Smart Meters Good Or Bad?...

I'm not against technology "per se", I have a top end Desk Top, a very good Laptop, Garden Weather Station, most of the Media stuff, etc so I don't think I can be accused of being a "Fuddy Duddy" or a Luddite

But I am, like a lot of people, not naive enough to believe that the "free" installation is free. When we pay our energy bills there are various taxes, other than VAT, that we are hit with, one of them being a "Green Tax" which is around 9% of your/mine annual energy bills. Apart from adding to the Government's coffers it was originally derived to fund "free"/Discounted cost of Cavity Wall Insulation and Loft Insulation. There is also rumour of a further £50 to the Green Tax by 2020 and £75 by 2030. You'll note that while most people have taken up the offer of the Free/Discounted House Insulation that we are still paying the same proportion of the Green Tax rather than it dropping due to the success of the campaign.
I have been contacted by my present Energy Supplier about them installing a Smart Meter for my House, and I have refused. Why??. Well, at the moment, I'm still mentally capable, [Quiet in the Back Row], and able to send my energy use details by the Net. I also like to be in control of whatever information going out, coming into my own personal little World. Also why I like technology I think we all know that Smart Technology ain't all that smart because of the use that people put it to. You only have to look at the Energy Companies own systems to see the number of mistakes, over payment, sending of tons of unnecessary paperwork and even Bills telling you that your Debit/Credit at that time is £00.00p. Plus there is always the cynical suspicion that, despite the assurances of the Government and Energy Companies, the Smart Meter is not all that Smart, is not secure enough, can be used to obtain and analyse other information and be used for Marketing purposes despite the assurances that it can't.

 

.............I doubt that very much, Kandy

It all boils down to the fact that it's you own personal choice. Do you think Smart Technology is smart and do you trust the Government and your Energy Company with taking control of your information and energy? If so, go for it!! If not..................

 

A neighbour at the junction of our Grove installed Solar Panels under contract some years ago. He's been trying to sell his House for the last two years and failed to do so because buyers don't want to inherit the Solar Panel contract........so he's stopped trying to sell the House.

 

Originally the Feed In Tariff (FIT) was high because it was a new scheme and the capital cost was high.

Then the capital cost started dropping so the FIT did as well. The current FIT is too low to warrant the capital outlay but, up until April it was worthwhile.

I'm just finishing my third year and the FIT was worthwhile when I started. In less than two years I will have recouped all my capital outlay and then it's bonus all the way. Although the FIT has dropped mine, and everyone else's, will rise each year by the rate of inflation.

£1,100 return on £6,000 outlay is a very good investment. The only thing is that you don't want to tell anyone your meter runs backwards. Technically that's illegal but you are not, by law, able to change the meter to a digital one. That is the responsibility of the utility company. On the original form it would have asked you if your meter runs backwards but you probably wouldn't have known whether it did or not.

First of all you didn't understand the question
Secondly, if your meter is one with a little spinning wheel in it you wouldn't have recognised which way was running backwards, anyway!
Thirdly, you would have almost certainly looked at it, if you bothered, at night. The meter would definitely not have been running backwards then.

Your meter number would have been entered on the application form - otherwise you wouldn't have been allowed to have the FIT. The utility company should know from the meter number that it's an analogue meter so should have come to change it. After all, they're the experts!

Most utility companies are running about 5 years behind on installing digital meters. When they finally get around to changing yours, if they do, and they notice it was running backwards (may not bother) they can only charge you for an estimated 12 months worth.

 

I've been able to appear the 'confused pensioner' since the turn of the century.

 

@CanadianLori I'm pleased you're having a good time



I knew you would report that the smart meters are a bad idea. I remember you talking about them. Hasn't it made it a lot easier for them to control, and charge a lot more, for peak times?