[Finance] National Meter Reading Day

[SIMMO SAYS]

Finally managed to log in and update my gas & electric readings.
Site crashed between the first submission and the second.
Five hours on and off to probably save a quid.

 

[Shropshire Seagull]

There was a thread on this a couple of weeks ago. Energy companies pre-purchase their energy to get better prices, so I don't see why their customers shouldn't

For anyone contemplating this - one is legal [hedging] and the other is fraud ....

 

[Shropshire Seagull]

Never have never will use a smart meter (SM). More big brother. Energy Companies can cut you off intentionally or by mistake easily with a SM. At end of day still gotta pay for usage regardless of when take reading.

Are you suggesting they can cut you off just because you have a smart meter? Please elaborate.

What is it with some people and "big brother" - in this instance the "big brother" is you own energy provider so why would you be concerned that they can see your energy use daily/hourly?

Unless you're running a disreputable "farm" on your premises ...

 

[1066familyman]

There's that word again. Super

 

[Wrong-Direction]

View attachment 146513

There's that word again. Super

I finally managed to get it done half hour ago

Sent from my SM-A326B using Tapatalk

 

[Paulie Gualtieri]

Managed to log in via the British Gas app within seconds and app seemed stable.

Luckily fixed until November 2023

 

[beorhthelm]

Are you suggesting they can cut you off just because you have a smart meter? Please elaborate.

What is it with some people and "big brother" - in this instance the "big brother" is you own energy provider so why would you be concerned that they can see your energy use daily/hourly?

Unless you're running a disreputable "farm" on your premises ...

smart meters have the facility to cut power. they are suppose to only do so after proper proceedings, but there is potential for error. iirc the original directive for them made this a feature, so outages might be controlled in in any power supply problem. more likely, not implemented yet, is variable pricing so you pay more at peak times. its what makes them "smart" giving remote or programmed control of supply and billing.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Are you suggesting they can cut you off just because you have a smart meter? Please elaborate.

What is it with some people and "big brother" - in this instance the "big brother" is you own energy provider so why would you be concerned that they can see your energy use daily/hourly?

Unless you're running a disreputable "farm" on your premises ...

Those were my thoughts when I read China White's post.

Incidentally, don't ever buy a mobile phone. Know what I mean?

 

[Igzilla]

No need, fixed tariff until July 2023

Similar. Fixed until September 2024.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

smart meters have the facility to cut power. they are suppose to only do so after proper proceedings, but there is potential for error. iirc the original directive for them made this a feature, so outages might be controlled in in any power supply problem. more likely, not implemented yet, is variable pricing so you pay more at peak times. its what makes them "smart" giving remote or programmed control of supply and billing.

Anyone on here got personal experience of being cut off by their smart meter for no reason? Asking for a friend.

 

[swindonseagull]

Smart meters prevent all this....mine takes a reading every hour....Its the bits connected to the actual meter that send the info NOT the little screen hidden behind the microwave,

 

[Superphil]

Smart meters prevent all this....mine takes a reading every hour....Its the bits connected to the actual meter that send the info NOT the little screen hidden behind the microwave,

I’ve had two ‘smart’ meter installations, the first one 4 or 5 years ago, then I switched supplier and the new supplier said my smart meters weren’t actually smart enough for them. So the y fitted new smart meters. Then I switched again, as we are encouraged to, and the new supplier didn’t support smart meters. They then went bust and I was forced onto British Ga$. Guess what, they can’t read my smart meters, so I have now been on a waiting list for the best part of a year to have British Gas compatible ‘smart’ meters installed, and no sign of them on the horizon.

Smart, my arse.

 

[The Andy Naylor Fan Club]

We had a smart meter installed a couple of years ago to stop the faffing around with meter readings. My last 2 bills generated were bills that were calculated using estimates! No, I don't know either

 

[1066familyman]

Similar. Fixed until September 2024.

You've both got a right result there then.

I managed to get a fix with Avro, last October I think it was, that would have been another 12 month fix. A few weeks later Avro went out of business and no more fixes were available that weren't silly money. So now stuck on the variable tariff with Octopus.

 

[Fungus]

Anyone on here got personal experience of being cut off by their smart meter for no reason? Asking for a friend.

My Big Issue seller got cut off twice, despite being on their list as "vulnerable" because of health problems. He had to spend a stressful hour on the phone talking to someone across the world, who didn't understand. Only resolved (instantly) when he eventually managed to speak to the chap who fixed it previously.

 

[Neville's Breakfast]

There was a thread on this a couple of weeks ago. Energy companies pre-purchase their energy to get better prices, so I don't see why their customers shouldn't

Sounds like theft to me. I always read and submit ours on the last day of the month anyway so no difference this month with correct reading sent. The Ovo website did not crash or at least not when I used it. Similar to Andy Naylor Fan Club above our gas reading is supposed to be on a smart meter but we get estimated bills so I send the actual reading along with the non smart electricity.

 

[Super Steve Earle]

You've both got a right result there then.

I managed to get a fix with Avro, last October I think it was, that would have been another 12 month fix. A few weeks later Avro went out of business and no more fixes were available that weren't silly money. So now stuck on the variable tariff with Octopus.

I got switched from Avro to Octopus too. I think we got the best of the business closures. They are slightly below cap, communicate very well, gave me a £7 rebate for reducing my usage in Jan/Feb and I get a free go on their prize spin game each month. If they start offering reasonable fixes in due course, I'd be happy to stay with them.

 

[pure_white]

I have no smartie metre. The energy Co. send regular letters telling me how wonderful a smartie tube is and they are in the area can fit one any time. I bin them all. They send letters asking for metre readings. I bin them all. Eventually thet get off their backside and read the metre, available outside at any reasonable time. Sorted. Simples. And yes, people do have supplies cut off instantly for a range of right/wrong reasons with a smartie .

 

[Bodian]

Anyone on here got personal experience of being cut off by their smart meter for no reason? Asking for a friend.

Depends what you mean by 'no reason'. We got cut off (gas, electric was okay). Turned out that the gas meter 'smart' bit has a battery in, bit like a watch battery - which powers the meter to send the reading to the smart thing, which sends it to the company. Meant to last 10 years, runs out in about five - no warning, nothing. Instead of simply stopping the readings - it cuts the gas off! Great. See below.

I’ve had two ‘smart’ meter installations, the first one 4 or 5 years ago, then I switched supplier and the new supplier said my smart meters weren’t actually smart enough for them. So the y fitted new smart meters. Then I switched again, as we are encouraged to, and the new supplier didn’t support smart meters. They then went bust and I was forced onto British Ga$. Guess what, they can’t read my smart meters, so I have now been on a waiting list for the best part of a year to have British Gas compatible ‘smart’ meters installed, and no sign of them on the horizon.

Smart, my arse.

Co-op installed our first smart meter. It meant taking all the old meters off and putting new ones on - fair enough. Bloke drove up from Liverpool (85 miles each way), fitted the meters, but discovered he was missing a part. Returned the next day (85 miles each way) to sort it. Worked okay, but the meter and receiver wouldn't talk to each other as he couldn't log on. We had a free week of gas, then he drove back (85 miles each way) to connect us.

Five years later (see above) the watch battery ran out. Octopus (took over co-op) couldn't simply replace the small battery - no, we had to have a whole new gas meter (large lump of metal and bits) and electric meter - fitted by a chap who drove over from the north-east.

I did point out to him that the main purpose of smart meters was surely to try and cut our consumption of energy and so on. Yet with all the journeys and having to throw away old meters because the battery had run out must surely have consumed more carbon / materials than never having changed in the first place?

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Depends what you mean by 'no reason'. We got cut off (gas, electric was okay). Turned out that the gas meter 'smart' bit has a battery in, bit like a watch battery - which powers the meter to send the reading to the smart thing, which sends it to the company. Meant to last 10 years, runs out in about five - no warning, nothing. Instead of simply stopping the readings - it cuts the gas off! Great. See below.



Co-op installed our first smart meter. It meant taking all the old meters off and putting new ones on - fair enough. Bloke drove up from Liverpool (85 miles each way), fitted the meters, but discovered he was missing a part. Returned the next day (85 miles each way) to sort it. Worked okay, but the meter and receiver wouldn't talk to each other as he couldn't log on. We had a free week of gas, then he drove back (85 miles each way) to connect us.

Five years later (see above) the watch battery ran out. Octopus (took over co-op) couldn't simply replace the small battery - no, we had to have a whole new gas meter (large lump of metal and bits) and electric meter - fitted by a chap who drove over from the north-east.

I did point out to him that the main purpose of smart meters was surely to try and cut our consumption of energy and so on. Yet with all the journeys and having to throw away old meters because the battery had run out must surely have consumed more carbon / materials than never having changed in the first place?

Fair enough.