Forum Topic

Smart metre

To those who have smart metres, would you recommend it? We’ve been given the option to install one, however unsure if we would benefit from one?

Nina Bodil ● 1416d18 Comments

We're still waiting for ours. Hoping it will be better because it takes automatic readings, not because we want to watch our consumption all the time.  Could drive you mad!

Peter Evans ● 1416d

Ive not got one but i tested a few items for someone using the smart meter and found that the air fryer on for 30 mins used a quater the electricity than the kettle filled up.Which makes an hour on is half the price of boiling a full kettleNo wonder their is a run on people buying air fryers than using the oven.

Julian Pavey ● 1416d

I had them installed because I couldn't manage the gymnastics needed to get a gas reading any more. I already knew what items used power in my house so that wasn't my priority . But  recently being able to see the difference in my bills day by day when I do make changes is really helpful.

Tessa Russell ● 1416d

I have experienced two instances where one supplier could remote-read the meter but the replacement supplier could not, which has been very frustrating.

Richard Greenhough ● 1416d

I have been given the option to install by Eon.  I've pushed it back twice and said I'm not bothered. I do 2 readings of the meter a month for myself and give them one when they request it by email usually once per 6 weeks ,so they happy enough.  Just the other day , the meter read man for the gas came round. I let him in after checking details.  It's really  quite simple system as it is.

Andrew Craig ● 1416d

You may be offered the option to pay less if you use your fuel out of peak hours.  You will only be offered this if you have a smart meter.  It will depend on your supplier.

Philippa Bond ● 1416d

I would say get one. Aside from removing the hassle of having to get readings, the constant display is a good reminder to switch things off when not needed and how expensive certain devices are to run.We haven't done a comprehensive audit of exactly what drives most of our bills but people say they have done that and managed to reduce costs significantly. You can do that by turning a device off and then checking how much the kw/h rate drops.

Jeremy Parkinson ● 1415d

There are various horror stories about smart meters going wrong. I’d suggest doing your homework before signing up 👍

Maggie Dodge ● 1415d

Apparently smart meters can be hacked, google 'what is the reason for hacking a smart meter'

Janice Evans ● 1415d

It's quite easy to track your usage online via the supplier's website and under your account details.I think I have a fairly good idea what uses a lot of lecky and what doesn't and moderate my usage accordingly.I boil a kettle in the morning, make a pot of tea and put the excess hot water in a steel thermos flask which keeps water hot for hours, all whilst wearing my anorak.I tell you, the mornings just fly by in my house..

Keith Iddon ● 1415d

If you are going to read the articles suggested by Janice make sure you get to the bit that says: "There have been no known hacking instances with smart meter data so far. "

Jeremy Parkinson ● 1415d

https://www.theecoexperts.co.uk/energy-switching/top-problems-with-smart-metersI've yet to be persuaded that smart meters are for us. I take readings monthly, send them to our supplier and am billed for what we've used. This is not burdensome. We are aware of what we use. Electric appliance wattages are easy to obtain, as are unit costs. A smart meter display doesn't tell you how much each appliance is using, only total usage at a given time.The above link highlights the drawbacks. The OP has to decide for herself if smart meters would be helpful to her.

Dilys Jones ● 1415d

I have no idea where that conclusion came from. To compare an airfryer to a kettle is pointless and the conclusion isnt correct.An average air fryer consumes 1500 watts. If it runs for 30 minutes that is 0.75kwh (1 kwh = 1 unit)One of the more powerful kettles is around 3000 watts. If you boil it for an hour it will consume 3 kwh. A 3kw kettle typically takes around 3 minutes to boil (0.05 hrs). So boiling a kettle full of water consumes 0,15 kwh. A fifth of what using an air fryer for 30 minutes consumes.There are small air fryers that are rated around 700 watts.The point is that you don't boil a kettle for 30 minutes....

david ward ● 1415d

We have come across this too with an office building.  There is something very odd about how one supplier can read the online data and another can't and it is not because of having an old meter.  There are so many different agencies now involved with this new system of delivering and paying for fuel can be ridiculously time consuming and difficult on the part of the user to get to the bottom of it when it doesn't work.  I've wondered if it was just that the supplier had a cheaper deal from the physical meter reading person than the organisation supplying the online readings.

Philippa Bond ● 1415d

The point is you can see what items are costing you The point i made and i did put it wrong but my point was the air fryer is half the running cost of a kettle. Which is why i mentioned about the sales of them boomingAnd the way they work most likely saving you a third consumption than using an electric oven because an air fryer  heats faster and cooks faster and are about the same rating on average."The point is that you don't boil a kettle for 30 minutes"Correct,but its double the price of an air fryer thus many people dont realise these things. A Smart meter can tell you the consumtion and cost on itemsThat was the point

Julian Pavey ● 1415d

That last post of mine was supposed to have landed innreply to Richard Greenough.The Govt has required the electricity and gas companies to try to  put everyone on smart meters which is why they are so persistant.  There must be gigures somewhere on how successful they have been.

Philippa Bond ● 1414d

Most people don't know yet that EVEN if you have a working SMET 2 meter , it's  going to need a manual fix.  They work off 2g /3g in southern half of UK and already the 2g/3g switch off by operators is starting to happen in planning  but yes it will be over a number of years finishing 2033.

Andrew Craig ● 1413d

We have really lousy mobile phone reception which is one reason why I have so far resisted having a smart meter. I find it no burden to read the meters and send the numbers (via an app) once a month. However the main cause of my reluctance is knowing that the installation would quite likely be carried out by a sub-contracor trying to get the job done as quickly as possible. My meters are housed in an under-stairs cupboard along with a whole lot of other wiring and equipment that I really would prefer not  to place under threat from some under-qualified person getting paid on a piece-rate. Anyone desperate to know what their various appliances are costing to run will find that there are clever bits of kit available designed to do just that.

Bruce Hammal ● 1413d