Smart meters

[Lynne]

Does anyone have any experience with them? EDF wants to install one for us, but I'm quite happy as I am

[tomdhu]

Stay well away from these "smart" meters and stay happy. There's been several tales of woe in the national press about them- failures, inaccuracy, over-charging etc. So bad that the programme may have to be suspended altogether.

[solar]

Hello Lynne,

EDF asked me to take part in a trial when Smart meters were first introduced. I think they are a brilliant idea.

As well as your smart meter you get a gadget which constantly displays information such as how much electricity you are currently using, the cost for yesterday, last week, each month in the year etc. Also the meter continually sends it's own reading to EDF so you never have to have your meter read and you never get an estimated bill. I've not had any problem with it.

[numbers]

I agree with tomdhu.

the whole expensive program has been a fiasco, the main benefit being to the energy company who saves on costs by not having to employ billing and meter reading staff. they aren't 'free' either, you end up paying for them through your bills. no wonder EDF are keen to install one. and no, they don't save the planet by reducing energy consumption either.

[Saffron]

We had a 'smart' meter forced on us my British Gas/Electric. They said that they were making system-wide upgrades, and we were not given any other option. There were also other problems when they changed our meters, and we left after a partially resolved dispute cost us loads of money.

The smart meter is not foolproof, and it's not free. It runs on electricity that it draws from your home. The only useful thing I found was that it uses a traffic light system to alert you to high usage... in case we didn't already know that when you get home from work and need to wash clothes, bathe, run dishwasher simultaneous while running the oven and watching tele, you're using more energy than if you sat around in the silence, in dirty clothes, eating cold worms, listening to the rain by candle light.

Our experience with the 'smart' meter was pretty 'stupid'. It's not a terrible idea in theory, but in practice it was crap.

[tfwsoll]

All providers will be replacing traditional meters with smart meters by 2020, so there won't be a choice in the matter. Having been embroiled in a lengthy, Kafka-esque dispute with EDF over my electricity usage a few years ago, I would much rather have something in my home that showed me the cost of the electricity. When I asked British Gas to install one last week I was told that they weren't in a position to change mine - presumably because I live in a flat.

[nxjen]

According to Which? they will not be compulsory http://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/problem/do-i-have-to-accept-a-smart-meter

[Saffron]

Yes, that was my understanding too -- that everyone will have to have one eventually. I'm skeptical they'll really change much. :-/

[tfwsoll]

>>According to Which? they will not be compulsory [www.which.co.uk]

That's a very good article as it also highlights that if you do get a smart meter before the official rollout starts in April 2016 it won't have the additional functions of the new ones and it may need to be upgraded again. The piece says that even after the official rollout you 'should' be able to keep your existing meter. The utilities companies won't maintain it and I suspect that they will make it more onerous/more expensive to keep your old meter

[Lynne]

Thanks everyone

The balance of opinion seems against them. Being firmly of the "if it isn't broke etc etc school of thought, I'll ignore EDF's blandishments