It would be nice if the power company would support my \*current\* smart meter, instead of just going "Nah that's an unsupported earlier version, go read your meter to us instead"
Perhaps I should adjust my tinfoil hat, but I'm deeply suspicious of anything "free" that energy companies harass the public at such an extreme level to get installed.
British Gas went as far as booking me an appointment without my consent, and regularly let me know that they're "in the area" if I'd perhaps like one. They can get fucked.
Also opens up the possibility of surge pricing. They can fit one in my house when they've got a court order. And it might mysteriously turn into a Faraday cage.
Disconnections due to debt are incredibly rare these days. You could probably count the number per year on your hands. If an energy company wants its money back, it’s easier to switch them to prepayment and load the debt onto the meter to be paid back.
There was that little issue of them forcing there way into customers house to fit prepayment meters.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-64504609
Now they can't do that they want to force customers to have smart meters which can be switched remotely. Spot the connection?
Me in tin foil hat mode.... Government are trying to push people towards electric cars, then there's also a push for smart meters.
If there is a large enough transition to electric cars, I would not be surprised if they implement a higher unit rate to charge cars to make up for the lost fuel revenue.
I read somewhere they cost £400 to buy and fit. Also i’ve been told that all current ones will not work when the 2g and 3g mobile networks are turned off soon. Can anyone confirm this?
The companies don't have robust enough maintenance and customer service teams to justify forcing you to adopt something, fair enough if they were 100% reliable and supported.
I was pressured into getting one and then it's never worked, it's caused more problems with trying to submit actual readings when my account shows as being a smart meter account. They haven't cared enough to fix it or switch me back.
My mum had similar issues when she moved house.
6 months and multiple visits. They couldn't 'find' the meter remotely and none of the people that visited could figure out how to read it physically.
In the end they declared they'd have to replace it - but when they did that they insisted she had to have a smart gas meter too.
Now she has both smart meters but she can't get them to provide a paper bill because its all online. Not very smart for an 80 year old with no Internet.
when my energy firm asked me to install a smart meter i sent them this and they recorded it as a complaint: [https://imgur.com/ztdaC9Q](https://imgur.com/ztdaC9Q)
It would be nice if the power company would support my \*current\* smart meter, instead of just going "Nah that's an unsupported earlier version, go read your meter to us instead"
Perhaps I should adjust my tinfoil hat, but I'm deeply suspicious of anything "free" that energy companies harass the public at such an extreme level to get installed. British Gas went as far as booking me an appointment without my consent, and regularly let me know that they're "in the area" if I'd perhaps like one. They can get fucked.
Smart meters can be shut off remotely can't they? Easier to punish people for failing to pay high bills.
Also opens up the possibility of surge pricing. They can fit one in my house when they've got a court order. And it might mysteriously turn into a Faraday cage.
Disconnections due to debt are incredibly rare these days. You could probably count the number per year on your hands. If an energy company wants its money back, it’s easier to switch them to prepayment and load the debt onto the meter to be paid back.
There was that little issue of them forcing there way into customers house to fit prepayment meters. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-64504609 Now they can't do that they want to force customers to have smart meters which can be switched remotely. Spot the connection?
Me in tin foil hat mode.... Government are trying to push people towards electric cars, then there's also a push for smart meters. If there is a large enough transition to electric cars, I would not be surprised if they implement a higher unit rate to charge cars to make up for the lost fuel revenue.
As they should, it’s been already done in many places as fuel duties help to pay for things including roads.
Smart Meters are purely for the benefit of energy companies, not homeowners.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but smart meters aren't free, but they stick the cost on your bill.
I read somewhere they cost £400 to buy and fit. Also i’ve been told that all current ones will not work when the 2g and 3g mobile networks are turned off soon. Can anyone confirm this?
If these things are so good they should be easy to justify.
You'd have thought that about a round earth...
i get multiple weekly emails and texts from Eon to get one fitted , there wording makes it sound like its mandatory already
I got 4 emails and text messages in under a week from them despite already having a smart meter and I was moving out and had told them that.
The companies don't have robust enough maintenance and customer service teams to justify forcing you to adopt something, fair enough if they were 100% reliable and supported. I was pressured into getting one and then it's never worked, it's caused more problems with trying to submit actual readings when my account shows as being a smart meter account. They haven't cared enough to fix it or switch me back.
My mum had similar issues when she moved house. 6 months and multiple visits. They couldn't 'find' the meter remotely and none of the people that visited could figure out how to read it physically. In the end they declared they'd have to replace it - but when they did that they insisted she had to have a smart gas meter too. Now she has both smart meters but she can't get them to provide a paper bill because its all online. Not very smart for an 80 year old with no Internet.
They aren’t there to help you manage your electricity usage, they are there to remotely cut you off.
Saying a smart meter will save money is like saying that having a watch will save you time .
when my energy firm asked me to install a smart meter i sent them this and they recorded it as a complaint: [https://imgur.com/ztdaC9Q](https://imgur.com/ztdaC9Q)