Ever checked electricity cost of running your workshop?

[Shox Dr]

I've never checked my consumption before because I don't care. I don't waste electricity/gas/water etc but if I want to use something I don't give it a second thought I just use it. I know it might be different in a commercial environment but for me as a hobbyist I don't go in the garage every day so £3,4, or 5 per day that i do is nothing really. In fact I'd say its good value!

How can you state you dont waste, if you dont know what is using what and when.

 

[daleyd]

I think smart meters are not that smart. They send 1 reading a day via sms, they have to have someone in front of them to reconfigure them as they can't be put into config mode remotely as for the "they will cut me off for not paying" brigade, it still has to go through the lengthy court process, even then they still send someone out as you can't disconnect a bypassed meter remotely

I've heard a few people saying they can cut you off, however I've always wondered how this is possible without having some sort of big contactor? Surely they won't be fitting a 100amp relay in each meter?

 

[dannyp]

apparently they have a contactor in them, tho i'm pritty sure they default to your supply being on.

Hav a huge old BOC transtig that kills smart meters don't know how or why. but if you use it anywhere near flat out on ali the meter stops working untill they fit a new one

 

[GW8IZR]

I've heard a few people saying they can cut you off, however I've always wondered how this is possible without having some sort of big contactor? Surely they won't be fitting a 100amp relay in each meter?

Agreed.. and a contactor that can switch 100A at that.

 

[Kayos]

I've heard a few people saying they can cut you off, however I've always wondered how this is possible without having some sort of big contactor? Surely they won't be fitting a 100amp relay in each meter?

They do interrupt supply, I used to fit for a pre payment company and once they had used the credit, the emergency credit, the friendly credit and it was past 10 am on a weekday it would switch off

Not like they had enough chances tho...

Fault condition is to on, must be a normally closed relay

 

[rtbcomp]

Agreed.. and a contactor that can switch 100A at that.

It's unlikely the contactor will called upon to switch 100 amps, just choose time when the current is lower.

 

[GW8IZR]

They do interrupt supply, I used to fit for a pre payment company and once they had used the credit, the emergency credit, the friendly credit and it was past 10 am on a weekday it would switch off

Do you know if that was an algorithm in the instrument or someone somewhere making a decision and sending a text etc?

 

[GW8IZR]

It's unlikely the contactor will called upon to switch 100 amps, just choose time when the current is lower.

That can't be the case as you have no idea what the load will be on re connection

 

[daleyd]

It's unlikely the contactor will called upon to switch 100 amps, just choose time when the current is lower.

Yeah but it still must be capable of handling 100a?

 

[GW8IZR]

although having thought about it again, my meter has a contactor to turn on and off the night heaters so its not impossible to do, just needs to be dimensioned appropriately

 

[WorkshopChris]

Yeah but it still must be capable of handling 100a?

I have only ever seen one failed meter and that was due to a loose terminal, but I have changed lots of failed contactors over the years. It does make me wonder.

 

[rtbcomp]

That can't be the case as you have no idea what the load will be on re connection

Contacts burn when they open, not when they close.

 

[GW8IZR]

Contacts burn when they open, not when they close.

We will disagree then, closing contacts bounce and burn.

(edit) Just to add a little meat to my comment, the failure mode isn't always a burned O/C contact. When a contact pair closes under load the bounce can weld the contacts closed ( bit like an arc rod sticking) which might be a concern for a device intended to open a supply sometime later.

Now speculating here as I've no idea what the contact arrangement is - *If* its a double pole isolator and after a failure it subsequently only opens the neutral.. it might be entertaining .

 

[CornishPete]

How can you state you dont waste, if you dont know what is using what and when.

I turn the lights off when I leave

 

[Kayos]

Do you know if that was an algorithm in the instrument or someone somewhere making a decision and sending a text etc?

It was as I stated, they gave them many chances as they don't like interrupting the power, but if all available options had been exhausted at 10:01 they would switch off

 

[Kayos]

We will disagree then, closing contacts bounce and burn.

(edit) Just to add a little meat to my comment, the failure mode isn't always a burned O/C contact. When a contact pair closes under load the bounce can weld the contacts closed ( bit like an arc rod sticking) which might be a concern for a device intended to open a supply sometime later.

Now speculating here as I've no idea what the contact arrangement is - *If* its a double pole isolator and after a failure it subsequently only opens the neutral.. it might be entertaining .

Live only, neutral is a connection block. Wires go L N N L

 

[GW8IZR]

Live only, neutral is a connection block. Wires go L N N L

That reassuringly means someone has probably thought about failure modes - thankfully!

 

[wookie]

Have a huge old BOC transtig that kills smart meters don't know how or why. but if you use it anywhere near flat out on ali the meter stops working untill they fit a new one

When you've killed a meter does it stop providing the property with electric or does it just kill the "smart" bit of it ?

If it doesn't stop supplying electric to the property then you could rent it out as a service to all the people who don't want these new meters but are forced into having one fitted

 

[wookie]

It's unlikely the contactor will called upon to switch 100 amps, just choose time when the current is lower.

I'm sure with AC there is a time when the current is low you know like every polarity change...

 

[GW8IZR]

I'm sure with AC there is a time when the current is low you know like every polarity change...

The technical specification for the internal contactor calls for a physical relay contact not a zero crossing switch, however after looking at the specification it calls for that contact to be capable of switching a minimum of 100A, a minimum of 25kVa and having an on resistance of less than 500uOhm.

There are also stipulations around remote re connection but the wording isn't simple and I'd need to re read that again if I was interested.