Smart Meters for Leccy in house

jagmanx

jagmanx

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I have just been "invited" by Eon to install a smart meter.
I have a separate contract with SSE for income from my Solar installation

Question will this conflict.

I remember varying views about smart meters
Advantages ?
Disadvantages ?

Normal 3 bed house with Gas CH
 
Thanks to all.
Confirms my thoughts.
AND
www.which.co.uk

Smart meters and solar panels: what's the sticking point? - Which? News

Find out which energy firms will install smart meters with solar PV
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www.telegraph.co.uk

Households with solar panels risk being overcharged by smart meters

Households with solar panels risk being overcharged on their energy bills if they have a smart meter fitted, it can be revealed.
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utilityweek.co.uk

STA warns smart meters and solar panels 'should be decoupled' - Utility Week

Smart meters and solar panels should be decoupled following reports of functionality issues.
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My supplier keeps bombarding me with invites to install a smart meter.
I, in return, keep ignoring them.
How will installing one save me money?
I'm sat here with just the standard lamp alight in the living room. If I'm not in a room the light is off.
If I'm cold I put the heating on. If not..I don't.
It's not rocket science to not waste energy.
 
Have a second generation one fitted if you go for one. The publicity about saving money is really only for those who don't self monitor their own use of energy. It is useful for not having to read meters though.
 
For me the great advantage of a smart meter is having the readings taken remotely. I think this facility alone makes it useful for people who go away a lot, no more missed and estimated readings. I don’t use the energy monitor.

We also have Hive to control the heating from phones/pads. When we are away in winter we can keep an eye on home temperature and switch the heating up when we are on our way home. Nice and warm for our return but no wasted energy.
 
Ha! A few years ago I agreed with EON that they could install a Smart meter as my electricity usage has always been too high for a two up two down with a couple who were then both at work each day. I told them there is little or no cell phone signal repeatedly and they kept assuring me it didn’t mater.

a day was arranged but they couldn’t give a time so I took a days holiday and waited in. The pillock arrived around lunch time and proceeded to walk to the back of the house where the meter was proclaiming, “wasted trip, no signal”. Got to the meter and said he was leaving, I told him EON were aware of no signal but wanted to fit one anyway but he knew best.

EON did try to organise another day to come and fit but I told them very plainly to F off. It’s Smart employees they need methinks.

No help to op but may raise a smile somewhere :)
 
Allen said:
My supplier keeps bombarding me with invites to install a smart meter.
I, in return, keep ignoring them.
How will installing one save me money?
I'm sat here with just the standard lamp alight in the living room. If I'm not in a room the light is off.
If I'm cold I put the heating on. If not..I don't.
It's not rocket science to not waste energy.
Click to expand...
Does keeping the smart meter plugged in use electricity we also have to pay for?
 
We had one installed last year then changed suppliers early this year , I dont know if it has been changed over to our new supplier but it still gives a reading
 
Question, as they use your internet connection constantly to communicate with HO what does it cost?
 
I'm pretty sure they don't use your home wifi... they have their own network. Even the display monitor doesn't use your home wifi to communicate with the smart meter.

Edit to say... just found a link that explains it:
www.cooperativeenergy.coop

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Allen said:
My supplier keeps bombarding me with invites to install a smart meter.
I, in return, keep ignoring them.
How will installing one save me money?
I'm sat here with just the standard lamp alight in the living room. If I'm not in a room the light is off.
If I'm cold I put the heating on. If not..I don't.
It's not rocket science to not waste energy.
Click to expand...
If on oil it works out better to set stat at 21 in l/room and leave it on 24/7,think of it like this,car going down m/way at 55mph does 40mpg,same car going through town stop start at 10mph does 25 mpg,i have done all the running tests with a header tank so i know,it also takes days to warm the fabric of the house up to which like a storage heater it throws reflective heat back.
Change to led bulbs the saving is fantastic,a house full of led bulbs turned on burn about the same as a old single 100w lamp.
Cost me £80 to fit all home and on first qtr saved £40 so all in after two qtr bills,that was about 3 years back.
 
Eon..
A very brief conversation just now revealed that Eon do not recommend SmartMeters alongside Solar !
Not exactly surprised !
 
Call me cynical, but won,t the info be used to pinpoint when you use most electricity and then they will tailor their charges for maximum shareholder profits?
 
BOTCANU
You are probably correct. Remember night storage heaters.
To begin with a boost mid afternoon..AND then No sorry !
 
BOTCANU said:
Call me cynical, but won,t the info be used to pinpoint when you use most electricity and then they will tailor their charges for maximum shareholder profits?
Click to expand...
I think it's essential to be a bit cynical these days about a lot of things :) I shop around for a good deal via the Martin Lewis Cheap Energy Club whenever my contract is up for renewal and always sign up for a fixed tariff for at least a year or more. I've managed to stay duel-fuel with British Gas for many years on good rates by doing this. I just don't see how they could manipulate charges if you sign up for a specific fixed tariff. I realise an awful lot of people are still on standard tariffs because their original contracts have expired and they've just let it tick over to the highest rates... that's when you really get hit.

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I think a lot of people confuse a smart meter with the display monitor. The little monitor in the house is the bit that shows what you're using and, if you set it up right with your tariff, what you're spending each day/week/month. I agree, I rarely ever look at the monitor and you don't even need to take it out of the box if you don't want to... it communicates with the smart meter to give you information but it isn't part of it and makes no difference to the functionality. The smart meter itself sits in the garage... to be honest, I never look at that either!

The biggest boon for me with a smart meter is that it communicates accurate usage via its own network to the mother ship, so I don't have to send in meter readings every month. It used to be a bit of a pain trying to juggle camping trips with meter readings and I often had to get someone to pop round to the house to read the meters and send me the numbers, so that I could go online and register my reading. As you know, travelling around doesn't always give you good internet or phone, so it became just another little bit of unnecessary hassle in my life. Smart meter = one less thing on the logistics list to worry about, so I can enjoy the motorhome more.

I don't see the point in worrying about the 'big brother' element on this either. I have lots of electronic gizmos, spend heaps of time online - social media like this forum, shopping, banking, etc, etc, - plus I have loyalty cards for supermarkets, fuel, Boots, etc. I doubt very much there's any element of my life that isn't in a database somewhere, yet the sky hasn't fallen yet! ;)
 
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