Energy price rises-Shocking!

[The Gurnard]

I like the smart meter ..because its smart enough to automatically send the reading to the supplier every half hour if you choose that time interval. It saves me having to type it in on line then having to wait in once a year to allow a company rep to read my meter.

It also had the advantage that when I moved supplier they asked what my normal usage was and I told them it was around £40 per month. They said the average user was £80 a month so I would have to pay that by direct debit to begin with. After three months they saw from the smart meter that my usage was going to be around £36 so dropped my direct debt to that and gave a rebate on my overpayments. I presume if I start using more ..they will see that and adjust my direct debt accordingly..rather than wait a year then hit me with a big bill. IMO That is the main advantage of them and that suits me down to the ground

Only a dumb customer would think it saved them money because as most of you have already stated and know ... it costs what you use..but as the smart meters are free (Mine are anyhoo)..Im that dumb I cant see why you smart guys are against them ..but each to there own as we are all smart enough to know what is best for our circumstances

[Matt]

I feel like I must be heating the whole street. Our place is over 100 years old - no cavity walls and draughty floorboards is such a killer. Along with my wife insisting on opening the bedroom windows each morning to "air" the room. Are my farts really that bad? (No answer required)

Originally Posted by lakelandterrier

I too am resisting so-called "smart" meters. I know if I boil the kettle / use the washing machine etc I use power. I don't need a digital device to tell me that. Really don't see the value for a consumer, or how they save all the energy that the industry / government claim.

I'm with OVO with a monthly bill for gas & lecky of c.£175 - mid 80's 4 bed house, well insulated loft, double glazed but at least 25 years old. Keep thermostat on c. 17oC. I'm not in a particularly cold area though.

Looks like I have a good deal.

[Oldman2]

My take on smart metering was that as my meters are in my workshop/garage it was a pita to keep reading them and then allowing the meter man in at some stage to see I wasnt bypassing the meters
Its a win win with them being able to remote read them, they save the cost of having to pay a company to go read them so should be able to reduce their costs and pass the savings on. Apart from cannabis farms I would think that they can pass the usage data on to the power generators who using smart software can tailor the peak demand outputs from power stations.
Lots of info available from your smart meter too.


https://forum.ovoenergy.com/smart-me...al-series-8584

[Pikey Dave]

Originally Posted by Matt

I feel like I must be heating the whole street. Our place is over 100 years old - no cavity walls and draughty floorboards is such a killer. Along with my wife insisting on opening the bedroom windows each morning to "air" the room. Are my farts really that bad? (No answer required)

Same here, house built around 1840, solid stone walls, no cavity. We’ve insulated it as best we can, double glazed it etc, but it’s still a draughty old beast. The missus has the windows open every morning to “air” the place, summer & winter. I spent some lockdown time replacing most of the internal & external lights with LEDs, the log burner is our primary source of heating & the solar panels provide all our DHW when the sun is out.

[Matt]

Yeah, we rewired and replumbed earlier this year. So almost all LED lights now, along with TRVs on each radiator. Off the back of this thread, I bought a hive setup yesterday too. Why hive over nest? Hive has remote TRVs too, so I can turn off completely, for example, the conservatory on a schedule. Otherwise I prob would have done Nest.

[Matt]

Originally Posted by Pikey Dave

Same here, house built around 1840

I bet that's lovely. Our place is about 1910, so solidly built, but very different character to a mid 1800's place.

I had to knock a wall down in the garage when we moved in. I cut all around the edges of it and pushed it over expecting it all to shatter, which I could then load into the skip. No. The wall just fell over and landed with a thud on the concrete floor - I just now had a horizontal wall to deal with instead of a vertical one. They don't make em like the used to.

[neil.mccrirrick]

Lot of bad reviews on smart meters from incorrect readings cocking Wi-Fi up and not working well if you change supplier.

I guess we will all be on them eventually and I can see if they work accurate bills which is good

However I suspect like most tech it’s believed by the company over the individual so if it goes wrong expect a battle

[Pikey Dave]

Originally Posted by neil.mccrirrick

Lot of bad reviews on smart meters from incorrect readings cocking Wi-Fi up and not working well if you change supplier.

I guess we will all be on them eventually and I can see if they work accurate bills which is good

However I suspect like most tech it’s believed by the company over the individual so if it goes wrong expect a battle

We’re on our 3rd smart meter, every time we switch, the previous supplier turns off the display. Apparently it’s changed now, so that they can be inherited by the new suppliers.

[jeffstevens763@g]

There was a woman charged over £300,000 for a month fuel bill when she contacted them they said did she want to spread the cost over 3 years, that wouldn’t make you spit feathers

[Steve509926]

Originally Posted by The Gurnard

..but as the smart meters are free (Mine are anyhoo)..Im that dumb I cant see why you smart guys are against them ..but each to there own as we are all smart enough to know what is best for our circumstances

Not against them per se, I disagree with the way they have been "sold" to the cusumer as a cost saving device. The only ones saving money are the energy companies, but it is being paid for by the consumer.
The cost to roll out the Smart Meter scheme will be £11 billon. Every customer in the UK pays approx £17 per annum extra for the luxury of not having to take meter readings.
I actually have a smart meter, part and parcel of the fixed deal I did with OVO. It has never worked properly, it won't link to the electricity meter. I still have to email OVO every month with my electricity meter reading.

[A1an]

Ive had a smart meter for about 2 years, its only in the last 6 months I've really paid it any attention and it has definitely made a difference to my energy consumption. Its made me realise which items in the house use the power and I've made adjustments to reduce their consumption.

My heating and hot water are done by a biomass woodchip setup so that isn't a cost for us.

[The Gurnard]

Yup..thats what I did too A1an..

Therefore.. I can say in all honesty that my smart meter saved me money
So IMO it did as they said it would .

So saying ..having done my initial experiments ... I never look at it now.. well until the other day when I though to myself .. ..I bet folks think I am winding them up saying my electric bill is only £36 per month.. so I downloaded my readings to back up my claim. I couldn’t have done that with my old style meter. If I couldn’t do that then folks could easily say I was making it up. So that is another advantage of the smart meter for me ..I can prove my usage any time I want.

So saying .. The meter display is now back in the cupboard where it belongs .. and I wont look at it again unless my provider tells me they will be increasing my direct debit. Then I will interrogate it again.

However Im delight that I don’t have a meter on my water .. do you guys in the south have options for smart meters on your water ?

[A1an]

at xmas i saw £2.64 on the meter one evening and nearly passed out!

[mick]

Originally Posted by A1an

at xmas i saw £2.64 on the meter one evening and nearly passed out!

Is tha from Yarkshire

[A1an]

Originally Posted by mick

Is tha from Yarkshire

Apparently they are tighter than us Scots. That takes some doing!

[mick]

Originally Posted by A1an

Apparently they are tighter than us Scots. That takes some doing!

What gave you that idea

[A1an]

Originally Posted by mick

What gave you that idea

its funny, the Yorkies say they are scotties with the generosity squeezed out them and the Geordies say they are scotties with their heeds kicked in! You all want to be us.

[mick]

Originally Posted by A1an

its funny, the Yorkies say they are scotties with the generosity squeezed out them and the Geordies say they are scotties with their heeds kicked in! You all want to be us.

we just like to come use the facilities and go

[Pikey Dave]

Originally Posted by A1an

…..You all want to be us.

But without the midges

[Oldman2]

Originally Posted by The Gurnard

However Im delight that I don’t have a meter on my water .. do you guys in the south have options for smart meters on your water ?

Sorry to say it but yes we have had water meters for the past 3-4yrs so its water butts everywhere to water all the wifes greenhouse plants. I'm glad the girls have grown and flown, im sure they used to take it in turns to takeover the shower for hours on end.
Although its costly I dont feel I can complain about the water rate as for most of my life its been meter free and I bet I wasted as much as everyone else.