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Ooops bit of a problem with smart meters

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tanner0441:
Hi

I have been bombarded with phone calls and letters telling me their engineers (electrical supply company) will be in my area installing smart meters.

My matra is "I don't want one and I will change supplier if I have to to avoid having one."  If pushed I elaborate that everyone I know who has had one their bills have increased and I already have a power meter monitoring my usage.

Now it transpires that 4 million smart meters in the UK could be faulty and overcharging people and only working in dumb mode. Each meter has a personality module in it, (SIM card type thing.) and your supplier can alter your tariff at will turn you off individually or control the maximum load you can use.. When they're working properly.

There haven't been any updates on the news about what they intend to do about it yet.


Brian

dnix71:
You have a mess in the UK that is political in nature. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/consumer-affairs/smart-meter-why-say-no-get-one/

Declining North Sea oil production decades ago set the stage for this. Coal is dirty compared to oil or nat gas, but that's what you have left to keep the grid up in very cold or very warm weather.

If you live in council housing you have no choice, otherwise it's past time to make investments in reducing your electrical use or install solar with backup batteries if you have the money and option to do so.

In the US the 2G networks are gone and most of the 3G network is spotty. Smart meters should not depend on the public phone/tv/internet networks.

sean_ork:
The Telegraph is not a credible source of factually correct information.

dnix71:
The BBC's take seems to agree with the Telegraph. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-67591320
So does the Independent https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/millions-of-uk-homes-risk-overpaying-on-energy-bills-due-to-faulty-smart-meters-b2518892.html
The gov't website in the UK was published 11 years ago and last updated 3 years ago. So much for getting reliable info from the gov't. We have the same problem in the US https://www.gov.uk/guidance/smart-meters-how-they-work

sean_ork:
Those figures do not account for those who had no option but to accept the installation of a SM, but have opted to run it in dumb mode, that is an availableoption here in the UK. Given the increasing range of ToU tariff here in the UK, some of which enable user to achieve single digit average unit rates. I've a feeling those that are still uneasy about embracing the benifits of a smart meter do so for illogical reasons.

Everyone I know, who has opted to upgrade to a snart meter have massively benifited.

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