I didn't want a smart meter, but . . .

Geek said:
They would not accept my readings, but instead relied on obviously wrong, mutually contradictory, readings they kept changing in the metering history on their system.
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Worth clarifying that they were not adding the replacement incorrect, readings to the meter history. They were overwriting readings in the history, then emailing replacement bills with different charges but the same invoice number and date. Basically fraud.
It turned out that both the gas readings and the electricity charges were wrong, fordifferent reasons.
My photos and spreadsheet ended up being the only reliable record of what had happened.
The more we rely on 'smart' and 'cloud', theore vulnerable we are.
 
Molly 3 said:
Looks like water company's are going to force us to have smart water meters next.
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That might be a good thing if it's more likely to highlight water leaks.

The infrastructure around the Weald of Sussex is old, creaking, needs a good coat of looking at, and they'll need an army of navies to keep up with it all. 😳
 
Molly 3 said:
Looks like water company's are going to force us to have smart water meters next .
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That makes sense. Existing water meters can be read remotely already, but only from a few metres away.
However, as most water meters are low down under sinks or in holes in the pavement or some such, it'd be tricky getting a decent long distance radio connection.
Because of using the motorhome a fair bit, we are aware of water use - and are away a lot, so we use very little water. Having a water meter has dramatically reduced our water bill.
 
Downside is large family's could pay more , if your get a leak on your underground pipe without knowing you have to pay for the lost water if it goes through the meter, you are responsible for pipes on your property ,
 
Molly 3 said:
Downside is large family's could pay more , if your get a leak on your underground pipe without knowing you have to pay for the lost water if it goes through the meter, you are responsible for pipes on your property ,
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Indeed. For most people (maybe not motorhomers who are more likely conserve water) the guideline is that you're better off on a meter if you have more bedrooms than inhabitants, and not otherwise.
If you get a meter you can opt to go back to water rates if you prefer: but you only have a year or two to decide.
 
Scotia said:
I didn't want one either but needed one when we installed solar to get cash back from what we put back to the grid. A year on and this will be our 4th not so smart meter on Jan the 5th twice they did not show to replace. Im not holding my breath this will work either.
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Mine packed up took months replace ,but octopus sent me £50 credit ,
 
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Well, I do have a thing called an Owl, which measures the electricity consumption and displays it on a little screen, much like a smart meter's display.
However both the clamp on the meter tails and the display need new batteries (AAA & AA respectively) every few months.
I find that I need to replace at least one set of batteries each time I look at the display.
Clearly I don't find it all that entertaining, or I'd look at it more often!
 
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