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Author Topic: Who here has a Smart Meter for electricity or gas?  (Read 16517 times)

Chrysalis

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Re: Who here has a Smart Meter for electricity or gas?
« Reply #45 on: July 03, 2018, 12:32:04 AM »

There is also that these can be remotely read instead of needing a manual reading, and this is especially more important now that they can only backdate bills to a max of 12 months.
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displaced

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Re: Who here has a Smart Meter for electricity or gas?
« Reply #46 on: July 04, 2018, 09:44:15 PM »

Old thread I know, but I keep refusing a smart meter.

Some reasons:
I want one that allows switching while maintaining being smart.


Yeah, I only found that out after getting one fitted!

Still, there's apparently some shenanigans going on to allow us with 'gen 1' meters to keep 'smartness'.  And apparently 'gen 2' meters won't have this problem.

I dare say that this will either get sorted soon or companies will offer to replace smart meters with the newer models to maintain smart features when changing contract.

Reasonably happy with ours, insofar as one can be.  The monitor is much more accurate (as it should be) than the clip-on 'smart monitor' we'd previously had.

The monitor also let us show off our house's party-trick.  We have a combined long living/dining room.  The two halves each have 4x in-ceiling light fittings towards the corners of the ceiling.  We had some dimmable halogen (?) spots in there which were 100w each.  Watching the meter whilst turning all eight on was good fun.

They're all now smart LED bulbs which barely make the meter move when on at 100%.  Plus, I get to say "Alexa, set the Living Room lights to magenta" which is fun.
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sheddyian

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Re: Who here has a Smart Meter for electricity or gas?
« Reply #47 on: July 12, 2018, 12:24:57 AM »

Having recently moved, I used to have a smart meter and now I don't and I find it frustrating not knowing how much electricity I'm using at any given time!

I'm with bulb energy (who seem good) and they've stated they are delaying rollout of smart meters until the gen2 meters are available (my old meter at previous address was gen1).

Ian
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sevenlayermuddle

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Re: Who here has a Smart Meter for electricity or gas?
« Reply #48 on: July 13, 2018, 12:00:18 AM »

My own supplier does seem to have at last given up.

After mumerous unsolicted “appointment” letters, arranging for installation, all of which I declined, I eventually voiced a formal complaint of harassment.    Despite initial threats along the lines of “the government will force you to have one by 2015”, they then went quiet and have not actually bothered  me for several years now.

I do of course respect the decision that some folks make, for whatever reasons, to accept a Smart meter.   More power to their elbows.    :)

I hope these same folks will respect my own decision, based upon my own research of tech, and reading of small print in T&C,  to not have one.  :)
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Chrysalis

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Re: Who here has a Smart Meter for electricity or gas?
« Reply #49 on: July 18, 2018, 04:32:15 PM »

I think the real reason they pushing is they simply always want to have access to live data.

I get meter readers knocking on my door every month, if I supply readings or let them be estimated it seems to have no impact, it just seems they want it verified by their own people.  A smart meter removes that problem for them.
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nallar

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Re: Who here has a Smart Meter for electricity or gas?
« Reply #50 on: July 19, 2018, 01:38:06 PM »

I'm hesitant to have a smart meter.

It's hard to get metering wrong with an electromechanical meter. Multiple smart meters have been found to incorrectly overread or underread with high levels of harmonic distortion.

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/hardware/millions-of-smart-meters-may-over-inflate-readings-by-up-to-600-percent/
https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/7866234/
https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/7339771/
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Ronski

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Re: Who here has a Smart Meter for electricity or gas?
« Reply #51 on: July 19, 2018, 03:41:30 PM »

That's worrying, I bet mines not under reading.
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chenks

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Re: Who here has a Smart Meter for electricity or gas?
« Reply #52 on: July 19, 2018, 04:06:37 PM »

It's hard to get metering wrong with an electromechanical meter.

you'd be surprised how easily electromechanical can and does go wrong.
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sevenlayermuddle

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Re: Who here has a Smart Meter for electricity or gas?
« Reply #53 on: July 19, 2018, 05:26:36 PM »

I'm hesitant to have a smart meter.

It's hard to get metering wrong with an electromechanical meter. Multiple smart meters have been found to incorrectly overread or underread with high levels of harmonic distortion.

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/hardware/millions-of-smart-meters-may-over-inflate-readings-by-up-to-600-percent/
https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/7866234/
https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/7339771/

Interesting reading, but I suspect these publications are confusing digital meters with smart meters. I for example have a digital electricity meter.   It is read by a man that knocks on the door several times a year, in between visits I get estimates and/or supply my own readings.  It contains no communications components, it is just a dumb meter, albeit one that is entirely electronic and has an lcd display. 

The term “Smart meter” is generally used to refer to a meter that communicates its readings directly with the supplier, and allows the supplier to do other things that are useful to them, such as remotely disconnect or recconect the individual supply to your home.

It is fair to assume that all smart meters will be based on modern digital instruments, but not all such instruments are “smart”.   Whilst you can refuse a smart meter, I doubt whether you’d be able to refuse one that is digital, as long as it is “dumb”.
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nallar

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Re: Who here has a Smart Meter for electricity or gas?
« Reply #54 on: July 19, 2018, 11:06:10 PM »

Interesting reading, but I suspect these publications are confusing digital meters with smart meters. I for example have a digital electricity meter.   It is read by a man that knocks on the door several times a year, in between visits I get estimates and/or supply my own readings.  It contains no communications components, it is just a dumb meter, albeit one that is entirely electronic and has an lcd display. 

The term “Smart meter” is generally used to refer to a meter that communicates its readings directly with the supplier, and allows the supplier to do other things that are useful to them, such as remotely disconnect or recconect the individual supply to your home.

It is fair to assume that all smart meters will be based on modern digital instruments, but not all such instruments are “smart”. 

Most people currently have electromechanical meters, so changing to a smart meter is also a change to an electronic meter. You're correct that it's possible to move to an electronic meter without any "smart" functionality.

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Whilst you can refuse a smart meter, I doubt whether you’d be able to refuse one that is digital, as long as it is “dumb”.
That's right - once the current one is outside of its certification period or if it is shown to be inaccurate you can be required to allow it to be replaced.
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johnson

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Re: Who here has a Smart Meter for electricity or gas?
« Reply #55 on: July 21, 2018, 02:34:36 AM »

Sure most have see this but thought I'd post it anyway:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-44903471

Quote
Customers have financed the smart meter programme by paying a levy on their energy bills, while suppliers have frequently blamed the levy for rising costs.

However the report claimed most of the eventual savings would be made by energy firms, rather than consumers.
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sevenlayermuddle

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Re: Who here has a Smart Meter for electricity or gas?
« Reply #56 on: July 21, 2018, 10:42:45 AM »

Verging slightly off topic...  I got a scam call a few days ago, from somebody claiming to be from an energy utility, “just checking whether if I had been upgraded to a smart meter yet”.

Caller was reasonably well spoken, bright and enthusiastic, native UK accent.   I am regarding it as a scam, because he indicated to be representing a supplier (not specifically identified) with some knowledge of my account, yet  addressed me by name of better half which is phone book, whereas energy utility bills have always been in my own name.

No idea what the scammer’s payload would have been.   Maybe relatively innocent, just wanting a “finders fee” if he persuaded some random consumer to switch supplier.   Or maybe something much more sinister.   

Worth bearing in mind, if you get such a call out of the blue.
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Ronski

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Re: Who here has a Smart Meter for electricity or gas?
« Reply #57 on: May 26, 2019, 07:48:34 AM »

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sevenlayermuddle

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Re: Who here has a Smart Meter for electricity or gas?
« Reply #58 on: May 26, 2019, 09:22:58 AM »

Here's a rather worrying take on smart meters

http://www.nickhunn.com/how-to-hack-a-smart-meter-and-kill-the-grid/

The remote OFF switch has always been one of my own biggest worries, re smart meters.

My main worry has been about whether the suppliers are anywhere near competent enough to be entrusted with such a switch, but malicious interference with the switch would certainly be another concern.  Especially if it could be used to damage the grid, as suggested. :o
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Chrysalis

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Re: Who here has a Smart Meter for electricity or gas?
« Reply #59 on: May 26, 2019, 12:32:09 PM »

yeah from what I understand with the power grid, is it cannot do large sudden changes in output, it has to be like smoothed ramping up and down, and I read into the power cuts that happened in the usa years back, they had massive issues restarting power stations as well.

Presumably the hack would be in the firmware of the chip to create a backdoor or something.  Or perhaps a doomsday timer say e.g. 31 DEC 2025 every meter disables the supply at same time.
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