Dumb meter, dumb company

[Gilberdyke John]

As far as I'm aware all the electricity suppliers have been told that they have to get a given number of connections (80%?) switched to smart meters or be fined (which happened to a number of them last year).

We don't have one, in part because the mobile coverage around here is very poor, but also our meter is in the cellar where the stone walls of the house are several feet thick. There's very little chance of a signal from anything getting down there. I haven't even installed Faraday cage in the meter cupboard

Actually there are two (one fairly petty, I admit) other reasons that we won't have one. The petty one is because of the deceitful ways they've repeatedly tried to get one installed. For example, they'd phone up and say something like "We want to confirm your appointment to have your smart meter fitted", as if I'd already asked for it to be done when I hadn't. The other is that I see no value to me in it. It will not save me money by reducing my electricity consumption because we use what we use. It's not like we "waste" it to start with. If I wanted to reduce our bills any further I'd need metering per circuit, for example for each MCB. Now that actually would be useful.

James

Individual circuit metering is perfectly possible but how much do you have to spend?

 

[robmort]

A lot of ignorance here, and of course wild conspiracy theories.

 

[rossbyjove]

As far as I'm aware all the electricity suppliers have been told that they have to get a given number of connections (80%?) switched to smart meters or be fined (which happened to a number of them last year).

We don't have one, in part because the mobile coverage around here is very poor, but also our meter is in the cellar where the stone walls of the house are several feet thick. There's very little chance of a signal from anything getting down there. I haven't even installed Faraday cage in the meter cupboard

Actually there are two (one fairly petty, I admit) other reasons that we won't have one. The petty one is because of the deceitful ways they've repeatedly tried to get one installed. For example, they'd phone up and say something like "We want to confirm your appointment to have your smart meter fitted", as if I'd already asked for it to be done when I hadn't. The other is that I see no value to me in it. It will not save me money by reducing my electricity consumption because we use what we use. It's not like we "waste" it to start with. If I wanted to reduce our bills any further I'd need metering per circuit, for example for each MCB. Now that actually would be useful.

James

Exactly the same thing here.
Tried strong arming us to have one. Neither my partner or I respond to this sort of stuff politely.
Why do we need one what are the benefits ? They could not give us any reason or benefits.
That would be a no then. We are usually hundreds of pounds in credit. So not using that much anyway.
Our house is too old for a water meter.

 

[Sutty]

I'd need metering per circuit, for example for each MCB. Now that actually would be useful.

James

If you just want to monitor a few individual appliances a lot of smart sockets provide this, either the wall mounted or plug in types.

 

[Sutty]

And chargers are a dilly at that, most people have no idea of what is required to charge at speed. Coolers on chargers is the first clue. Am I right in thinking that your view is based on the wider potential increase in draw as more chargers come into being rather than just within the supply of a single home ? Complex it is.

Not really as losses in the high tension lines eg pylons are much lower proportionally, relatively low current due to high voltage and it's the current and resistance which determines the losses rather than the voltage. This is why they use HT.
The load on an individual substation may be an issue, but I'd bet voltage-dropping losses are in the much smaller cables close to customer premises (smaller cable = higher resistance = higher losses for a given current).

 

[Murox]

I have never heard of that happening and I am on loads of forums

Nor had I, just relaying what the engineer said about it, it might only be relevant to more rural locations who knows.

 

[Murox]

Seems unlikely/impossible. The meter does exactly that - it meters the current flow (and probably voltage) to determine the electricity going to the consumer unit. The consumer unit then feeds multiple circuits in the house.
The only way I can see an issue is if there is a problem with your supply and a heavy load for an EV charger reduces voltage too much for some appliances to cope due to excessive resistance in the supply line. Shouldn't happen.

I've got no idea, probably just flannel from the engineer.