General Chat

Well said, ZZzzz.
The time will come where the cost of utility bills will rise to a ridiculous charge, at particular times of the day.

Without a display panel, I can't see how much I'm using, so no change from the old meters but it seems, with a 'smart' meter, the suppliers can make up my meter reading!

We don't have the remote display panel, the idea of that is so that you can see just when you are using the most leccy, and potentially turn it down/off. Really?
I can't see many people sitting in the cold because the meter says they should.

Yes, it's strange, how we don't hear the Government, or individual MPs boasting about how much they're saving with their smart meters, and no-one in the House of Commons sits there with a jumper on!
They should lead by example!

I am not recommending either the SMETS1 or SMETS2 devices . I have a SMETS1 in one house which works for basic functionality and a SMETS2 elsewhere wich is better . Neither require a smart phone or external screen beyond the one they ship with. I cannot fit in with meter reader timings so that aspect suits me v well.

TBH I don't spend anytime monitoring our energy usage I have better things to do. I have updated insulation , moved to lo energy lighting eg LED and updated appliances as far as poss. Interestingly the total power bill for a three storey ( + basement) terraced house in London is only slightly more than my mother was paying for an unmodified 2 bed bungalow 3 years back.

During last year suppliers were allowed to install a lot of SMETS1 devices from stock 'cos actual installations were only 20% of target. They also had to pay hefty fines for slow installation. SMETS2 has speeded up.

SMETS1 does use the 2G phone signal which has patchy coverage and is one reason why the product failed. SMETS2 uses a purpose made "Government Data Network" designed by GCHQ to be resilient and secure.

My basic point is that in this particular instance all domestic power users will in the end have their usage monitored by SMETS whether they like it or not. Similarly gas/oil/wood heating systems are on the way out first for new build and then everybody else.

That there will be considerable opportunities for people being ripped off is beyond doubt. Abrupt changes in govt policy are imho also rip offs. Caveat emptor. Chancellor Rishi is determined that the changover costs, inc transport, will not fall on the government.

Following the succesful plundering of the North Sea oil he is also determined to follow up by stealing Scottish offshore wind power. He aims to do this through contracts that a future SNP government could not break.

Most people posting here will be be able, if they wish, to avoid the great shift away from carbon energy unless they live in London. Not so the end of meter readers which is nigh.

All technologies come to a natural end some sooner than others.

Talk about blinkers!



Interesting letter in today’s paper about a housing estate currently being built with gas central heating!

Trip to dentist was interesting. Never saw a booth my son mentioned. Didn’t get asked about the Q code. But the receptionist did keep telling me to tap my card. Told her there was no point as it was a real one. ;-)


If we add a lot more insulation to cut the cost of heating you will end up having to pay for air conditioning for the summer months.

:-D :-D :-D

RTR: " Neither require a smart phone or external screen beyond the one they ship with"

*Bangs head on wall* I will repeat - THAT IS WHAT I HAVEN'T GOT!

Oh - and *yawn* thanks for your personal view on the future.
Of course, if you say so, it will all come to fruition.

Also, I'm slightly confused.
Your mother used to live with you, but when it comes to comparing buildings, and accusing the elerly of overpaying bills etc, suddenly, she didn't!

'

what have dentists and doctors to do with power meter reading ?

Virtually all offices and places of work, shops in London have had air conditioning installed years and years ago. It is a real energy hog and often requires a 3 phase power supply. Quite a lot of houses have a/c as well. It is rather more likely to be found in the Kings Road than Brick Lane or Mare Street.

Adding heating , transport to the current load on the national grid would precipitate "brown outs" for sure and quite likely outages. Expanding grid capacity is happening but v expensive and not done in a day. Which takes us to the real reason for SMETS2 - a better means to regulate power take off from the grid.

I can't have a "smart" meter here even if I want one - which I don't.

An engineer came, by appointment, to fit one a few months ago.
He looked at the old meter and was surprised (why? he should have known before he arrived) to find that I have Economy 7, because of having storage heaters.

He told me that a smart meter wouldn't work with Economy 7 in this area because of poor signal . It would work with a single tariff, but not with two, and my storage heaters would therefore not turn on.

So I still have my unsmart meter, and continue happily to read it myself and send in the readings online.



As far as the dentist is concerned, what some of you are saying about smart phones/booths/cards/Q codes sounds extremely high-tech.
When I went to the dentist a few weeks ago, all I had to do was ring the doorbell.
A receptionist unlocked the door, took my temperature, and let me in.

ADDED:
By the way, that's not me refusing to use technology - that's our dentist's procedure for all patients.

I don't know about doctors. But if you had actually read the thread one of the things you would have come across was my saying how I loved technology (not) and how it seemed to be affecting my visit to the dentist.

By the by, I don't live in an office, nor do I live in London, but am aware offices have had air conditioning for yonks.

ArgyllGran - you rebel, you!! :-D :-D :-D

It's the simple life for me!

If you read my posts and joind up the dots or just googled you would be aware that (a) SMETS1 was a flop, lack of a stable/any connection using the phonenetwork being a major factor (b) SMETS2 does not use wifi or the phone networks but has its own dedicated network which can reach 99% of the country. SMETS2 also works ok with Economy7 and Night Storage Heaters - see OVO web site. The power companies are not finding retail sales very profitable and are pulling out eg SSE has sold its retail arm to OVO and /or reducing costs. One sure way to do this is SMETS2. BritishGas has imposed a brutal new contract on its service engineers.

SMETS2 for three phase is also available for your business or home should you need it.

.

I didn’t need to read your posts about SMETS 1 & 2 as I was already very aware of the issues over the two.

Argyllgran wasn’t told that the meter didn’t work with storage heaters. The issue was the poor signal.

Is that free phase or phase three?

20% of target RTR you hit the nail on the head there.

The problems with signal strength do not apply to SMETS2.
If you were advised recently that SMETS and Economy7 would not work together then what was being proposed used one of the stock of SMETS1 devices. AFAIK this practice should have ceased.

https://octopus.energy/blog/solving-smart-meter-issues-octopus-energy/
https://www.smartdcc.co.uk/customer-hub/becoming-a-dcc-user/

In the short run it is up to the consumer to choose SMETS2 or not.
In the long run everybody will be using SMETS2.

Other communications technologies soon for the chop include the POTS / PSTN telephone system (2025) ISDN and mobile phone 3G (from 2021). The demise of 3G will complicate running "burner" phones and make life a little easier for A12.

Are you sure about internet connections in Scotland?, and whether the 'dedicated network' really can reach 99%
Got a 'handy rellie' involved in Scottish Power with inside information?

The reason I ask is, a couple of years ago, RTR you insisted there was no way my brother in Somerset didn't have the internet.
He still hasn't got it!

It's not good spouting off opinion /thought as fact.

I said Maggie that the majority of the population in Somerset can pick up Internet with a mobile phone. Then of course the option of Internet using an usp such as EE, Sky etc.

By area is another matter. There is little commercial reason to offer 4g Internet to Exmoor, Chew Lakes, Mendips though 2G coverage should OK if patchy.

Pre lockdown I often visited Clevedon, Weston, Minehead, East Coker and so on and was able to get a connection for my satnav. In any case as I keep telling you SMETS2 does not use the Internet.

Rollo really can’t see when the conversation goes sideways a bit, unless he is the one that did it.

I was talking about you flauting your opinion as fact, RTR, and gave my brother's lack of internet as an example - you 'knew' Somerset had the internet, therefore my brother 'did' have the internet, and by that reckoning, we were both too stupid to realise.

I was not saying he couldn't have a smart meter, because he didn't have the internet - yet again, do you think I'm so stupid I think the internet is needed for a smart meter? Weirdly, I knew it before you voiced your opinon as fact.
I may not like technology, but I still know about it. I don't like maths, but I can still add up - and I don't even need a calculator!

It's also a good idea not to twist what someone's said just to suit your narrative.
Even more stupid when it's written down!!

According to OVO SMETS1 smart meters can now be upgraded to SMETS2 using a free software upgrade. SMETS2 meters support supplier switching for best deal using, say, USWITCH. SMETS2 does not use 2G.

The current govt target is to have all premises connected by 2024. At some point SMETS2 will not be optional. Most likely means of enforcement will be that premises not SMETS2 connected will be stuck with the highest tarif.

Yes.