Compulsory smart meters?

smorris_12 · Post by **smorris_12** » Fri Oct 21, 2022 8:52 pm

What do I know. I'm only an electronics engineer that used to work for a company that made smart meters.

Nanu · Post by **Nanu** » Fri Oct 21, 2022 10:14 pm

Mr Tidy wrote: ↑Fri Oct 21, 2022 8:37 pm Ed's right there.

Our electricity got turned off plenty of times during the days of the 3 Day Week in the 70s - and Smart meters hadn't been invented!

The power companies cannot just intentionally turn off power for a whole area at a sub station. They have legal obligations for those such as patients on home medical treatments such as dialysis. They cannot switch their power off, they have to be more selective these days. Smart meters provide that

Whoever is right or wrong, still don’t want one

MikeyH · Post by **MikeyH** » Fri Oct 21, 2022 10:41 pm

Mr Tidy wrote: ↑Fri Oct 21, 2022 8:37 pm Ed's right there.

Our electricity got turned off plenty of times during the days of the 3 Day Week in the 70s - and Smart meters hadn't been invented!

Yes happy days

arriving home from 8 to 9hrs in a cold workshop to a cold house with no food or even a cup of tea.

Pondrew · Post by **Pondrew** » Fri Oct 21, 2022 11:18 pm

Seriously? The funniest thread I've read in a while

Nothing like people with no knowledge presuming the world is out to get them and panicking.

There is no mechanism to 'turn off' your supply of gas, or electricity, remotely. A smart meter just relays your meter data to your supplier, generally via wifi. That is all it does. They save you (or anybody else) having to read the meter, so happy days.

And if you pay a few quid, as a sideshow, you can get a remote device which you put in your house, that has lots of pretty lights on to show you how much it costs to boil the kettle too.

Smartbear · Post by **Smartbear** » Fri Oct 21, 2022 11:23 pm

Pondrew wrote: ↑Fri Oct 21, 2022 11:18 pm Seriously? The funniest thread I've read in a while

Nothing like people with no knowledge presuming the world is out to get them and panicking.

There is no mechanism to 'turn off' your supply of gas, or electricity, remotely. A smart meter just relays your meter data to your supplier, generally via wifi. That is all it does. They save you (or anybody else) having to read the meter, so happy days.

Yep, I’m definitely not missing the days of having to take meter readings - as for the other mysterious abilities of the smart meter, i think I’ll take my chances

Rob

Pondrew · Post by **Pondrew** » Fri Oct 21, 2022 11:25 pm

Smartbear wrote: ↑Fri Oct 21, 2022 11:23 pm as for the other mysterious abilities of the smart meter

They probably give you cancer; everything else does!

TitanTim · Post by **TitanTim** » Fri Oct 21, 2022 11:36 pm

Yes I can't say I miss the days of crawling around on my hands knees with a torch to get a meter reading and faffing around sending it off.

Amuses me why people seem so anti smart meters as though they are being spied on or they believe they there is some sort of sinister agenda

Perhaps its the same people who believe the jab is a way of controlling them.

Tim.

Pondrew · Post by **Pondrew** » Fri Oct 21, 2022 11:41 pm

Nanu wrote: ↑Fri Oct 21, 2022 7:38 pm My neighbour had a car charging point fitted to his garage. After he researched it fully, he found that there was a mechanism in place whereby power could be reduced or limited remotely or restrict usage to certain times of day.

Absolute rubbish.
As smorris_12 said in a previous post, they can monitor it to charge you different tariffs, yes. If you sign up for that, of course.
It is possible to reduce electrical power, but it would need equipment that your neighbour does not have installed in his house. And to do it remotely would need a lot more.

Pondrew · Post by **Pondrew** » Fri Oct 21, 2022 11:50 pm

TitanTim wrote: ↑Fri Oct 21, 2022 11:36 pm Amuses me why people seem so anti smart meters as though they are being spied on or they believe they there is some sort of sinister agenda

Broadband is good; smart meters are bad.

No difference, except the former you pay for, the second are free! Go figure

TitanTim · Post by **TitanTim** » Sat Oct 22, 2022 8:00 am

Pondrew wrote: ↑Fri Oct 21, 2022 11:50 pm
TitanTim wrote: ↑Fri Oct 21, 2022 11:36 pm Amuses me why people seem so anti smart meters as though they are being spied on or they believe they there is some sort of sinister agenda
smart meters are bad.

Interested to know why people think they are bad? Is it the compulsory element or something else in your home apart from the wife monitoring your life

?

If it tells me how much energy I'm using and what it's costing me then I don't really see the issue.

Tim.

markplant · Post by **markplant** » Sat Oct 22, 2022 8:01 am

Edmi mk7 can have a remote disconnect single phase
Edmi mk10 can have a remote disconnect three phase
Elster as230 can have a remote disconnect single phase
You can generally tell if the meter has a disconnect function as they'll be a symbol for a switch on the info plate on the front

mgrlane · Post by **mgrlane** » Sat Oct 22, 2022 8:09 am

So the argument for getting one is basically people are to lazy/ incapable to take a photo of a meter/type a numbers on an app/internet when they get a free minute and it's super cool to be able to work out how much as cup of tea and some toast costs to make.

Not sure how that compares to medical treatment or the strikes from the 70's but good one.

Some people just want to enter a number and get a bill. They don't really want their uses monitored in real time.

There is space in the world for both types of people

biZ4rreMids · Post by **biZ4rreMids** » Sat Oct 22, 2022 8:33 am

mgrlane wrote: ↑Sat Oct 22, 2022 8:09 am So the argument for getting one is basically people are to lazy/ incapable to take a photo of a meter/type a numbers on an app/internet when they get a free minute and it's super cool to be able to work out how much as cup of tea and some toast costs to make.

Smart meters are technology and help us spend more time doing the things we want to do and less time on mundane things like reading the meter.

I also own a mobile phone, iPad and laptop, bet you do too. Technology.

Nictrix · Post by **Nictrix** » Sat Oct 22, 2022 9:08 am

The only problem I have with smart meters is that they use electricity to show you how much electricity you are using.
The first thing to do to save electricity would be turning off the smart meter.
Anybody know how much it costs to have these things running all year?

enuff_zed · Post by **enuff_zed** » Sat Oct 22, 2022 9:24 am

I have smart meters for both gas and electricity.
Back in late May the gas one packed up. Stopped sending any readings.
They finally replaced it yesterday.
I was in no rush as I'd had a few conversations with them. The principal was that once the new meter was in they would watch it for 2-3 weeks and work out an average then charge me back to May at that rate.
I managed to get through to a real person and explained that as I hadn't used gas for my heating since it failed, then to use an average in late October would not be very representative.
They readily agreed and have charged me some ludicrously low set amount for all the time the meter has been u/s. This was agreed, in writing, to continue until the new meter was fitted. I was gutted when I saw them turn up.
Tbh, I'm in the 'much easier' camp on this. Especially as 'management' is continually tidying up and i have no idea where the keys for the cabinets are any more.

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