Dumb meter, dumb company

[Murox]

I finally succumbed to the demands of electric company X and allowed them to fit a smart meter. Another company had tried some years ago and took it out again as it couldn't communicate . I warned company X that this was the case , they were of course quick to claim SMETS2 would work well.
The installer duly arrived today having driven four and a half hours to get here since the ferries were broken, again! and it was his only job down here today. He predicted that the meter wouldn't work but at least I would get a shiny new one.
He duly removed the clockwork device that's been happily whirring away since the early 1970's and fitted a very neat looking box of tricks.
Unsurprisingly when it came to communicating, it couldn't , so I will continue to do as I have done for years and send in the meter readings each month.
Why is it that these dumb companies will not believe the householder or even take heed of previous experiences and still insist on sending an engineer on a nine hour round trip to supply and fit clever electronic devices to areas in which they don't/can't work??

 

[Jules59]

Why did it take Eon 9 weeks to tell me they couldnt erect "compliant " scaffolding around my house to install solar panels? That was after a surveyor had been out, taken lots of pics and said he thought it would not be a problem.

Suffice to say Ive now found a local company that will carry out the same installation for £2K less, and erect scaffolding.

 

[The Poot]

I finally succumbed to the demands of electric company X and allowed them to fit a smart meter. Another company had tried some years ago and took it out again as it couldn't communicate . I warned company X that this was the case , they were of course quick to claim SMETS2 would work well.
The installer duly arrived today having driven four and a half hours to get here since the ferries were broken, again! and it was his only job down here today. He predicted that the meter wouldn't work but at least I would get a shiny new one.
He duly removed the clockwork device that's been happily whirring away since the early 1970's and fitted a very neat looking box of tricks.
Unsurprisingly when it came to communicating, it couldn't , so I will continue to do as I have done for years and send in the meter readings each month.
Why is it that these dumb companies will not believe the householder or even take heed of previous experiences and still insist on sending an engineer on a nine hour round trip to supply and fit clever electronic devices to areas in which they don't/can't work??

It’s a reflection of how determined they are that EVERYONE must have one. (I wonder why).
Yesterday I tried to change my supplier as my tariff was ending. I could roll on to a new tariff with X, but I noticed lots of info in the Ts and Cs about smart meters….so I looked elsewhere.
I found a supplier that was roughly the same price, that openly specified there is no compulsion to have a smart meter.
I went through several screens to sign up and, at the payment prompt, the usual “by ticking this box you’ve agreed to our terms and conditions “ appeared. So I thought to check them - and lo and behold a clause stated that I was agreeing to have a smart meter.
So they didn’t get my business!

 

[Sutty]

I finally succumbed to the demands of electric company X and allowed them to fit a smart meter. Another company had tried some years ago and took it out again as it couldn't communicate . I warned company X that this was the case , they were of course quick to claim SMETS2 would work well.
The installer duly arrived today having driven four and a half hours to get here since the ferries were broken, again! and it was his only job down here today. He predicted that the meter wouldn't work but at least I would get a shiny new one.
He duly removed the clockwork device that's been happily whirring away since the early 1970's and fitted a very neat looking box of tricks.
Unsurprisingly when it came to communicating, it couldn't , so I will continue to do as I have done for years and send in the meter readings each month.
Why is it that these dumb companies will not believe the householder or even take heed of previous experiences and still insist on sending an engineer on a nine hour round trip to supply and fit clever electronic devices to areas in which they don't/can't work??

There is a second longer range communication system they can install which doesn't use cellular phone systems, but the engineer i had didn't seem to be aware of it! To my surprise, despite thick stone walls, the standard unit worked!

 

[enrico]

I finally succumbed to the demands of electric company X and allowed them to fit a smart meter. Another company had tried some years ago and took it out again as it couldn't communicate . I warned company X that this was the case , they were of course quick to claim SMETS2 would work well.
The installer duly arrived today having driven four and a half hours to get here since the ferries were broken, again! and it was his only job down here today. He predicted that the meter wouldn't work but at least I would get a shiny new one.
He duly removed the clockwork device that's been happily whirring away since the early 1970's and fitted a very neat looking box of tricks.
Unsurprisingly when it came to communicating, it couldn't , so I will continue to do as I have done for years and send in the meter readings each month.
Why is it that these dumb companies will not believe the householder or even take heed of previous experiences and still insist on sending an engineer on a nine hour round trip to supply and fit clever electronic devices to areas in which they don't/can't work??

Pity because a smart meter let's you into so many cheaper tariffs. I have two meters as I have two incoming lines. On one I never pay more than 7p per kWh
My house with an air source heat pump runs at 11p per kWh

 

[Sutty]

Pity because a smart meter let's you into so many cheaper tariffs. I have two meters as I have two incoming lines. On one I never pay more than 7p per kWh
My house with an air source heat pump runs at 11p per kWh

Can I ask what/who's tariffs those are?

 

[JamezF]

It’s a reflection of how determined they are that EVERYONE must have one. (I wonder why).

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

 

[The Poot]

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

Similar here - deceitful contacts and poor signal. My neighbour gave in to pressure and had one fitted. It doesn’t work.

 

[Sutty]

I have had one fitted at home recently to access ev tariffs (though not done yet).
I'm lucky enough to have a tiny holiday home & have had endless contacts from Eon to get a smartmeter fitted there. When I finally agreed they failed to turn up!
It'll be a while until I bother again if ever!

 

[Murox]

There is a second longer range communication system they can install which doesn't use cellular phone systems, but the engineer i had didn't seem to be aware of it! To my surprise, despite thick stone walls, the standard unit worked!

The engineer who came here explained than they work on long range radio waves, however those signals are received by cell phone systems, if its close enough, that have the correct mast/unit fitted and then sent to a centralised data centre run by government. Flannel? I don't know, but there are many places up here and more generally throughout UK that will never get full access to the cell system as there are not sufficient people living in the area, or there is a hill or valley in the way, to make investment in the tech financially worth it.

 

[Penninetrader]

Smart meters use 2g, 3g will be switched off in 25 and only emergency services or metering will have access. 4g phones will no longer work unless they have the equivalent of VOIP which will mean the vast majority. For our benefit, I hardly think so. It is all part of the inprisoning process. Boiling the frog if you like

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

if you need a bespoke tinfoil hat - @pargyle is your man.

 

[roche]

I think some fact checking should be done around about now. I haven't got much time, but SMETS2 seems to use 868MHz, which is not anything to do with 2,3 or 4G. SMETS1 may have used 2.4GHz Zigbee - again not part of the mobile system. If I have time later and feel like it I might do some more research.
However, I would not be in a hurry to get one installed.

 

[enrico]

Can I ask what/who's tariffs those are?

Octopus Electric Vehicle Tarrif called Octopus Octopus Intelligent Go at 7p for 6 hours overnight
Octopus Cosy Tarrif for Air Source Heat Pump at 11p for a total of eight hours during the day split into three sessions so you can charge batteries three times during the day
If you are not with Octopus and want to be then I can give you a code for £50 joining fee

 

[Sutty]

Octopus Electric Vehicle Tarrif called Octopus Octopus Intelligent Go at 7p for 6 hours overnight
Octopus Cosy Tarrif for Air Source Heat Pump at 11p for a total of eight hours during the day split into three sessions so you can charge batteries three times during the day
If you are not with Octopus and want to be then I can give you a code for £50 joining fee

Thanks, I'll have a look.

 

[Amari]

I'm a complete technophobe so don't understand MHz, SMETS2 etc etc. All I can say is that OVO installed our meter a few years ago. It does its job and there have been no problems

 

[philipm]

Resisted it for years but now we have a plug in hybrid car its worth having just to get the reduced rate electric.

 

[GaryH]

I’ve just fixed for a year with Octopus

 

[madasafish]

We have a mark 1 Smart Meter - electricity only. When we changed suppliers two years after installation,it stopped working.

Despite suppliers repeatedly denying it neither would or could be used to control your own electricity usage by switching you off, this is downright wrong and clear lies.
It is part of the move to upgrade the National Grid - for the 35% growth in energy demand with EVs and heat pumps### - it will be essential to regulate demand and one official document states they will use Smart Meters to do so.

And EDF switched my brother off for weeks - whilst he was away - due to their own billing incompetence They switch you to a Pay as You Go payment system, you then have no credit because you don't know anything abut it, so they switch off your power. All legitimate under the rules.

## To meet that demand with renewable energy many more windfarms are needed.To connect to the Grid, the most economic method is pylons. Now pylons are controversial and planning is often delayed due to objections. The Government is basically going to limit planning objections to speed up the system - which will be hugely unpopular.

As for the back up mini nucs due to be start being installed by 2030, NO orders have been placed, NO UK Approved prototype is running and the chances of 2035 startup - let alone 2030 - look remote. Nuc lead times without hugely truncated planning timescales are 10 years plus from order.

It's a shambles. And we ARE being lied to,

 

[Gilberdyke John]

Smart meters use 2g, 3g will be switched off in 25 and only emergency services or metering will have access. 4g phones will no longer work unless they have the equivalent of VOIP which will mean the vast majority. For our benefit, I hardly think so. It is all part of the inprisoning process. Boiling the frog if you like

I'd prefer it if Moribund was being boiled. I resisted having a smart meter until last year when I decided Octopus Tracker following a long period of consideration and study of price variations over a few years. Finally I bit the bullet and with a years experience I'm happy with the outcome as it's saved me a lot of money. When I'm asked about swapping by friends I do tell them it's not for people who fret about daily changes. You need to play the long game. Mine works fine. End of