Big brother syndrome
https://apple.news/An0IZrJkgQfKvsUctIz0S5Q
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Big brother syndrome
https://apple.news/An0IZrJkgQfKvsUctIz0S5Q
Can you elaborate for us poor souls who don't subscribe to that service
Smart meters are to automatically send energy suppliers half-hourly updates on their customers' power use in a revolutionary move that will allow "surge pricing" in millions of households' bills.Originally Posted by bobh
The energy regulator Ofgem will be granted legal powers in May allowing it to change the way smart meters operate, so that information about usage is sent to suppliers every 30 minutes by default.
Suppliers will be able to use the data to change consumer energy prices as much as 48 times per day, allowing them to charge more at peak times.
The plans are viewed by industry experts as a key stepping stone towards “time of use” tariffs, which would charge customers different rates for energy throughout the day depending on demand.
This could mean that households pay more during the busiest periods, raising the possibility that they could be penalised for watchingThis could mean that households pay more during the busiest periods, raising the possibility that they could be penalised for watching television, boiling the kettle or charging gadgets at popular times such as mornings and evenings.
Consumer rights groups have also warned that people with poorly insulated homes, old-fashioned appliances or health conditions that require round-the-clock support may lose out without safeguards.
But energy company bosses and Ofgem on Tuesday insisted the plans will ultimately benefit most customers, saving them between £1.6bn and £4.5bn overall.*
Wow, what a surprise - someone has just woken up to this possibility!! I predicted this years ago when the notion of smart meters was first announced and have resisted all attempts by energy companies to have one here ever since. The main excuse for you needing one is that you never have to send in a meter reading again. Oh dear, such an onerous task. I can email my reading to my energy supplier in seconds every 1st of the month.
well good for you try sending one in if you cant read your meter
Yeah, seemingly the only selling point for having one is not to spend all of two minutes once in a while looking at the meter, writing the reading down then submitting it. Convenience.
Eons ago now I recall joking that there would come a day when a battery operated toothbrush would be manufactured and flogged to the ultra lazy who are too tired to brush their gnashers. Lo and behold a year later they appeared in shops.
A big trial of smart meters conducted in Brighton showed they reduced people's usage of electricity. Just saying.
I guess you can always just turn it off?
Glad I haven't got one!
Do they send info through cables? or more likely like a mobile phone -
Get some lead shielding to block the signal!
Tin foil should do it.
Surge pricing was always on the cards. Consumers pay for the smart meters via a surcharge on energy bills and will soon be charged higher rates for using electricity morning, noon and evening. Great if you are nocturnal. I've deliberately avoided a smart meter but wonder how those without such meters will be charged in future. Billing will be interesting. Energy companies will have to make changes to their software to accommodate surge pricing. Another hidden cost which will be passed o n to the consumer.
Last edited by IanD; 09-02-22 at 09:54. Reason: Spolling
They send it via a secure wireless network i think, but around the home(ie between the meter and smart meter) it uses zigbee, like some other smart devices, such as smart bulbs.
What I would call a smart meter is if it shouts out.
"You've left the light on in the bathroom and your charger plugged in" How many more times do I have to tell you.
I hate shit like this.
I suspected this was coming, they have been bombarding me to go switch ,I am not having it .
Same here, a bombardment through the letter box for years which I ignored 'cause, I understand, they are next to impossible to fiddle. My grows in the attic and bedrooms would cost a fortune in leccy with a not so Smart meter installed.
Does it mean that ‘dumb meters’ prevent the energy company from doing this?
I don’t see how it stops them from simply charging more at peak times.
I thought they always had done that(economy 7?). But the difference I guess would be having real-time data to hand.
But then there are benefits like this: https://www.theguardian.com/business...lectricity-use
One man's benefits is another man's carrot and the stick.
I suppose the argument in favour, would be that smoothing demand could well result in less expensive infrastructure needing to be built. Now I don't particularly trust that any savings would be passed on, but I do think its a decent idea.
Surge pricing probably isn't going to affect small use that heavily. It could be very useful in smoothing out demands from heavy users such as electric car chargers .
I've got one. I love it. I get paid to take electricity of the grid while charging my car. Saves me a fortune.
Was reading about this a couple of months back, great scheme. Some people have the power banks aswell and pay virtually nothing for their home electric. Was it easy to sign up for ?
It took a while actually.
Firstly you need a smart meter. I switched to Octopus for it, but I had to be with them for a few months before they could install a meter so I was sat on their basic tariff for a bit. I got the smart meter after about 3 months I think, and switching tariff took another few weeks. If you want the dynamic pricing to work well with your car, you also need a bit of kit to fit with your charger so it can talk to the meter and just top up the car when the price is below whatever you set it at. Set it at 0p and it will only charge when they are paying you to take it. When it is charging, the car uses something like 5x the usual energy consumption for the whole house. So it's well worth it. My electricity usage has trebled since I got it, and we do limited mileage.
But I am probably going to switch to their other tariff that charges 5p per pwh between 1230 and 0430 because it's simpler; still virtually free; and I know that I'll get a decent charge each night regardless of the variable pricing. 4 hours a night is plenty to keep it topped up. I've got the least efficient EV with the biggest battery and even then, it fully charges from 0% to 100% in about 8 hours.
I would love to find a way to use the car battery as a power bank tho. charge it up at night, release it during the day back into the house. Also thinking of getting solar to keep it all topped up. Apparently there is quite a surge in demand for solar, with the increase in EVs on the road.
I've started to Biogas my own poo as its a potential fuel source , yes it smells, but hey its free at the point of access
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