Smart meters yes or no?

[BevS97]

We have a smart meter which doesn’t work. Not the inside display the actual meter.

You can’t get a manual reading from it and they can’t replace it as they don’t have any system in place to book a smart to smart replacement!

[megaflyer]

No benefit of having a smart meter for me. With octopus they ask for monthly readings so account is accurate and I use what I use - all lights are led and that's as far as it will get for me. No desire to break it down or economise further - I am hosting a cocktail party for my birthday and will have 6 outdoor electric heaters on all day as well as French doors and patio windows open so mingling can take place and the though if the elect bill that day could send many over the edge but hey I won't put a price of enjoyment with family and friends (and will cost much less than my champagne bill for sure ! )

[KarenG]

Originally Posted by WhereIBelong

There are surely some cons to the environment in removing perfectly good meters well within their lifespan and replacing them with meters shipped from India and China, shipping the old meters back there where we use their cheap labour to recycle most of it, burn off the plastic coatings on the wires with fewer environmental protocols than we would tolerate in this country, and bury the rest.

Perhaps when meters require replacement anyway, then the only option available will be smart meters, I shall wait.

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I absolutely agree and this was a voiced concern with the government policy (mandate).

[Lindaelaine]

Originally Posted by 7SeasSailor

Smart meters are just smoke and mirrors, I've got one. I bought into the hype. However, I get up in the morning and turn on the tv, the kettle, toaster. At the same time the freezer kicks in, the fridge kicks in, I need to iron a shirt but I put the washing machine on first then the meter shoots into the red. If I do these things individually through the day it mostly stays out of the red but I have still used the same amount of electricity. The more gadgets that are used then the more power is used and the bill goes up. Why do I need a machine to tell me that?

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You don't, you don't need a meter to tell you to only boil a mug full of water when having one cup of coffee, or not to put a few items in the washing machine, wait till you can fill it up, if you are cooking something like a curry or chilli, do double and freeze half , honestly if something is plugged in and running its using electric, that's all anyone needs to know, tumble dryers are energy gobblers, only two of us so I hang my washing on an airer and when it's dry just tumble it for a few minutes to soften it up, I feel sorry for families with the amount of washing they must have, it's hard to dry it indoors without a tumble dryer.

[Lindaelaine]

Originally Posted by megaflyer

No benefit of having a smart meter for me. With octopus they ask for monthly readings so account is accurate and I use what I use - all lights are led and that's as far as it will get for me. No desire to break it down or economise further - I am hosting a cocktail party for my birthday and will have 6 outdoor electric heaters on all day as well as French doors and patio windows open so mingling can take place and the though if the elect bill that day could send many over the edge but hey I won't put a price of enjoyment with family and friends (and will cost much less than my champagne bill for sure ! )

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Being wealthy has its benefits 😉
Should we have some sort of a cap on energy? once you have used a certain amount the price per KW doubles, after all we are trying to save the planet as well 😀

[Mazbar]

Originally Posted by Lindaelaine

Being wealthy has its benefits 😉
Should we have some sort of a cap on energy? once you have used a certain amount the price per KW doubles, after all we are trying to save the planet as well 😀

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That’s great but what about people on economy 7 who have no gas and rely on electricity to heat their homes, then you have electric cars. Then you have those poor people who the council fitted heat pump heating to existing homes that weren’t suitable and external heat wasn’t sufficient to work properly.

[Mr Tom Morrow]

Originally Posted by Lindaelaine

Being wealthy has its benefits 😉
Should we have some sort of a cap on energy? once you have used a certain amount the price per KW doubles, after all we are trying to save the planet as well 😀

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Do what I have done. It looks unsightly but that half inch cable draped over my drive from the street lamp on the road works just fine.

Joking aside if electricity surges in price like gas then we will see more and more people bypassing the meter which is an easy job. However it is lethal and an offence!

[Lindaelaine]

Originally Posted by Mazbar

That’s great but what about people on economy 7 who have no gas and rely on electricity to heat their homes, then you have electric cars. Then you have those poor people who the council fitted heat pump heating to existing homes that weren’t suitable and external heat wasn’t sufficient to work properly.

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Oh yes I agree but like I said "some sort of cap" to make it fair, it would never happen of course, I suppose those of us that are careful with the use of energy makes up for those who aren't 😂
We used to have those electric storage heaters when we were in military housing, they didn't seem to heat the house well at all and cost quite a bit to run, being in the military people thought we got our electric and rent paid for us, I wish 😂

[Lindaelaine]

Originally Posted by Mr Tom Morrow

Do what I have done. It looks unsightly but that half inch cable draped over my drive from the street lamp on the road works just fine.

Joking aside if electricity surges in price like gas then we will see more and more people bypassing the meter which is an easy job. However it is lethal and an offence!

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Tom, I'm a right tight wad at times, I'm sure it's the way I was brought up, our energy bill is £100 a month, we are in an 8 room house, £60 for Gas £40 for electric, I have a tumble dryer but it doesn't get much use at all, no dishwasher, have never wanted or needed one. Our energy was capped a year ago and is still capped till September, so come September I will be turning all but the living room radiators off 😂😂😂 I'm only joking, but my husband does keep turning the thermostat up and I keep turning it down, I tell him to put a jumper on if he is cold, I'm doing my bit for the planet 😂

[Mazbar]

Originally Posted by Lindaelaine

Oh yes I agree but like I said "some sort of cap" to make it fair, it would never happen of course, I suppose those of us that are careful with the use of energy makes up for those who aren't 😂
We used to have those electric storage heaters when we were in military housing, they didn't seem to heat the house well at all and cost quite a bit to run, being in the military people thought we got our electric and rent paid for us, I wish 😂

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If you are taught how to use them they are fine, our last month bill was £180 for December to January so not too bad but that’s with a fixed rate. Looking at what we would be able to get now it could double.