Smart meters

I know many people whose so-called Smart Meters have failed and they got estimated fuel bills until they resumed sending in monthly meter readings which we have continued to do all along while refusing the propaganda about having one installed.
Remember some people have been switched to pre-payment meters without their consent and others have had forced entry into their property to have them installed - did you see the documentary on TV?
No-one can show me how you can save money by having a smart meter other than by being frightened by the cost of energy and turning off your heating even though it's very cold.

I’m with EDF and have changed tariff - to be told I need to have a smart meter fitted to get the lower price.

It’s booked for July 25th. But it might not happen. I don’t want one but feel like I’m being held to ransom if I want the tariff, which is a bit cheaper than the others.

Callistemon213

^Planned break-ins aren't for the likes of you and me. Those are for famous footballers, known to have lots of money and easily disposable expensive jewellry.^

Really?
I don't think that is true, having had three friends whose homes were broken into and it was obviously not an opportunist burglary.

In what way?

We have had four break-ins, one happened when someone worked along the back of a row of houses that backed on to a foot path. The other 3 were opportunist.

It was planned in the sense that this was a thief with a modus operandi, looking for rows of houses like ours and then work his way along them on Saturday evenings when people were out. There were 5 houses, one was occupied and one was empty and devoid of contents. He didn't bother with those two.

But for people to be going to great lengths to get information from cyber driminals to try and find when we out so that they can break in and steal our tellys, that doesn't happen. That amount of collusion and paying for tips and information has to offer a big return to make it worth the risk - art galleries museums, personal collections of art of great value, footballers with dozens of Rolex watches and their wives wih £50,000 of jewellry

Jaxjacky

I’m not going to lose sleep over someone possibly targeting our smart meter to plan a burglary, I’m sure I can be tracked through my mobile.

Me neither, though I don’t have a smart meter except for water, and that was a huge benefit, even before we were all tightening up on water usage.

I’m not going to lose sleep over someone possibly targeting our smart meter to plan a burglary, I’m sure I can be tracked through my mobile.

Planned break-ins can be as simply planned as watching for changes in routine.

My neighbour was broken into because she has flowers in her front window, but didn’t whilst she went on holiday. Now she has an ornament.

Smart meter usage tracking is just one step forward in the use of technology and someone will have spotted an opportunity.

If they can hack into banks . . .

In each case it was obviously not an opportunist burglary

Planned break-ins aren't for the likes of you and me. Those are for famous footballers, known to have lots of money and easily disposable expensive jewellry.

Really?
I don't think that is true, having had three friends whose homes were broken into and it was obviously not an opportunist burglary.

PetraThat article is just alarmist nonsense it is full of coulds and theoretically possibles. Actually this article reminds me of ones published when telephones were first becoming widespread.

By having a telephone someone may be able to keep ringing you, (remember silent calls?) and that way if you didn't answer for several days whoever was ringing would know you were away and could break into your house and steal things. Well, that story was nonsense then and so is your link article now.

Meaanwhile you give information to doctors, your bank, various government departments all very vulnerable to cyber attacks, many of whom have suffered from them. Yet worry about something as possible, but as improbable, as some one using your smart meter to plan break-ins. What do you have that is so valuable that people will deliberately plan to break in. The vast majority of break-ins are opportunist, someone looking for quick money for drugs.

Planned break-ins aren't for the likes of you and me. Those are for famous footballers, known to have lots of money and easily disposable expensive jewellry.

I think the debate will rumble on. Those with smart meters who previously had to faff around in inaccessible cupboards to take readings will of course be delighted with them. Understandably.

But, like all technologies, when it works - it works. When things go wrong, it's a pain in the butt.

And there are problems with them. Millions of people in the UK have experienced problems. Suppliers can be slow to sort out the issues, too - some have had meter-failure leading to ridiculously high charges which has led to hours on the 'phone, call-backs which don't happen, etc, all time-consuming and irritating.

Not all properties are suitable for the meters, either - communication coverage can be a problem in some areas. If you live in a Grade11 listed property (which I do) the thick stone walls prevent the signal from going through - and the Grade11 regulations prevent a meter from being installed on the wall outside. We are also terraced and have no garage, the only other outbuilding is 60 feet away at the end of the garden.

If you regularly change your provider, that can also cause problems for some.

So it's not clear cut. They work for some, but not for others.

MOnica
Not me being paranoid just being aware.

www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/beatthescammers/article-11129625/Smart-meter-readings-leave-vulnerable-burglars.html#:~:text=For%20example%2C%20when%20electricity%20and,and%20misuse%20the%20personal%20data.

So . . .
If you want a smart meter, you should get one.
If you don’t want a smart meter, you should not be forced into having one.

If you’ve got one, like my DD and you’re having problems with crazy bills, which is taking time and effort to sort out, it will cost her over £100 to get it removed.
It’s another of those great if it works things, but it’s always the customer who suffers when things go wrong.

dragonfly46

Once a week over the winter we got money back from the energy company because we used less fuel between the hours of 5.30 and 6.30 in the evening. It was only a matter of a few pounds but every little helps.
We don’t use the counter top display by the way.

Same here. I guess for people with electric cars, it's a real disincentive to charge up during peak hours.

M0nica

growstuff

How on earth does a smart meter know which appliance is actually using electricity?

it doesn't, but if you read you your electricity consumption rate before you put your washig machine on and then check it again, as soon as it is switched on you will be able to see how much the consumption goes up. Take the first consumption rate from the second consumption rate and you know roughly how much power your washing machine is using. You can do that for any appliance using a significant amount of power.

I realise that, but there's no way in the world that an electricity provider knows that which appliances are being used. Petra seems to be suggesting that they do and people will, as a result, be bombarded with ads for more energy efficient versions.

Once a week over the winter we got money back from the energy company because we used less fuel between the hours of 5.30 and 6.30 in the evening. It was only a matter of a few pounds but every little helps.
We don’t use the counter top display by the way.

growstuff

How on earth does a smart meter know which appliance is actually using electricity?

it doesn't, but if you read you your electricity consumption rate before you put your washig machine on and then check it again, as soon as it is switched on you will be able to see how much the consumption goes up. Take the first consumption rate from the second consumption rate and you know roughly how much power your washing machine is using. You can do that for any appliance using a significant amount of power.

petra

Jaxjacky

I don’t understand what you mean * petra*?

Your smart meter is gathering data. If your washing machine, cooker, fridge, freezer, iron, microwave, tv, etc is using more electricity than what would be expected of a new appliance don’t be surprised if you receive adverts.
If there’s no ( or very little) data coming from your house that shows your not there. That data will be watched.
Given a few days it could be your on holiday, in hospital, just not at your home = home broken into.
Not everyone working in data processing is honest.

But Petra that alsoapplies to your medical notes, and absolutely every other file, paper online that anyone has on you, it can be sought out and used aganst you.

I have yet to hear of any cyber release of data from an energy company. When a company has several million customers all feeding datat into data collectors, it would be well nigh impossible for anyone to filter out data on people whose energy demand has dropped over a few days, still less to know it is because you are away - or when you will come back.

Energy use can be immensely variable from day to day. When you go away lots of back up systems will still be working - your fridge, a freezer, background systems for the CH system, even if it isn't coming on. Lots of us only use washing machines and dishwashers a few times a week. We have outdoor lighting that is works on coming on when it gets dark and turning off when it gets light, other people have movement sensr alarms, security systemes etc etc. I really do think you are being paranoid if you think some clerk will be able to put an interrogation system into a big computer system to analyse all the demand patterns of one person, one street, let alonw ork out who is home and who away. in their own without any checks or approvals. Those who write systems are rarely those who interrogate them.

Well, here's a more positive story. I've had a smart meter for about two years and I can't say it's bothered me in the slightest. It means I don't have to send readings and I haven't noticed that my bills have ever been anything unexpected. If people don't want one, that's fine, but they're nothing to get agitated about.

I've read nothing but bad, I mean horrendous, stories about smart meters. They'll have to be escorted by the police before they instal one in my house. So there!

How on earth does a smart meter know which appliance is actually using electricity?

Jaxjacky

I don’t understand what you mean * petra*?

Your smart meter is gathering data. If your washing machine, cooker, fridge, freezer, iron, microwave, tv, etc is using more electricity than what would be expected of a new appliance don’t be surprised if you receive adverts.
If there’s no ( or very little) data coming from your house that shows your not there. That data will be watched.
Given a few days it could be your on holiday, in hospital, just not at your home = home broken into.
Not everyone working in data processing is honest.

I don't think people with smart meters get better rates. However, there are incentives to use less fuel during peak periods. The only way hour by hour usage can be monitored is with smart meters.

I don't have one, but the Government has told companies that everyone must have one by a certain time otherwise they will penalise them. I think it is bad that better rates are given if you have one. So they will probably start getting aggressive with their sales pitch.

I don’t understand what you mean * petra*?

crazyH

I have a smart meter - what’s wrong with having one ? Please tell me

Let’s suppose you go away on holiday. That is information that some scallywag ( polite word) could sell on.
People who are out at work every day?