Smart Meters & temperature/BA thread size relationship

In wife world phone chargers and tumble driers will use the same amount of power, a smart meter gives them an insight to how much power each device really uses. An information sheet would probably have been cheaper than the billions spent on smart meters. They will be a never ending source of trouble as being electronic they will eventually fail and be unrepairable due to component obsolescence. The big advantage is automatic reading that gives suppliers a large saving in data collection cost. Variable rates may be the hidden sting in the tail or a benefit if it can work for you.

Mike

Of course nothing is for free, WE are paying for the so called smart meter roll out, something around £420 EACH customer by unnecessary raised bills.

How many years of being careful will that take to pay off?

Only EDF pestered me to fit one, they got a swift answer which had the desired effect.

I actually would like one - in order to find out.

I think my problem is I change suppliers too often for one of them to get round to fitting one.

It seems some folks bills have gone up considerably after having a smart meter fitted, even with identical usage. The reason given for this by the energy companies is that the old meter was under reading. I suggest anyone that has a smart meter fitted ask if they can keep the old one just in case!

A few points.

It seems some folks bills have gone up considerably after having a smart meter fitted

Some think the bill will go down just by having the SM. Unfortunately not true, the customer has to use the information, to do that (the only way is to reduce usage, for most energy suppliers).

Also, if your usage includes inductive loads (fridges, freezers, etc) the smart meter will record a higher electricity use for those items (more than 20%?) than presently. Not many that know or understand that!

I actually would like one - in order to find out.

Don’t rush to find out. It will happen soon enough. When you change supplier, they will insist on installing a SM as a condition of supply. The government will change the rules when the industry gets most onto SMs. Water companies already insist on a metered supply, whenever a new owner moves in.

In wife world phone chargers and tumble driers will use the same amount of power

Spot on there. My wife thinks setting a a thermostat higher increases the heat from an electric heater, not that it simply turns the item on and off. I also call her ‘turn it on, never turn it off’🙂 She also refuses to save water by using the partial flush on the loo🙁.

Gas boilers alone can be 150kw ++

You'll need smelling salts for the wife when it fires up.

Properties like that would install heat pumps, shirley? With a COP of around 4 for a ground source heat pump, that would likely be using only one fifth of the power quoted by John Hancock (assuming a 20% heat loss within the current heating system). Also it might enlighten them of reality - and actually educate them a bit?

[via the local display unit]

Once a SM is fitted, the supply companies could not care a jot if that display fails. More proof that once they have got their savings, they could not care less about the customer actually saving power!

prepaid smart meters

Might be good for more, but what are the rates for those on these meters?

NotDoneItYet - I think you need a new wife.
How did you manage to marry someone who does not have a degree in physics?
I bet the lust was uppermost in your mind

Edited By Anthony Kendall on 25/01/2021 13:52:58

Apart from this, my wife has very considerable other benefits/better traits/etc🙂 . I accept that no one is perfect. We all need to make compromises.

I'm sorry, but that comment is somewhat gonadal.

Rotating kWH meters measure power. Static kWH meters measure power. The accuracy class in use for domestic meters is 2% or better .

And yes, I did spend 7 1/2 years in charge of measuriing electrical power using both types in power station performance tests.

NDIY Good luck with that one, ( air/ground ) heat pumps for every household !

MR,

What? Less? Power?

And I would expect they should be much better than ±2%. I would expect them to be specified as +0,-2% as, given the choice, they will all tend to record more than the truth.

VARs are not charged for in UK retail electrical contracts. End of.

Any particular reason for the selective quote, leaving out “even with identical usage” ?

Edited By Vic on 25/01/2021 19:13:18

The tariff may say you must have a Smart Meter with that particular tariff, but if they cannot fit one (for whatever reason) then they will still let you on that tariff.

I am on 3-phase and I am not aware of any domestic smart meters that can handle 3-phase.

Colin

They are becoming available since mid 2020

It says here:

**LINK**

“Electricity meters are considered “accurate” if the permitted margins of error do not exceed +2.5% to -3.5% throughout the entire load range at which the meter is designed to operate”

Not unreasonable after 25 years of service, but if you look on the data plate, you will normally see that it states "class 2", that's what it was manufactured to,