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Smart meters - again

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    Smart meters - again

    Another "win" for Crapita...

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-44903471

    In a critical report, the 92 MPs and peers also said the government was likely to miss its own deadline to have the £11bn switchover completed.

    Up to 53 million smart meters were to be installed in 30 million homes and businesses by the end of 2020.

    A smart meter is designed to replace traditional gas and electricity meters.

    It automatically sends usage data to suppliers via the mobile phone network, and comes with a display showing users how much energy they are using - and the cost in pounds and pence.

    Grant Shapps, the chair of the British Infrastructure Group of Parliamentarians (BIG), said the programme had been "plagued by repeated delays and cost increases, with suppliers now almost certain to miss the 2020 deadline, and programme benefits likely to be slashed even further."

    Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Mr Shapps said one of the reasons for the "mess" was that "first generation" smart meters, which do not always work when a customer switches supplier, will continue to be rolled out until next year.

    He added: "We need to shift to a reliable timetable, we need to quit installing obsolete old meters... and we need to have the regulator become a lot tougher."
    His heart is in the right place - shame we can't say the same about his brain...

    #2
    I have a "smart" meter installed 6 months ago.

    I got my bill and it said estimated reading. I contacted the supplier and they confirmed I have their latest "smart" meter installed, and could I please take a reading off the display in the cabinet and enter it into their website.

    meter

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      #3
      Smart meters to cut energy bills by just £11, say MPs

      https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-44903471

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        #4
        I was pestered to install a smart meter but refused as the first gen have issues.

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          #5
          Originally posted by woohoo View Post
          I was pestered to install a smart meter but refused as the first gen have issues.
          Apparently randomly catching fire is amongst their attributes, though not an altogether popular one.

          WTF is wrong with a meter that isn't electronic & intrinsically takes care of power factor etc.?
          When the fun stops, STOP.

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            #6
            Even the minister who brought them in in the first place has chucked his in the bin...

            https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/688414...riendly-drive/

            His heart is in the right place - shame we can't say the same about his brain...

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              #7
              My issue with smart meter is that...

              1 when you switch supplier it's just a digital smart meter. Smart meters only work with the supplier you got it from.

              2 they constantly emit dangerous waves every 15 min which most likely could cause cancer

              3 soon any appliance with same tech can talk with each other and transmitted through the smart meter so they know all about you and what you do on a daily basis

              4 they blow up

              5 they can be hacked so all that info could be stolen. An example would be a thief would know when and where you are in the house due to routine.

              6 it's a gimmick. Why do you need to know what is costing what. If you want to save money well shut the lights off when not in the room. Take a shorter shower so it doesn't cost more with boiler. Turn appliance off when not in use. I don't need a smart meter to tell me how to save money! It called common sense

              7 I've been pestered by electric company 3times a week to go smart meter. Well I don't want it and this just enforces that idea.
              Last edited by cosmic; 28 July 2018, 14:55.

              Comment


                #8
                Originally posted by cosmic View Post
                My issue with smart meter is that...

                1 when you switch supplier it's just a digital smart meter. Smart meters only work with the supplier you got it from.

                2 they constantly emit dangerous waves every 15 min which most likely could cause cancer

                3 soon any appliance with same tech can talk with each other and transmitted through the smart meter so they know all about you and what you do on a daily basis

                4 they blow up

                5 they can be hacked so all that info could be stolen. An example would be a thief would know when and where you are in the house due to routine.

                6 it's a gimmick. Why do you need to know what is costing what. If you want to save money well shut the lights off when not in the room. Take a shorter shower so it doesn't cost more with boiler. Turn appliance off when not in use. I don't need a smart meter to tell me how to save money! It called common sense

                7 I've been pestered by electric company 3times a week to go smart meter. Well I don't want it and this just enforces that idea.
                Mostly true, but uh:

                they constantly emit dangerous waves every 15 min which most likely could cause cancer
                No. Nothing about that sentence is correct.

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                  #9
                  Originally posted by vwdan View Post
                  Mostly true, but uh:



                  No. Nothing about that sentence is correct.
                  They transmit over the mobile phone networks (so they are no more dangerous than any other similar device, such as a mobile phone) but they are installing the meters in areas which don't even have a reliable mobile signal. Seriously, you couldn't make this tulip up...

                  £11bn estimated cost, so double it for a fairly reliable final cost (as per all govt IT projects). £11 a year saving per-household, according to a parliamentary committee report published last week. Anyone fancy doing the maths on when we'll break even? It makes the cost of Brexit look cheap by comparison...
                  His heart is in the right place - shame we can't say the same about his brain...

                  Comment


                    #10
                    That'd be handy here where I have to stand on the garden wall to get a decent signal.
                    When the fun stops, STOP.

                    Comment

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