others rather than availing yourself of most likely a better tariff & no ongoing correspondence whilst you try & be non compliant with the expectations of that tariff.seth plum said:
The smart meter has difficulties. I found this on the internet.valleynick66 said:
But to what end? There is no downside to having one beyond a brief time to be at home whilst the engineer fits it. It’s a trivial inconvenience and beyond that I see no negative.seth plum said:You can be out when they call to install.
Tell them yours is a plague house.
Say there are rare bats nesting around the old meter.
Insist anybody entering the house must do so in bare feet, those feet have to be pristine and not smell.
Cover access to the old meter with clutter and heavy furniture.
Insist on all interactions to be in Kawishana or Liki.
Insist on having the make, model and serial number of every computer your information will be stored on or passed through, and that you see the written log of technical maintenance.
Anybody remember the case of somebody being done for speeding and they pointed the camera at the wall of the court and it registered 40mph or something?
You don’t have to refuse, but with a bit of creative thinking you can string to process out indefinitely.The top 7 problems
Smart displays can stop responding
The installation can take hours and leave you with no power
The whole machine can stop functioning
The meter may stop being smart after you switch provider
It won’t save you money or fight climate change by itself
Your machine may not connect to the internet
Smart meters can be confusing and anxiety-producing
Power companies will have access to details about the rhythm of your personal life, in particular when you are likely to be home or not.
Such information can be hacked.
They are simply a (near) real time view of your consumption which may help you both budget better and potentially reduce your usage.
The hacking thing has been discounted on here before.
However the scare mongering you mention would have to be disproved fully before I want to have the faff of getting a smart meter.
If it is related I have a water meter that has greatly reduced my water rates, but those circumstances are very different to a 'smart meter'.0 -
I would urge people who are against smart meters to rethink their position.
If nothing else, to break free of the relationship I have noticed between people who don't want a smart meter, and low intelligence.
Ignorance is strength and all that..
I'm saying this from a position of intense frustration that my SMETS1 no longer works since changing supplier. Desperate for it to start working again. The data is incredibly useful for helping you to reduce your bills at a time where we all need to be more aware of our outgoings.
Being against that is like rallying against the loom, or being against the internet.3 -
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I would urge those who have freely taken up a smart meter to enjoy it, but not be in the business of pushing it on doubters who express their doubt.
If nothing else it would break the link between high handedness and what I would guess to be low 'intelligence'.
Mind you, to be fair, I wouldn't put myself in a position where I feel I could judge the intelligence of others, who make their own judgements based on nothing other than a prejudiced and possibly febrile imagination.0 -
Disprove what exactly?seth plum said:
I understand that the benefit is supposed to be an educational tool to let you know how much energy you are consuming, and whether there are ways to consume less without much change.valleynick66 said:
Scare mongering. Why create grief for yourself and others rather than availing yourself of most likely a better tariff & no ongoing correspondence whilst you try & be non compliant with the expectations of that tariff.seth plum said:
The smart meter has difficulties. I found this on the internet.valleynick66 said:
But to what end? There is no downside to having one beyond a brief time to be at home whilst the engineer fits it. It’s a trivial inconvenience and beyond that I see no negative.seth plum said:You can be out when they call to install.
Tell them yours is a plague house.
Say there are rare bats nesting around the old meter.
Insist anybody entering the house must do so in bare feet, those feet have to be pristine and not smell.
Cover access to the old meter with clutter and heavy furniture.
Insist on all interactions to be in Kawishana or Liki.
Insist on having the make, model and serial number of every computer your information will be stored on or passed through, and that you see the written log of technical maintenance.
Anybody remember the case of somebody being done for speeding and they pointed the camera at the wall of the court and it registered 40mph or something?
You don’t have to refuse, but with a bit of creative thinking you can string to process out indefinitely.The top 7 problems
Smart displays can stop responding
The installation can take hours and leave you with no power
The whole machine can stop functioning
The meter may stop being smart after you switch provider
It won’t save you money or fight climate change by itself
Your machine may not connect to the internet
Smart meters can be confusing and anxiety-producing
Power companies will have access to details about the rhythm of your personal life, in particular when you are likely to be home or not.
Such information can be hacked.
They are simply a (near) real time view of your consumption which may help you both budget better and potentially reduce your usage.
The hacking thing has been discounted on here before.
However the scare mongering you mention would have to be disproved fully before I want to have the faff of getting a smart meter.
If it is related I have a water meter that has greatly reduced my water rates, but those circumstances are very different to a 'smart meter'.
The meters work and are not confusing - a simple digital display of either kw used or £ spent.Installation time a couple of hours from memory but may well have been less. Power outage in that window very brief - minutes only.The fact that it is connected to the internet is no different to your smart tv, router, doorbell, room thermostat or any number of ‘smart’ devices you may of may not have. Deriving if you are at home or not is evident by other observable traits - car nearby, windows open, lights on etc etc.
Why look for a problem in a positive tool4 -
valleynick66 said:
Disprove what exactly?seth plum said:
I understand that the benefit is supposed to be an educational tool to let you know how much energy you are consuming, and whether there are ways to consume less without much change.valleynick66 said:
Scare mongering. Why create grief for yourself and others rather than availing yourself of most likely a better tariff & no ongoing correspondence whilst you try & be non compliant with the expectations of that tariff.seth plum said:
The smart meter has difficulties. I found this on the internet.valleynick66 said:
But to what end? There is no downside to having one beyond a brief time to be at home whilst the engineer fits it. It’s a trivial inconvenience and beyond that I see no negative.seth plum said:You can be out when they call to install.
Tell them yours is a plague house.
Say there are rare bats nesting around the old meter.
Insist anybody entering the house must do so in bare feet, those feet have to be pristine and not smell.
Cover access to the old meter with clutter and heavy furniture.
Insist on all interactions to be in Kawishana or Liki.
Insist on having the make, model and serial number of every computer your information will be stored on or passed through, and that you see the written log of technical maintenance.
Anybody remember the case of somebody being done for speeding and they pointed the camera at the wall of the court and it registered 40mph or something?
You don’t have to refuse, but with a bit of creative thinking you can string to process out indefinitely.The top 7 problems
Smart displays can stop responding
The installation can take hours and leave you with no power
The whole machine can stop functioning
The meter may stop being smart after you switch provider
It won’t save you money or fight climate change by itself
Your machine may not connect to the internet
Smart meters can be confusing and anxiety-producing
Power companies will have access to details about the rhythm of your personal life, in particular when you are likely to be home or not.
Such information can be hacked.
They are simply a (near) real time view of your consumption which may help you both budget better and potentially reduce your usage.
The hacking thing has been discounted on here before.
However the scare mongering you mention would have to be disproved fully before I want to have the faff of getting a smart meter.
If it is related I have a water meter that has greatly reduced my water rates, but those circumstances are very different to a 'smart meter'.
The meters work and are not confusing - a simple digital display of either kw used or £ spent.Installation time a couple of hours from memory but may well have been less. Power outage in that window very brief - minutes only.The fact that it is connected to the internet is no different to your smart tv, router, doorbell, room thermostat or any number of ‘smart’ devices you may of may not have. Deriving if you are at home or not is evident by other observable traits - car nearby, windows open, lights on etc etc.
Why look for a problem in a positive tool
I've made the point before that Seth was connected to the internet when he posted his views.
1 - Sponsored links:
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Smart Meter scepticism is just another example of the frankly idiotic range of conspiracy theories started by some wag who must spend his days laughing at the weak minded. A Smart Meter is a practical and inevitable advance on what we had before. The only downside I can’t think of is that it has made redundant the need to employ meter readers but they went some time ago anyway.4
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Not a reason not to implement it for the 99.9% that can though is it ?red10 said:I'm assuming they send the readings back to base using a sim, good luck with that as can't so much send a txt at mine without walking up the drive ...They try to force all this tech on people but not everbody will be able to use it.0 -
But I’m so important the electric company wants to know what time I have my morning brew, I’d prefer that remain a state secret.ShootersHillGuru said:Smart Meter scepticism is just another example of the frankly idiotic range of conspiracy theories started by some wag who must spend his days laughing at the weak minded. A Smart Meter is a practical and inevitable advance on what we had before. The only downside I can’t think of is that it has made redundant the need to employ meter readers but they went some time ago anyway.1 -
https://help.bulb.co.uk/hc/en-us/articles/360022622411-Preparing-for-your-smart-meter-installation
That is a lot of fart arseing and faffing about.
I certainly don’t want the disruption, especially clearing out under the stairs, making room, and ensuring a foot of space in every direction.
As for knowing my Wi-Fi number, I don’t have a clue.
For those with smart meters then great, but my resistance is probably based on my objection to imposition, so admittedly I look for reasons to resist, and find plenty.
Anyway with my dodgy back I am not hauling stuff around and waiting in for somebody to come round and mess up the place.
People can, and do, criticise me for my attitude, however in return I won’t criticise back beyond hitting back against the personals.
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Hassle free set up. No disruption unless you wish you make a meal out of it, and some most certainly will. No faffing about. No brainer.1
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Not my personal definition of a faff at all.seth plum said:https://help.bulb.co.uk/hc/en-us/articles/360022622411-Preparing-for-your-smart-meter-installation
That is a lot of fart arseing and faffing about.
I certainly don’t want the disruption, especially clearing out under the stairs, making room, and ensuring a foot of space in every direction.
As for knowing my Wi-Fi number, I don’t have a clue.
For those with smart meters then great, but my resistance is probably based on my objection to imposition, so admittedly I look for reasons to resist, and find plenty.
Anyway with my dodgy back I am not hauling stuff around and waiting in for somebody to come round and mess up the place.
People can, and do, criticise me for my attitude, however in return I won’t criticise back beyond hitting back against the personals.Make a bit of space where your meters are that is all.Your wifi details are optional. But you would I am sure be able to find it if you chose to.As to imposition many things can be seen as that if that’s the attitude you choose to adopt - self service tills for example. But really so what if it gives access to a better tariff and potentially helps you be that big more green if only to save an unnecessary visit from a meter reader who is obliged to travel to your home even if rarely?Surely doing your little bit is a better option.0 -
I have read the bulb company orders regarding preparation.
Not hassle free at all.
The meter reader has not been round my gaff for years, one of us reads the numbers using a torch looking through a little hatch, the other one writes them down, and I phone them in.
Making space under my stairs by moving stuff is not something I want to do, not because I am not ‘green’, but I can’t be arsed, don’t have the energy, and am too lazy to do the work for no benefit but at the risk of putting my back out again.
Indeed I do a lot for the planet by being vegetarian, probably a lot more than having a smart meter installed which I would probably ignore once the novelty wears off.
By sheer good fortune I got a fixed rate until November next year just before the price explosion happened.
Maybe by November 2023 I can be persuaded if I am still alive.
There you go pile on crew, a lot of personal information about me to fuel further criticism, fill your boots.0 -
Probably took you more time to type that reply out than it would to make a bit of space for access.
As I said, hassle free set up. No disruption unless you wish you make a meal out of it, and some most certainly will. No faffing about. No brainer.
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@seth plum
It’s an imposition having a meter at all if you want to get really silly about it. You are obliged to have one if you want to be supplied with the product. The meter you have now is not the same as the meter that you had 20 years ago. It’s been changed possibly several times already. My meters were both changed in less than an hour with zero disruption apart from moving the Dyson and losing supply for what was perhaps thirty minutes for gas and ten for electricity.0 -
I’m usually very tolerant of your sometimes controversial posts Seth but if you’re too bog lazy to shift a few items in a cupboard then I pity you. You seem to have the energy to attend The Valley. I’m guessing that must be an enormous drain and take days to recover and I don’t just mean having to watch the team.0
