Smart Meters

[francish]

had a letter today from my energy company e.on to install smart meters
can i refuse to have them
thanks

[ABerrant]

"The Government ... set energy suppliers goals for installation of Smart Meters"

The UK Government (and all other EU Member State governments) complied with EU Directives and Regulations in regard of Smart Meter installation goals as part of the EU Third Energy Package to effectively control the EU internal market for gas and electricity supply.

https://ses.jrc.ec.europa.eu/smart-metering-deployment-european-union

https://ec.europa.eu/energy/topics/markets-and-consumers/market-legislation/third-energy-package_en

[Vagus]

brainiac, it was for our convenience.
We were away a great deal and always missed the meter reader calling so had to send in estimated readings nearly all the time.
We also felt smart meters are the way to go and we’ll all have them eventually, so why not sooner than later?
It cost us nothing and we can’t see any downsides.

[Hymie]

NJ – just how do you think any (non-smart) electricity meter will need replacing due to obsolescence?
As long as there is a supply from the sub-station connected to your meter, the meter will continue to allow that electricity to reach the socket outlets within your home.

Most, if not all currently being installed smart meters allow the supply to your home to be switched off remotely – why would anyone want such a feature within the mains supply to their home?

Just wait until someone hacks the control and holds the supply company to ransom, threatening to disconnect a large number of house-holds. I bet that the supply company will wash their hands of the problem – blaming the hackers for your loss of supply.

[douglas9401]

You can always opt for the Luddite 2000 if you're really concerned folks.

[jno]

early adopters die young, douglas.

[Hymie]

I will be happy that I’m the only one in my area continuing to have an electricity supply to my house.

The rest of you will be wondering what could possibly go wrong with someone (other than yourself) having the ability to cut your supply at will.

[New Judge]

//NJ – just how do you think any (non-smart) electricity meter will need replacing due to obsolescence?//

I have had two changes of my electricity meter and one of my gas meter since I have lived in my house. There was nothing wrong with any of those replaced - they worked perfectly. My original meters (both types) were dials types; the latest are digital displays, the gas one is mechanical, the electricity one LCD. I had no choice but to accept those replacements (some Act or other was cited on the paperwork). They will eventually be superseded by new variants which will undoubtedly be "Smart" meters.

[Hopkirk]

We've got a smart meter, as our house is a new build.

I change supplier quite quickly as eon had become totally incompetent in sorting out the move.

The smart meter doesn't work for the new supplier, but no one seems to care.

[bednobs]

i dont get what the problem is. Your electric/gas meter just does a job, in the background and should (ideally) not be thought about. If your supplier wants to cut you off they have to follow the same process no matter what kind of meter you have

[Hymie]

Of course one of the advantages of having a smart-meter installed is that once hackers manage to cut your electricity supply remotely – the usage element of your electricity bill be reduced to zero.

[Hymie]

To cut my electricity off, the supply company must enter my home; for those of you with a smart-meter, they only need press ‘enter’ on a keyboard.

[bednobs]

so? They'll just get a court order (same as if they are cutting you off remotely)!

[bednobs]

PS if you are planning to get into a position where your company want to cut you off, the fact they have to enter your home wont help- what you gonna do, barricade yourself in? Fight them?

[Hymie]

You can bet supply companies will be cutting late payer’s electricity remotely - court order or not (what do you think NJ, or anyone else will do for the poor ***?).

Are hackers required to obtain a court order before cutting your supply?

[bednobs]

Then dont pay late. It's like saying it's not fair that if you went out robbing you might end up in prison.

[ladybirder]

I could have sworn I replied on this thread. Odd.
What I thought I said, was, I want Smart Meters and can't have them. It's because of the position of my current meters.

[ladybirder]

When we had the 3 day week in 1973 and the nation's electricity was cut off it was done remotely.

[woofgang]

bednobs, your answer would be fine if no one ever made mistakes. I have experience of being chased for 3 years for having no TV Licence because the licence people had the house down as belonging to HM prison service and not us...I know, bizarre or what? It got so bad I got to know the bloke who came to my door by his first name....my husband also had problems when we moved to America for his employer on a secondment. The tax office had him down as having left the company and were suspicious because he was still being paid. Instead of just asking him they did some kind of undercover investigation (yes really!) and it caused us problems with our bank and othert things. At least if they make a mistake and have to come to the door to cut you off you have got a chance to argue the case!

[woofgang]

yes indeed LB but that was area by area and not house by house.

[ABerrant]

"how do you think any (non-smart) electricity meter will need replacing due to obsolescence?"

Older electromechanical meters have a lifespan of around 30 years. 2017 was the 30th anniversary of my electricity meter installation and, like clockwork (hee hee), the letter from E.on arrived notifying me that the meter required replacement. Although they naturally pushed for smart metering they offered no resistance (oh dear!) to my request for a dumb meter.