Smart meter [poll]

[Tess Tickle's Brewery]

my wife and kids have the annoying habit of filling it to the top to make ONE cup of tea.

I also do this and I'm trying to stop lol. I think it's cos I'm frightened of gagging on the limescale

 

[Donegal john]

Not bothered about the slightly higher cost, given the convenience we're getting.

@Donegal john will I be able to ask the engineer to put a prepayment smart meter in?

Are they separate meters (credit and prepayment) or can the settings be altered to make them either type? Hope you know what I mean lol

They are totally seperate meters and contracts Lisa.
With a prepay you have a keypad that you get a code to enter when you top up
Over here there was a massive issue with people placing a magnet at the side of them and this slowed the pulse rate down so that you paid very little for your electric. I was constantly replacing sockets that were burnt out because people had loads of electric heaters plugged into them 24/7.
Most of the meters have been changed now to newer types but there are still a few I know doing it

 

[Donegal john]

I also do this and I'm trying to stop lol. I think it's cos I'm frightened of gagging on the limescale

I watched my wife do it one night and 10 mins later my daughter lifted the near full kettle and pour it down the sink and then refill it and boil it I asked her why and she said cause the water goes all cloudy when boiled

 

[Tess Tickle's Brewery]

Aww damn, ok.

I know the old style ones (prepayment) are like that as I remember having one when I was really young and lived in a council house.

Been reading online though and thought I could maybe top-up online and it'd go on the meter. Seems I can't though.

I really hate having a credit meter. It's like having an expensive mobile phone contract.

 

[Tess Tickle's Brewery]

I watched my wife do it one night and 10 mins later my daughter lifted the near full kettle and pour it down the sink and then refill it and boil it I asked her why and she said cause the water goes all cloudy when boiled

I admire your patience

 

[Donegal john]

Aww damn, ok.

I know the old style ones (prepayment) are like that as I remember having one when I was really young and lived in a council house.

Been reading online though and thought I could maybe top-up online and it'd go on the meter. Seems I can't though.

I really hate having a credit meter. It's like having an expensive mobile phone contract.

We have a credit meter and we can go online and pay whatever we want on to the account and it takes if off the bill when it is due.

 

[Tess Tickle's Brewery]

I suppose.

We pay monthly though, not quarterly.

 

[Donegal john]

I admire your patience

Kettle is now in utility room and the one cup boiler is the only one that is allowed to be used. I lost my patience that night believe me.

 

[Tess Tickle's Brewery]

I think the main reason I prefer a prepayment meter is that people are forced to be careful with how much they use if they can see the balance going down, and especially if you can't afford to top it up again. It's almost like you're spending more money than you have with a credit meter.

If you have an unlimited supply then you care a bit less I find.

Believe it or not I used to work for G4S (before they changed to Morrison) so I used to have to knock on doors for people's readings. The abuse wasn't worth it though. I've seen the odd tapped meter but never a magnet lol

My best friend still works for them - that's where I met him, he trained me.

 

[dad_of_jon]

Some guy on the radio is saying we should all have them as they would lower bills and help the environment.

We don't have one as i don't see the point, i know putting it simply if i put the kettle on four times a day its going to cost more than if i only put it on twice but i want to have four brews a day not two so what is the point?

.

plus it costs electricity to run your smart meter which you pay for, not so smart huh?

 

[tigertim]

plus it costs electricity to run your smart meter which you pay for, not so smart huh?

I'm not sure if the usage is measured before or after the meter's own parasitic draw, but the fact that the gas smart meter can last for 10 years on its built-in lithium battery makes me feel that the consumption is probably negligible.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

I don't have a smart meter and don't want one i really don't see the point, it's obvious if i drink 5 cups of coffee a day drinking one less is going to save on electricity and if i use the washing machine one day less per week it's going to save money you really don't need a meter to tell you that.

 

[tigertim]

i really don't see the point

Whilst the benefits are controversial given the greed and pocket-lining that goes on in various areas of the energy industry, smart meters have the potential to benefit the general population. The benefits are less about the pointless "In Home Display" and more about per-hour billing.

The IHD is more about giving the consumer something tangible to feel like they've received an immediate benefit and most end up flung in a drawer (where they belong ). Per-hour billing, on the other hand, could theoretically benefit us all further down the line. We're all lazy when the cost we pay per unit is consistent around the clock (i.e. on traditional tariffs); we just use energy when we want to. So the grid has to have to have enough power generation to meet the ~40MW demand around the evening period when we're all cooking, watching telly and browsing the web - and it's generally the "dirtiest" power being generated to satisfy this peak. But a lot of this generation capacity then sits idle between midnight and 6am when we're mostly asleep and largely using renewables for the ~25MW. If the usage peaks could be flattened out, it would mean we would need less overall power generation capacity. And fewer operational power stations and their extortionate running and maintenance costs could make a positive difference to our bills (and the environment) if the savings are passed on.

How many of us have a dishwasher/washing machine/tumble drier with a time delay? How many of us use it to offset the appliance to run in the early hours of the morning? It benefits the environment and the grid to do so, but most people don't bother because there's no financial incentive to do so. But if the energy used during this period was significantly cheaper (because of an excess on the grid, which there often can be overnight), people would almost certainly make the effort.

Essentially, it has the potential to incentivise people to shun "peak time" energy where possible and use off-peak energy to negate the need for the most expensive and filthy types of energy generation, with very little real inconvenience to ourselves. It's more inconvenience than we're perhaps used to because we're forced to think about where and when our energy comes from, but it's not the 1980s any more where we could pretend to be blissfully unaware of the hidden impacts of squandering a seemingly endless supply of energy.

 

[Leon103]

I think the main reason I prefer a prepayment meter is that people are forced to be careful with how much they use if they can see the balance going down, and especially if you can't afford to top it up again. It's almost like you're spending more money than you have with a credit meter.

If you have an unlimited supply then you care a bit less I find.

Believe it or not I used to work for G4S (before they changed to Morrison) so I used to have to knock on doors for people's readings. The abuse wasn't worth it though. I've seen the odd tapped meter but never a magnet lol

My best friend still works for them - that's where I met him, he trained me.

But aren't pre-payment meters more expensive?

 

[Tess Tickle's Brewery]

But aren't pre-payment meters more expensive?

I guess so but I don't think it'll be a deal breaker.

 

[Leon103]

Hope nobody minds that I've re-awoken this thread, but I was hoping someone would have the answer to my question which follows.

We are having gas and electric smart meters fitted tomorrow, but we have over £200 of credit on the account as the monthly payment has just gone out. Will I lose this credit when my new meters have been installed or will it somehow be transferred over? I recently paid a top-up payment as well as they were trying to put my monthly payments up to a stupid amount.

I've taken readings today and sent them in and I'm going to take them again before the engineer comes tomorrow.

Anyone know what will happen to my credit please?

Sorry reading this thread backwards.
To answer your question, yes of course credit will be moved over. The company will register thr new meter your account so its all linked up. Rhe new meter will start at zero. First bill will look a bit funny because it will show multiple readings.

Had a replacement meter at our old house. No issues

 

[Tess Tickle's Brewery]

Thank you.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

I guess so but I don't think it'll be a deal breaker.

If this is true its less expensive than i thought -

Energy pre-payment meters cost £27 a year more – and the dirty trick they use to keep you on them​

ALMOST six million Brits have a pre-payment meter installed in their home, but they are pricier than standard meter energy plans.
In fact, the cheapest pre-payment meter on the market is currently £27 more expensive per year than the cheapest credit meter - whenever you pay for energy after you've used it.

https://www.thesun.co.uk/money/9066382/energy-pre-payment-meters-expensive-leave/

 

[Tess Tickle's Brewery]

If this is true its less expensive than i thought -

Energy pre-payment meters cost £27 a year more – and the dirty trick they use to keep you on them​

ALMOST six million Brits have a pre-payment meter installed in their home, but they are pricier than standard meter energy plans.
In fact, the cheapest pre-payment meter on the market is currently £27 more expensive per year than the cheapest credit meter - whenever you pay for energy after you've used it.
https://www.thesun.co.uk/money/9066382/energy-pre-payment-meters-expensive-leave/

It's not that much then really is it? And I'd honestly rather pay it for the convenience of never being worried about any un-savvy household members over-spending.

I will ask after it's installed if they can change me to pre-payment. Worth a go I suppose as you can top-up online.

I assumed they wanted everyone off prepayment and onto credit as it was less hassle for the companies.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

We used to have a PPM and we changed when we moved supplier we got a good fixed deal which we are still on but i am dreading it coming to an end, like you i would be happy to be back on a PPM.