Smart Meters

[emmie]

does anyone have one.

[emmie]

because i have one, and its shows i am using half the amount for electricity and gas. so have applied for a lower monthly direct debit.

[baza]

Yes, had first ones with British Gas then changed supplier to Ovo Energy who had to fit new meters as they are not interchangeable. No problems so far.

[New Judge]

Half of what amount? The amount which your DD funds?

You don't need a smart meter to work that out. Simply take meter readings on a conventional meter at monthly intervals and you can calculate the cost of your energy quite easily.

[Togo]

Wouldn't have one for love nor money. An insidious imposition designed for the benefit of the supplier to take away more consumer rights. Any one heard of the latest smart meter debacle with people being "metered" as using £30k plus in 24 hours? If they can do that by mistake what can they do by design with a bit of mal practice.

[goodgoalie]

Exactly, NJ. I pay my gas and electricity by quarterly direct debit, and always phone in my readings, having already worked out what the bill should be. They confirm this on the phone, send the bill and take the amount out of my account usually about 4 weeks later. Works well, and no nasty surprises!

[hc4361]

Not so easy to calculate the gas used, New Judge - all sorts of convoluted maths needed.

[hereIam]

Haven't got one, don't want one ...

[goodgoalie]

Not difficult at all, hc. Multiply units used by 11.1354 to get the kWh, then multiply that by the unit cost. Then add whatever your daily standing charge is for the period you're calculating.

[baza]

No more crawling into cupboard under the stairs, repeater on kitchen worktop, easy to read. It seems you either love them or hate them.

[emmie]

NJ not that easy. I did give regular meter readings and all that kept on happening was variable costs, one so high i queried it, and finally after negotiating with the energy company i had a smart meter fitted. it shows quite clearly how much elec/gas i use and its nowhere near what i was paying.

[New Judge]

"Not so easy to calculate the gas used, New Judge - all sorts of convoluted maths needed."

Not so, hc. Most gas meters record cubic metres used. Multiply that figure by 11.1 to give you (as near as makes no odds) Kilowatt Hours. Then the calculation is the same as for electricity.

[hc4361]

goodgoalie, you've forgotten to add the VAT on

[emmie]

i got what i asked the leccy company to do and that was reduce my monthly dd bills and they did, result. i also got a hefty cheque from them for over charging, which was a surprise.

[goodgoalie]

No, hc, the price per kWh and standing charge figures I use include VAT

[New Judge]

I think all energy companies now quote their costs inclusive of VAT (at 5%).

[RobNorth]

Meters of any ilk must by law be accurate, so having a smart one or otherwise will not reduce the cost of energy - but they do provide yet another opportunity to micro-manage our lives, inducing more unnecessary stress and argument..this things are fixing a problem that doesn't exist.
If it's a cold winter and you have the heating on a lot you know the bill will be bigger - it's not rocket science.....

[emmie]

rob i understand however my bills should be fairly consistent as a single householder and being very careful with my money.

[OldBather]

Yes,we had one installed a couple of months ago.It was rather pointless,as (according to the engineer) it could be years before an aerial would be close enough for the meter to transmit to it.

[emmie]

OB mine picks up no problem, the handset runs out of juice quickly, so that has to be plugged into the electricity.

[dannyk13]

Latest news on smart meters is that at least two owners have received bills in excess of £20,000.