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Should I get smart meters?

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Freddyfruitba...
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PostPosted: 18:36 - 18 Dec 2022    Post subject: Reply with quote

hellkat wrote:
I've had a prepayment one for Thinking Question probably 10 years because social housing

If you're possibly able to change this to a credit meter you really, really ought to - it's the most expensive way to get electricity...
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SpeedyCBR1100
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PostPosted: 18:53 - 18 Dec 2022    Post subject: Reply with quote

I've got an air source heat pump, a log burner and a 15 panel solar array with battery back up. I have no gas in my house. I have an app which connects to my system and gives me, if I want it, a minute by minute report of my power usage.

My problem is that the readout is totally different to the smart meter readout and I've got no idea which is correct.

The smart meter, by the way, always has by far the highest readout.

Que sera, sera as Gino Washington said.
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hellkat
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PostPosted: 22:05 - 18 Dec 2022    Post subject: Reply with quote

Freddyfruitbat wrote:
hellkat wrote:
I've had a prepayment one for Thinking Question probably 10 years because social housing

If you're possibly able to change this to a credit meter you really, really ought to - it's the most expensive way to get electricity...

So how is that different to the method I am using?
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to v or not to v
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PostPosted: 22:32 - 18 Dec 2022    Post subject: Reply with quote

hellkat wrote:
]
So how is that different to the method I am using?

you get cheaper tariffs.
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hellkat
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PostPosted: 23:40 - 18 Dec 2022    Post subject: Reply with quote

Brick Wall

Laughing I asked for that.
Yes but how is a prepayment meter different than a credit meter?
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to v or not to v
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PostPosted: 00:11 - 19 Dec 2022    Post subject: Reply with quote

the tariffs are higher for prepay than for monthly/quarterly payments.
go online and get a quote for each type of tariff to see the difference.
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Ste
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PostPosted: 00:30 - 19 Dec 2022    Post subject: Reply with quote

Laughing @ people describing the differences between prepaid tariffs and standard 'credit' tariffs.

hellkat wrote:
Yes but how is a prepayment meter different than a credit meter?

The meters are the same.
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Islander
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PostPosted: 00:40 - 19 Dec 2022    Post subject: Reply with quote

dave001 wrote:


not any more recently they been swaping em to prepaid or switching em off remotley without bothering to get a warrent

its been all over the news one pentioner was left weeks without and gas or heat as he had no ider and they never told him


Nope that's simply not true. Pete's right, under current regulations they cannot remove a service without a court order. There have been, however, been several reported instances of consumers being converted from credit to prepay without due consultation.

dave001 wrote:
hers a tip for any one make up a lead cover out of roofing lead sheet or simular and put that over them they wont beturing off any time soon remotley as the high frequ
encey signal will not penertrait that


You don't need to use lead to block a 4G signal. Simple tinfoil would do that quite nicely. It has to be continuous (enclosing the meter completely) and earthed mind. Not sure how you're going to manage that though. Also if they suddenly lose signal, you're likely to find a DNO representative on your doorstep to check things out.
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Islander
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PostPosted: 00:43 - 19 Dec 2022    Post subject: Reply with quote

Ste wrote:
Laughing @ people describing the differences between prepaid tariffs and standard 'credit' tariffs.

hellkat wrote:
Yes but how is a prepayment meter different than a credit meter?

The meters are the same.


Indeed. It's the charging mechanism and the tariffs that are different.
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Nobby the Bastard
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PostPosted: 09:05 - 19 Dec 2022    Post subject: Reply with quote

Enemied simply because trying to read any of your posts makes my brain bleed.
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Freddyfruitba...
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PostPosted: 11:36 - 19 Dec 2022    Post subject: Reply with quote

hellkat wrote:
how is a prepayment meter different than a credit meter?

Have a read of St Martin of Lewis:
https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/utilities/switch-prepaid-gas-electricity/

...although TBF he does say that right at the moment, because of the unprecedented screwed-up energy market, there's actually not much difference
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Islander
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PostPosted: 13:12 - 19 Dec 2022    Post subject: Reply with quote

Islander wrote:


Nope that's simply not true. Pete's right, under current regulations they cannot remove a service without a court order. There have been, however, been several reported instances of consumers being converted from credit to prepay without due consultation.

dave001 wrote:
hers a tip for any one make up a lead cover out of roofing lead sheet or simular and put that over them they wont beturing off any time soon remotley as the high frequ
encey signal will not penertrait that


You don't need to use lead to block a 4G signal. Simple tinfoil would do that quite nicely. It has to be continuous (enclosing the meter completely) and earthed mind. Not sure how you're going to manage that though. Also if they suddenly lose signal, you're likely to find a DNO representative on your doorstep to check things out.



You might try reading posts properly...

Bold to emphasise.

Your claim of remote disconnection is the part I said wasn't true.
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Islander
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PostPosted: 23:40 - 19 Dec 2022    Post subject: Reply with quote

dave001 wrote:


It amounts to the same thing mate

energey companys never acturley disconect anyone for debt only for frurd and meter bypases

the last thing they want is to cut a debter of they gett the warrent and stick in a prepayment

if acturly call there bluff and ring up and try and make an apoint met for them to disconect it

your get every excuse under the sun not to

i done my self when they got the bill wroung by 5 and a half grand and refused to put right

in the end i got 13years free gas and they neally got done for purjury


It does not mean or amount to the same thing.

A change of tariff is an entirely different thing to a service disconnection.

A change of tariff means the mechanism and level of payment is altered.

Disconnection means removal of service to a property entirely.
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hellkat
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PostPosted: 23:56 - 19 Dec 2022    Post subject: Reply with quote

dave001 wrote:
if you dont put money on a prepayment you dont get any power or gas

if you dont pay your bill with a credit meter they got to get a warrent to turn off your gas ir more ushally fit a prepayment meter


I understood that. Cool Thumbs Up

So basically a prepayment meter is definitely what I have, cos when it runs out I have to put money ("credit") in it , which is why I was gettign confused with the terminology - I'm easily confused these days, and its not helping that I've been on the piss tonight Laughing

(but not like back in the day when you'd put in loads of 50ps to last you a few weeks and your flatmate's boyfriend would nick them all Mad )

But what you guys call a "credit" meter, I just call a meter. Back when I was all respectable and that, with a mortgage and whatnot, then yes, up until I sold that house, I always had a "credit account", where you read the meter , you got the bill and then you wrote a cheque for the outstanding balance. Been/done/t-shirt, etc.

But in fact, I like prepayment ones better, cos its convenient for me. You pay, you get juice. Sometimes more expensive juice because Ukraine, sometimes cheaper juice. No skin off my nose unless its actually cut off.

I don't think the tariff is *that* different. It might have been the case back in the bad old days, but at the moment we're all paying through the nose, but at least I'm not missing several grand out of my bank acount just because of direct debits for "estimated" energy costs.

In other news, my boiler appears to be leaking and its only about three years old. I am currently DEEP into complaining to the landlord about other repairs in my flat, and this side of the new year I haven't the spare energy (pardon pun) to expend on arguing with the housing association about whether or not sending out a boiler guy is or fckingwell is not one of their policies these days Rolling Eyes

Sheesh.
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Jmoan
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PostPosted: 22:50 - 01 Feb 2023    Post subject: Reply with quote

So these things are spymeters instead of smart meters.
Aren't there any breaker boxes with power monitors built in to tell the user the power use for each line?
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stinkwheel
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PostPosted: 23:02 - 01 Feb 2023    Post subject: Reply with quote

Jmoan wrote:
So these things are spymeters instead of smart meters.
Aren't there any breaker boxes with power monitors built in to tell the user the power use for each line?


You can buy a clamp-on power monitor which has all the functionality of a smart meter in terms of monitoring energy useage. You just put a clip round the incoming power cable and it remotes to a display, or smartphone app or whatever you fancy. Works just like an ammeter clamp measuring the incoming current over time.

People often buy one, use it for a couple of weeks to see what uses loads of power in their house then sell it on again so you can pick up hardly used ones very cheap on ebay.

I've got a simple one which was £25 and found out a) I needed a new deep freeze and b) It is cheaper to cook sausages in the oven than under the grill but most cheap to fry them on the gas ring.
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MCN
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PostPosted: 23:18 - 01 Feb 2023    Post subject: Reply with quote

Tinfoil over the meter and save a sheet to make some protechead wear too.

And while your at it, keep your credit cards inside some tinfoil too.

I got these tips from Water Deviner Weekly.
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