Smart Meter

[Donka]

Hi all,
had a letter today from scottish power saying i've been selected to have new smart meters installed, does anyone have any experience with these. They say their engineers will be around within a few weeks, what i want to know is will they install the gas and electric and also can i refuse to have them done. A friend had just the electric installed by Brittish Gas but hates it as it's a constant reminder of the cost of his fuel. I was even thinking of changing suppliers to get a good deal and also stop the new meter. Any advice please.

[scotcruz]

Hi all,
had a letter today from scottish power saying i've been selected to have new smart meters installed, does anyone have any experience with these. They say their engineers will be around within a few weeks, what i want to know is will they install the gas and electric and also can i refuse to have them done. A friend had just the electric installed by Brittish Gas but hates it as it's a constant reminder of the cost of his fuel. I was even thinking of changing suppliers to get a good deal and also stop the new meter. Any advice please.

I have had mine installed and to be honest its not any different.. yes its digital and doesnt have a big disc running faster when you use it (just the light flashes) but its got some sort of infrared thing which helps them take the meter reading without having to come in or ring the bell..

[Donka]

I have had mine installed and to be honest its not any different.. yes its digital and doesnt have a big disc running faster when you use it (just the light flashes) but its got some sort of infrared thing which helps them take the meter reading without having to come in or ring the bell..
Thanks but did they just do the electric.

[Canker_Canison]

It's been a while since I've working in the industy. But the smart meters use rf rather than ir for readings. It means that the guy reading the meter doesn't need to come near your house to get a reading. It just means estimated bills will be reduced.

Changing supplier will not stop the fitting. It's the local board that carriers out all servicing on the meters, no matter who bills you.

It's also a legal requirement for the meters to be changed after a certain length of time. Can't remember exactly how long that is, but could around 25 years.

A word of warning. The old spinning disk meters slow down as they reach the end of their lives. A new meter may result in slightly higher bills as they are more accurate. This is also the reason why they have to be changed by law.

[Donka]

It's been a while since I've working in the industy. But the smart meters use rf rather than ir for readings. It means that the guy reading the meter doesn't need to come near your house to get a reading. It just means estimated bills will be reduced.

Changing supplier will not stop the fitting. It's the local board that carriers out all servicing on the meters, no matter who bills you.

It's also a legal requirement for the meters to be changed after a certain length of time. Can't remember exactly how long that is, but could around 25 years.

A word of warning. The old spinning disk meters slow down as they reach the end of their lives. A new meter may result in slightly higher bills as they are more accurate. This is also the reason why they have to be changed by law.

Just been in touch with Scottish Power and they seem to think if i leave i'll not be able to get free upgraded meters. The letter telling me of upgrade was off scottish power.

[cablefreejunkie]

unless your up to no good then whats the problem with having the smart meter ? it saves having to have the meter man come into your house plus if you need to know what your spending at any given moment take a look at the meter

[Smilerman121]

Did you get it to work?

[Donka]

unless your up to no good then whats the problem with having the smart meter ? it saves having to have the meter man come into your house plus if you need to know what your spending at any given moment take a look at the meter
My mates had them put in and it frightens the life out of him every time he see's the clock. He said he's like a caretaker turning all the lights off. You know what they say Out of sight out of mind.

[Barnsley-Bill]

I think they will make the pot growers think a bit lol that is unless there nicking it.

[smeggor]

I had a smart meter installed 3 years ago. A small white AMPY, (Landys & Gyr) I told N Power that it was faulty as my leccy bill had gone up by 30%, they sent an engineer round who said the meter was fine. Well I argued till they told me I was an idiot.

I eventually got the schematics & instructions on the meter, & got to the bottom of the problem, I am on economy 7, I found that the time on the meter was 8 hours out. N Power have just admitted they were wrong & are re working my bills.

So you guys with economy 7 meters, check the time on the meter!

[Canker_Canison]

Just been in touch with Scottish Power and they seem to think if i leave i'll not be able to get free upgraded meters. The letter telling me of upgrade was off scottish power.

Whoever bills you have to arrange the meter change. But it's the local board that do the work.
SP are full of shit, you will not be billed for any meter change, unless you have intentionally damaged your meter. If you change supplier now all that will happen is the meter change will be delayed by about 6 months or so.

As far as the Economy 7 problem goes, all economy 7 meters can develop a fault with the switching clock. It's by far the biggest problem with them. Also check that the right meter serial number shows on the next bill. It's taken about 7 years to sort out the correct serial number on my account. But I have recieved ?60 credit due to their error.