All homes to get ?smart? power meters-

[gmb45]

-that measure exact energy use



Every British home is to be issued with a ?smart? meter which calculates how much gas or electricity is used each time an appliance is switched on.
Families will also know how much they are spending minute-by-minute.
Details will be announced by the Energy Secretary Ed Miliband this week.
Old-style meters will be ripped out and replaced with the gadgets, which can be programmed to turn appliances on and off to take advantage of off-peak rates.

Out with the old: Older-style electric meters will be phased out to make way for new 'smart' meters

Fridges and freezers could be turned off at peak times to save power ? but will automatically be switched back on if the temperature inside rises too high.
The utility companies will pay for the ?7billion installation programme, though much of the cost is expected to be recouped later from customers.
Mobile phone technology will be used to transmit information on each family?s energy consumption to a central ?hub?.
The system, to be introduced over the next ten years, will allow power companies to read meters remotely and mean the end of estimated bills.
Energy suppliers will save billions by doing away with meter readers and call centre staff.
Ministers claim families will save money by seeing their costs on a daily basis ? and will be encouraged to cut back to reduce bills.
The announcement comes days before world leaders arrive in Copenhagen for a climate change summit.
The Government hopes to enhance Britain?s ?green? credentials by showing it is determined to cut energy consumption.

[ruudvandan]

I hope this is paid for through savings rather than increased bills cos my bill is already ridiculous

[chroma]

look on the bright side ruudvandan, "Smart" meters are digital
They run on FIRMWARE, firmware that can and will be hacked in a matter of days.

So energy prices will effectively plummet once people catch on.
Should a meterman be known to pay a visit you can easily reflash to stock

No dodgy wires, no pinholes to watch out for, absoloutly nothing to trace any fraud.

The boffins at the power companys have clearly fully baked this gem of an idea, clearly theyve thought about this long and hard.

[ruudvandan]

Thanks, hope you're right! Was gonna resort to hookin up to the lamppost outside like the pikeys do!

[gmb45]

update

?500 'smart' powers meters for all which could let energy firms cap use in homes



'Smart meters' for gas and electricity are set to be approved for installation across the country in a huge project that could cost homes and businesses more than ?500 each.
The meters are being presented as the key to doing away with estimated bills and encouraging families to cut down on their energy use by showing them how much they are using.
The huge scheme is to be unveiled by Climate Change Secretary, Ed Miliband, as part of a package of measures to cut the nation's carbon footprint ahead of the climate change summit in Copenhagen.

Smart meters: How the new scheme will work


However, the cost of installation has been estimated by the Government at ?9billion, while some analysts suggest the figure will be as high as ?13.4billion.
Consumer groups fear that the major part of this bill will be passed on to housholders and could add up to ?515 per family over a ten-year period.
The smart meters, to be installed by 2020, will allow power giants to read meters remotely, most likely via a link to the mobile phone network.
It will be possible to send an electronic message to the meters to change the tariffs in line with price alterations.
It will also allow companies to charge more during peak times. The meters could also be used to ration supplies across the network or cap electricity use in a particular household to a certain threshold.

Out with the old: Older-style electric meters will be phased out to make way for new 'smart' meters

The Government claims that its estimate of ?9billion for the cost would be more than covered by some ?11.79 billion in savings.
It is suggested suppliers would save ?6.6billion through cutting the thousands of people needed to read meters and man customer call centres.
And householders are predicted to save ?3.1billion because, in theory, they would cut consumption once they could see how much electricity and gas they use.
It was claimed there would be further savings of just over ?2billion, giving a final total of ?11.79billion.
However, analysts at accountants Ernst & Young said the costing for the massive scheme had failed to reflect the true scale of the enterprise.
Its utilities expert, Tony Ward, said: 'Very big and complex projects of this sort always cost more than anticipated.'
Mr Ward said it would be a hugely difficult, expensive and time-consumingjob to gain access to all 26million UK properties to install the new meters. He stressed that there will be vast initial costs to buy the equipment and set up the infrastructure to collect the readings.
Dr Fiona Cochrane, energy campaigner for consumer group Which?, said: 'We don't see how the Government can justify asking consumers to pay for something that will save energy companies hundreds of millions a year, while the average household will make only minimal savings.'

[bvilleuk]

No dodgy wires, no pinholes to watch out for, absoloutly nothing to trace any fraud.

Does this mean then that everyone in Manchester will have to turn the Meter the right way around ???!!!

[gmb45]

Does this mean then that everyone in Manchester will have to turn the Meter the right way around ???!!!

or dis-connect it from the street lights

[nightwingjatt]

"Fridges and freezers could be turned off at peak times to save power ? but will automatically be switched back on if the temperature inside rises too high"
I think NOT. An electricity meter cannot turn individual appliances on or off, the smart meters are being fitted so suppliers know exactly what you are using, take meter readings when they please, change tariffs on prepay meters and cut your electricity for non payment of bills. p.s give you a energy monitor so you can see how much energy you are using.

[Meat-Head]

yeah, whatever, bit of an old thread this, but when they come along

can we have a section for thsees please, can just see it now

"Need dump for 110KWH" or "Need meter correction, showing 150KWH need 80 KWH"

[4me2c]

hmmmm...!

Have to give that one to You, Pretty Funny...! Things must get boring when a 6 month old Thread gets visited...

[patkins]

CGI's Infoeditor: Smart Meters Catching Fire on Video - Caught on tape!


I know this is from Austrailia but who knows?...............

[Meat-Head]

so chances are that there designed by a monket or being fitted by monkeys.

So create a fire hazard, there going to have to be dead short, to the input to it.

so without having a 'good' one to strip impossable to say.

would guess that the old lady, her A/C draws a MASSIVE amount of juice, so if the terminals are not tight, things might get hot, melt the plastic then fizzle dead short.
have the desginer not heard of "thermo set plastic" - once made that's it, stays hard.