It's all Martin Lewis' fault! [grin]

Thanks Wheniwasyourage

DH had a text message from our energy supplier this morning asking him not to submit meter readings as they had taken them already via the smart meter. They added their readings in the message and they were the same as ours for which I took photographs as evidence.
We are on a fixed tariff so we will see what happens.

Last summer my fixed rate came to an end so I looked for another fixed rate to move onto.
I saw several suppliers that weren't that well known to me and decided to give them a miss, thank goodness as they were ones who went out of business.
I'm with Sainsburys (E.on) and I got a 2 year fix until August 2023!
God knows how much the difference will be by then but I feel so lucky and thankful that at least until then i am having no increases.

I managed to get through to EDF around 0200 this morning. Success! I don't want a smart meter because of the difficulties some of my friends have encountered when trying to change suppliers. I find things are running very smoothly by simply sending in my readings on the first of every month. Takes all of five minutes.

Re smart meters, I've read so many complaints about them going wrong, plus ( I am told) the fact that if you have a smart meter your energy provider has the ability to cut you off at will.

And I'm still recovering from the nightmare I had when I had a new boiler installed ( a year ago) which came - without warning - with this horrendous so called smart Honeywell thermostatic control and gobblydgook instructions which were really useless. As far as I'm concerned, smart devices are often not smart enough! Admittedly I'm probably not smart enough either.

Re smart meters, another point is that apparently they will make it easy for energy firms to increase prices at peak periods, as they will know exactly when you are using electricity/gas. . This will mean those who cannot be flexible will pay more, just as with commuters on trains.
And there seems to be some doubt about how easy it will be to switch providers once your smart meter has been installed by your present provider. Plus there is a suggestion that smart meter users wont get the best deals.

I have just looked at my smart meter app. We used more or less the same amount yesterday as the day before. As our low fixed price ended on 31st March the 1st April cost us double on the standard variable (price cap) rate. Our DD has doubled to take this into account.

There’s a lot of weird stuff on here about smart meters. Wheniwasyourage explained about the issue with mobile signal. That makes sense.

But using the readings to know when you’re away from home? It’s more likely that the guy walking past notices the house has been empty, not that someone in the utilities agency is monitoring your individual readings to see if they can come and burgle you.

Energy firms won’t be designing a plan just to target your high usage times, they can already see when the high usage times are from the electricity that has to be generated. They’re not watching to see when you put the washing machine on to charge you, individually, more for that particular period of the day.

The second generation meters will work with any supplier, so although it used to be an issue changing suppliers, it's less so now.

And they are meters, they measure and report on what you are using. So any suggestion that users might not get the best deals or can be easily switched off is a bit far fetched. Far more likely that the people who won’t move on to the system that causes least effort for the suppliers won’t get the best deal.

But, it’s a free world. Anybody can decide for themselves how they want to do it. Just please be aware that there are some unlikely scenarios being talked about.

I was very pleased to find I had Smart meters for gas and electricity when I moved to this bungalow.

My 1960's electric meter at my previous house was about ten foot up, I was always nervous going to the very top rung of the ladder and wobbling around with one hand and my iphone to photograph the reading. I didn't have gas there. The estimated bills were always far more than my actual usage.

I do recommend Octopus to anyone who is thinking of changing.

I tried to check my meters but had to crawl on the floor to find the numbers. I found it very difficult to get up again. Then I found that, as I have a smart meter I hadn't needed to make that effort. I should have read the small print - story of my life!

Rowyn, I won't have a Smart Meter for many of the reasons you have stated. However, the main reason I won't touch one is that anything Smart, can be so easily hacked.

Volver, if things get really bad I wouldn't trust them not to switch you off. Look at what Russia is threatening to do to most of Europe. I still won't touch Smart Meters. Most people I know who have them disconnected them as they were finding their bills were increasing. I don't trust energy companies and I certainly don't trust any politicians. There were all those incentives for people to get solar panels, then the feed-in tariff got snatched away and many solar panel companies went bust. Sorry, but if people trust energy companies and politicians to do the right thing, you are naive. You can only depend on yourself. Rip-Off Britain did a segment where people with Smart appliances were getting hacked. If you don't believe me, look up their website.

Pepper59

Volver, if things get really bad I wouldn't trust them not to switch you off. Look at what Russia is threatening to do to most of Europe. I still won't touch Smart Meters. Most people I know who have them disconnected them as they were finding their bills were increasing. I don't trust energy companies and I certainly don't trust any politicians. There were all those incentives for people to get solar panels, then the feed-in tariff got snatched away and many solar panel companies went bust. Sorry, but if people trust energy companies and politicians to do the right thing, you are naive. You can only depend on yourself. Rip-Off Britain did a segment where people with Smart appliances were getting hacked. If you don't believe me, look up their website.

They will cut you off if you don't pay your bills. Having a Smart Meter is neither here nor there.

Smart Meters don't make your bills go up, that's the suppliers doing that.

I've had a Smart Meter for as long as they've been around. Won't be getting rid of it any time soon.

First time I've been called naïve, but there you go.

Volver, I didn't mean to be rude and mean no insult to yourself or anyone on here. I just don't trust energy companies who are making billions in profits each year, to do the right thing. I do know people who disconnected their Smart Meters as they swore as soon as they were installed their bills increased. This was before all the price hikes. Ive been pooh poohed before, but on other issues Ive been proved right. I also think we are heading into a depression, not just recession and Ive been warning people for months that things were going to be bad, all pooh poohed but hey, that's ok. Take care and I hope all here do ok.

I do know people who disconnected their Smart Meters as they swore as soon as they were installed their bills increased.

That's a coincidence, really. It just can't happen that smart meters make your bills increase just by being there.

But of course the energy companies won't do the right thing. That's one of the reasons I've got a smart meter, so I can keep track myself of what's happening.

I'm not insulted, don't worry.

Did those people really disconnect their smart meters (and if they did what did they use for power) or just turn of the smart meter display monitor?

Oh, good point Beechnut.

We have self generated our own power for 40 years and have recently had mains installed. Two reasons: our current battery storage system is at the end of its life and we wanted a more eco-friendly way of producing energy during periods when our photovoltaics don't produce enough for our needs. The later means a diesel generator. We do intend to invest in more battery storage but currently we are now on mains all the time and probably will be until late 2023.

I first approached Octopus to have the meter installed but they couldn't and advised us to go to one of the Big Companies. We did and Scottish Power fitted it two months ago. Despite the disadvantages with SMART meters, we have had one fitted. Reading this article and others from the EcoExperts website, we felt the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages.

www.theecoexperts.co.uk/energy-switching/top-problems-with-smart-meters

I go onto Scottish Power's website now to check what reading they have collected and I also record our daily use. Producing your own energy puts you into that mind frame any way.

Yesterday I contacted Octopus to ask about changing to them. Their website states : Right now, energy prices are at record highs, and most homes will be better off staying with their current energy supplier for the present. If your fixed term is coming to an end, don't choose a new tariff or switch supplier.

I still rang them and they couldn't offer anything better than Scottish Power.

Buntymart

No - you do not have to have a smart meter if you don't want one! Don't let them bully you into having one

From a purely practical point of view I wonder if this is true. Would they stock the old ones when it is government policy for everyone to be transferred to smart ones?

Buntymart

No - you do not have to have a smart meter if you don't want one! Don't let them bully you into having one

rowyn you asked if you had to have a smart meter.

Citizen Advice quote:

You don't have to accept a smart meter if you don't want one. If your supplier tells you that you must have one installed, contact the Citizens Advice consumer helpline. If you refuse a smart meter, you might find it hard to access all tariffs.

Buntymart thanks for that . Sounds like an impasse - no Smart meter or no fixed price contract!

Pepper59

Volver, I didn't mean to be rude and mean no insult to yourself or anyone on here. I just don't trust energy companies who are making billions in profits each year, to do the right thing. I do know people who disconnected their Smart Meters as they swore as soon as they were installed their bills increased. This was before all the price hikes. Ive been pooh poohed before, but on other issues Ive been proved right. I also think we are heading into a depression, not just recession and Ive been warning people for months that things were going to be bad, all pooh poohed but hey, that's ok. Take care and I hope all here do ok.

How did they disconnected their smart meters?

We don't have a smart meter and don't want one. But it's easy to read our meters, just outside the front door, so I can understand people wanting them if meters are difficult to read. My DB used to read meters, he had all sorts of stories about crawling through attics and cellars to try to read the meter. Once had to clear someone's junk room to get to one.

DeeJaysMum

I'm on a fixed rate until July next year (thankfully).
I usually submit meter readings on 1st of the month but I'm waiting until next week this month.
I've told so many people on various social media platforms that if they're on fixed rate contracts they don't need to submit readings on 31/3 coz their rate won't change until the contract ends. I've said that on the last day of that contract they'll need to send in a reading so avoid what's going on now happening to them at that particular time.
It's amazing how many people don't realise this.

I too have been telling people but I don’t think some of them believe me as I know a few who have sent in meter readings regardless!

Mind you, one friend thought his rate was fixed regardless of how much he used so he leaves his heating on high as he thinks it is all included - he calls if getting value for money! He no longer gets paper bills and does not bother to check online so he will have a shock when he gets his annual statement which will adjust the direct debit - it’s the first time he has been on a fixed tariff!

Mind you, one friend thought his rate was fixed regardless of how much he used so he leaves his heating on high as he thinks it is all included - he calls if getting value for money! He no longer gets paper bills and does not bother to check online so he will have a shock when he gets his annual statement which will adjust the direct debit - it’s the first time he has been on a fixed tariff!

Oh dear!

Have you explained to you friend what fixed tariff means?