Smart meter - dumb suppliers?

[RonA]

Just switched my Energy supplier & one of the conditions of the switch was that I have a Smart meter.
Having ascertained that the newer type 2 smart meters were universally readable by all suppliers I agreed to have one fitted by my previous supplier.
My new supplier now tells me they may not be able to read my Smart meter & I may need to report my meter readings by email.
What’s the one common factor between implementing smart meters & Covid track & trace, rearrange these words into a well know phrase Government, brewery, arrange, in, drinking session, couldn’t
RonA

 

[gaz1]

oh you mean the big con to get you to fit a smart metter in and your paying for it

then they will upgrade your tarrifs to get more money in on you

https://www.mig-welding.co.uk/forum/threads/smart-meter-scare-tactics.97677/page-3#post-1477671

 

[Seadog]

I was with E.On for a year. One of the conditions was that a smart meter was fitted, which I wasn't aware of. I refused one at every opportunity despite numerous texts. I even got one that said if you don't want one text "Stop," which did work for a while. Anyway, I've just changed supplier and then had a phone call from E.On telling me about the benefits of a smart meter. I put her right in no uncertain terms

 

[Kayos]

The target to make smart meters universal was some time in 2015

Smart meters are not necessarily bad or badly made however the whole implementation has been very poor, especially the universal side of things

 

[Wozzaaah]

A few weeks ago our smart meter packed up and we had no gas. I phoned my supplier and they sent someone out to fit a normal one as they couldn't replace the smart meter sooner than 2 weeks.
When they came out to change it they couldn't commission it as we had a slight gas leak somewhere so they capped it off.
We had the leak sorted but the meter they've fitted doesn't work (as in the counter doesn't change) so we're currently on an unmetered supply!
I phoned them to tell them that and they were supposed to be sending someone out to replace it but they don't seem to be in any rush to do it.

 

[Robotstar5]

I was with E.On for a year. One of the conditions was that a smart meter was fitted, which I wasn't aware of. I refused one at every opportunity despite numerous texts. I even got one that said if you don't want one text "Stop," which did work for a while. Anyway, I've just changed supplier and then had a phone call from E.On telling me about the benefits of a smart meter. I put her right in no uncertain terms

I had the same when I went with Eon, after the initial message telling me I had agreed to a smart meter as part of my contract I went through every last bit of small print and could find nothing. Next time they contacted me I asked them to provide the relevant clause I had agreed to as I could not find it, they then admitted I had only agreed to them being able to pester me to have a smart meter fitted.

 

[Arc Tourist]

A so called smart meter was installed in our home a couple of years ago, and so far we've had no issues with it. I'm currently in the process of remodelling our future home where the we have the old style meter. Like some of you here, I prefer to stick with old tried and true technology, and don't plan on changing what already works; however, if we at sometime in the future there is no choice but to have a smart meter, I intend to keep the old one in line as well to check any variance that may occur. I believe that this is possible as because as there are different energy suppliers, who can actually claim to own the old meter. Any thoughts on this ?

 

[Milkybars]

My good lady had some electrical inspections done on domestic properties as part of her work. The sparky points out that feed to one of the meters has a small section of the neutral wire is exposed and this needs rectifying by the supplier.

So she rings the supplier (E.On) and explains the safety issue, they try to fob her off and say its uk power networks issue.
On to uk power networks they kindly send through a drawing with images identifying parts of the instillation and who is responsible for each bit.
Back to E.On who try denying it’s their responsibility but a swift forwarding of the email with drawings stops that line of BS

So after all this is cleared up they try to tell her that the only way to resolve this is to fit a smart meter. She clearly isn’t going to take this bulls**t and whilst telling them as such the call conveniently drops..

Next action is to instigate an email trail including a complaint about the whole fiasco (they have set number of days to respond) on the final day they ring and get in touch.
The bloke apologises and says he’ll get an engineer booked to resolve it and now that’s all done asks the good lady to confirm the complaint is dealt with.

Having had similar scenarios previously, she’s wise to this and says no until the actual issue is resolved the complaint stands. 10 mins later an engineer on the phone requesting access within the hour to resolve it !!

Lesson for the energy company: Don’t mess with a menopausal woman

 

[CompoSimmonite]

We have smart meters. No problems AFAIK. They don't "talk" to out current supplier so they simply get read exactly the same as the old meters a couple of times a year.

 

[Kayos]

A so called smart meter was installed in our home a couple of years ago, and so far we've had no issues with it. I'm currently in the process of remodelling our future home where the we have the old style meter. Like some of you here, I prefer to stick with old tried and true technology, and don't plan on changing what already works; however, if we at sometime in the future there is no choice but to have a smart meter, I intend to keep the old one in line as well to check any variance that may occur. I believe that this is possible as because as there are different energy suppliers, who can actually claim to own the old meter. Any thoughts on this ?

You can't keep the old meter, it belongs to the supplier at the they supply you

 

[gaz1]

A so called smart meter was installed in our home a couple of years ago, and so far we've had no issues with it. I'm currently in the process of remodelling our future home where the we have the old style meter. Like some of you here, I prefer to stick with old tried and true technology, and don't plan on changing what already works; however, if we at sometime in the future there is no choice but to have a smart meter, I intend to keep the old one in line as well to check any variance that may occur. I believe that this is possible as because as there are different energy suppliers, who can actually claim to own the old meter. Any thoughts on this ?

you can buy your own metter and fit it after the mains metter as we can buy meters for the flat installs

 

[Shox Dr]

There is two versions of the smart meters. AIUT mk1 only some suppliers can read it. Mk2 evenone can read it.

the problem is they still have a load of mk1s, and not enough mk2s. So they stick mk1s where they can.

 

[piman]

Hello all,

I forget which energy supplier recently stated that in future, as they couldn't guarantee sufficient power to go round they are planning to get customers to agree to voluntarily being shut off for short periods via their smart meter to help balance supply and demand.
It really has got to be such a poor management of our power system that any supplier could come out and say that.

Make no mistake though if supply cannot meet demand there will be involuntary cuts as the grid protection system will operate when trip parameters are met. What has this country come to?

Alec

 

[Kayos]

Hello all,

I forget which energy supplier recently stated that in future, as they couldn't guarantee sufficient power to go round they are planning to get customers to agree to voluntarily being shut off for short periods via their smart meter to help balance supply and demand.
It really has got to be such a poor management of our power system that any supplier could come out and say that.

Make no mistake though if supply cannot meet demand there will be involuntary cuts as the grid protection system will operate when trip parameters are met. What has this country come to?

Alec

Thats half a story, it is high use businesses they would be asking to be turned off, with considerable compensation, not domestic users. Plus its highly unlikely to ever happen

 

[the snooper]

A few weeks ago our smart meter packed up and we had no gas. I phoned my supplier and they sent someone out to fit a normal one as they couldn't replace the smart meter sooner than 2 weeks.
When they came out to change it they couldn't commission it as we had a slight gas leak somewhere so they capped it off.
We had the leak sorted but the meter they've fitted doesn't work (as in the counter doesn't change) so we're currently on an unmetered supply!
I phoned them to tell them that and they were supposed to be sending someone out to replace it but they don't seem to be in any rush to do it.

Make the most of it

 

[mike os]

A few weeks ago our smart meter packed up and we had no gas. I phoned my supplier and they sent someone out to fit a normal one as they couldn't replace the smart meter sooner than 2 weeks.
When they came out to change it they couldn't commission it as we had a slight gas leak somewhere so they capped it off.
We had the leak sorted but the meter they've fitted doesn't work (as in the counter doesn't change) so we're currently on an unmetered supply!
I phoned them to tell them that and they were supposed to be sending someone out to replace it but they don't seem to be in any rush to do it.

You have informed them, I would leave it at that

 

[WorkshopChris]

There is two versions of the smart meters. AIUT mk1 only some suppliers can read it. Mk2 evenone can read it.

the problem is they still have a load of mk1s, and not enough mk2s. So they stick mk1s where they can.

This is what happens when you give companies a target to fit x amount of meters, as long as you have one they don't care who can read it, or even if they can, you are juts another number towards the target.

This isn't political as it applies to all governments but why can't they have a department looking at future changes in technologies and publish guidelines for future systems.
So we have some logical infrastructure the key to this is implementing whenever possible backwards compatibility.
Look at how we are already heading with electric car charging systems.

 

[mike os]

I'm refusing one until they can tell me it Will work with future suppliers, not it should or may

 

[slim_boy_fat]

so we're currently on an unmetered supply!
I phoned them to tell them that and they were supposed to be sending someone out to replace it but they don't seem to be in any rush to do it.

Just wait until you get their 'estimated' bill for the unmetered supply - that, I'd expect to be the start of a big

 

[gaz1]

Thats half a story, it is high use businesses they would be asking to be turned off, with considerable compensation, not domestic users. Plus its highly unlikely to ever happen

https://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money...electricity-without-warning-compensation.html

im against smart meters but with like the above comment what you will see is the snobs area being powered eg; london while the surrounding areas will be cut as the system cannot cope blah blah blah