Two things: energy meters and me.
A succession of energy suppliers has been pestering us for years to have a smart meter. We’ve held out this long because we don’t see the point. It’s for their benefit, not ours. The energy suppliers are paid to fit them, and meters don’t save you any money if you don’t use energy unnecessarily.
But we don’t think it will be all that long until they become compulsory, and as EDF were offering us a fixed rate tariff that cut £150 off the annual bill provided we had a smart meter, it seemed the right time to do it. We checked their calculations and signed up two months ago, made an appointment for the meter installation, and got the lower rate immediately.
The installer couldn’t do it. First of all, there is not enough space on the electricity supply base board. Secondly, because the gas meter is in the garage at the other side of a double brick wall four yards from the electricity meter in the house, the signal strength would probably be too weak for the two to communicate. He took some photographs and said that EDF would be in touch about what happens next.
They weren’t. All we had was emails saying we must have a smart meter to remain on the fixed tariff. So I phoned them. It seems we continue to wait. Apparently, they cannot alter the tariff while the matter remains open.
I estimate it needs at least £500 of work to resolve the problem with the electricity base board. I hope they don’t say it is our responsibility. And that would not solve the issue with the gas meter anyway, so we would still have to submit manual readings.
Smart meter roll out in the U.K. is a farce. It was all supposed to be finished five years ago. The mistake was to give the energy suppliers their way to fit them piecemeal, rather than have the national power grid install whole areas at a time. Private industry knows best, of course! We all pay for the inefficiency through increased bills, while the energy suppliers rake in the payments to give to shareholders.
I am not so smart either. First of all I had another fit and a night in hospital. It was two days after flu and covid jabs, and I also got the fine balance of hydration, nutrition, temperature, and tiredness wrong that day, but whether they had anything to do with it, I don’t know.
I am also struggling more generally. In addition to the reading difficulties written about previously, the pills I take to poison the tumours also poison me. One side-effect is to deplete blood albumin. It should measure 35-50 g/L. Mine is 21.
Albumin transports all kinds of things around the body, so the consequences are challenging and many. When you have a serious condition you learn more about human biology than ever they managed to teach you at school.
Reading with text-to-speech is slow, and I feel very tired much of the time. Posting and commenting take a lot of time and effort. I no longer comment as much as I would like, but I read more than I comment. I enjoy your posts, and continue to do what I can.
This is not to seek sympathy, but just to say how things are. I am more interested in your thoughts about smart meters.
And I'm more interested in your health than in smart meters. Hang in there, Tasker! I hope better days are coming soon for you.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Debra.
DeleteWe inherited a smart meter with this house. The remote read-out screen thing can be plugged into any electric socket. We soon tired of its finger wagging so now it’s banished to the understairs cupboard where it can throw its pinny over its head and strobe ‘OVER BUDGET! OVER BUDGET!’ to its heart content. In the words of Jim Royle - ‘save money my arse!’
ReplyDeleteI think we would have just switched it off. I believe the smart meter sends readings to the supplier, and the gadget is just for you.
DeleteTasker, I do appreciate the effort you put into blogging and staying in touch. I remember you regularly, whether or not you post. You matter. Nemmind the smart meter that can't send a signal through a paper bag!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Boud. Signal through paper bag! That's amusing.
DeleteI know you do not seek sympathy however I am sorry that you are struggling at the moment and hope that your doctors/medical support can sort you out.
ReplyDeleteOur smart meter has been quite useful over the past month since it was installed. We were given no choice, but I find it helpful to see how our consumption fluctuates. And see how much our next bill is likely to be.
Compulsion will come here too, soon, I feel sure. At present we send in monthly readings as the bill appears online straight away. Fairly predictible, except when daughter has been home using her electric kiln.
DeleteThank you for finding the energy to post and tell us how you are. It sounds exhausting, can your doctors give you some help while you have the treatment? The smart meter thing sounds annoying, here in California the providers installed smart meters in each home and the meters are outside. It didn't involve me doing anything and it was compulsory.
ReplyDeleteI have a choice. Take the pills and put up with the side effects, or stop the pills and let the brain tumours grow.
DeleteIt should have been done here as in California.
My understanding of smart meters is that the first generation ones were fatally flawed, and with the 3G turn off are now defunct, so had there been the originally planned roll out we would be going through the installation hassle all over again. It would have been much more sensible to leave it to the discretion of the customer & if you want one you pay to get one, why should everybody else pay? They actually serve little useful purpose, to say that they save you money is blatantly lying, the only way you save money is using less gas/electricity or time-shifting your use.
ReplyDeleteIf we're cold we put the heating on. That's all there is to it.
DeleteWho would want or pay for one?
Given that their main purpose is to even out energy use (free electricity on windy nights?) they will make them compulsory. We will all be charging up night storage heaters, or be like Keith Richard and get up at night.
So sorry to hear about your health situation. As much as you don't seek the sympathy, I think we can all sympathise with how you feel. I hope you get some improvement soon. As for smart meters I had one installed just under a year ago and quite honestly I can't see any benefits other than it horrifies me if I use too much., but on the other hand I need to use what I need to use. As you say, it's more for the benefit of the electricity companies than the customers.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Addy. As in response above, it will eventually supply flexible charging to all. One of our friends was recently given two free days of electricity for not using any for a whole month. They were in Australia.
Delete"Having a smart meter will save you money" that's what I was told last time someone tried to persuade me. "No it won't " I said "only using less electric will save me money and I don't want to use less" No answer!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you are still reading blogs - that's the main thing, commenting isn't a necessity!
I do like to comment, just as I like to receive them.
DeleteThat's the right thing to say. They cannot believe we are not all motivated by saving a bit. But we were offered £150 off, and I do think they will be compulsory soon.
We haven't got a smart meter. I am suspicious of them and of what has driven all the campaigning and the pressure to have them. I still wonder why there are different brands of smart meter. Why can't they all be the same? Having different brands must make switching energy companies more awkward.
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear about your recent health episode Tasker. Does your condition have a name? I would like to understand it better as I value our friendship through blogging.
The short answer is metastatic lung cancer probably caused by pollution and passive smoking. I have written previously about the Met Exon 14 Skipping Mutation and brain mets.
DeleteMeters are all different because we listened to the privatised suppliers and allowed them to do it instead of centrally. The suppliers saw it as another income stream.
They know so much about the body but they don't know what to do about some things.
ReplyDeleteActually, I see the treatment I have as science fiction, gene sequencing the humour cell mutation and making a chemical to block its action. But, yes, it would be better if it could be eliminated completely.
DeleteSmart meters were part of a drive to make the country more energy efficient and introduced in Gordon Brown's 2008 Energy Act. The Secretary of State has the job of directing the energy companies on the roll out. It was to make energy use in Britain more efficient and now of course is supposed to help to reach the goal of net zero so the request to the energy companies to reach more people with smart meter installation has increased. The big problem in the first few years was lack of mobile phone signals and so roll out was slow and the public didn't really want them anyway. I don't have a smart meter and I have no mobile phone signal although I do now have wifi which I suppose could be used. I keep track of my electricity use in a notebook and keeping usage as low as possible is not rocket science. I think anybody born in the 40s and 50s is automatically conscious of bills and not wasting money so smart meters mean little to us.
ReplyDeleteI think Brown got the poisoned chalice of having to introduce them, just as this government will have to make them compulsory. Otherwise, who would want one? Apart from automatic readings there seems little benefit. However, some will be happy if they start giving free power on windy nights (see responses to Will and Addy). Whether or not we subscribe to theories about carbon emissions, it's coming.
DeleteMy comment was factual. I was not criticising the Energy Act. I felt some facts were needed after reading the comments. I feel like your comment to me was judgmental on me that I was objecting to sonething on political grounds. You are wrong to pre-judge un this way. I may not share your socialist views throughout but I like to think I can see things impartially.
DeleteRachel, I didn't intend to sound as if I was interpreting your comment in that way, so apologies if it comes across like that. It was a helpful comment in that I didn't get round to looking up when smart meters were introduced, so thank you.
DeleteIt occurred to me later that I remember you saying you were also with EDF. South of about York, smart meters send in readings through the mobile phone network, and north of that they use a radio signal. I don't believe there is any other way at present. So if you signed up for the EDF smart meter discounts, you would get them without a smart meter, and it would be EDF's problem.
Thank you. I may have been a little too sensitive in my state of tiredness last night. Thanks for the information about EDF, you are right I am with them.
DeleteNo smart meter here, I simply text an electricity meter reading to E-on once a month. But I do have a nifty radar gadget on my oil tank (no gas where I live) which connects to my phone via an app which shows how much oil I have left and when the level goes down to 30% the oil delivery company will come out to fill up the tank. Cannot tell you what a relief that is after six years of bamboo stick dipping and trying to second guess the oil price not to mention the one time we ran out of oil - during a freezing January. Thank you for your farm-washing post, I am on your wavelength on this.
ReplyDeleteI’m sorry to read about your health. I have a poorly husband who is suffering and struggling with Parkinson’s. We managed a shuffly walk today in the sunshine and I’ve bathed and put him to bed and now I’m having five minutes peace in front of the log burner before I go to bed.Tomorrow is a new day and it is a truth that none of us knows what tomorrow will bring, no matter how smart we think we are. Sarah in Sussex
Thank you Sarah. Looking after your husband sounds both mentally and physically exhausting, but I think I do understand something of your situation. I hope I don't become that dependent on my wife.
DeleteWe have a read out gadget given us by a previous energy company. It clips to a meter cable and sends a signal to a display device. We haven't bothered to alter the prices it uses for years, but it does show when someone is using the shower, so we know not to run water and reduce the flow.
They became compulsory here a few years ago. For people who have access to their metres, they are able to better manage their electricity consumption but mine is locked away in a service area. Maybe there is an app I can use but I can't be bothered. I can already monitor my usage online but I only use that to see what power my tenants are using.
ReplyDeleteIt seems ridiculous not to be able to see your reading, but one of my son's flats was like that with locked away power and water meters. Like Rachel says, above, few are sufficiently obsessive to monitor their usage constantly.
DeleteIt is interesting to hear about where it has been made compulsory and other differences.
Tasker, please know that I am astounded and pleased every time your blog comes in my list. I know the effort it costs you.
ReplyDeleteMy city mandated a water smart meter, years ago. I steadfastly refused. I overlooked the fine print stating eventually my water would be shut off. It was. I called the city manager, in the evening, after work. There was no water for coffee. Or supper. He sent someone to turn on the water and I watched everything he did. Then I went into my garage and came back with the identical tool he used to turn on the water! Nevertheless, I let them install a smart meter.
Thank you, Joanne.
DeleteHere, they are not allowed to turn the water off. However, as you found, it can't be done remotely, and it is so simple to turn it on again. They think we are idiots.
Thank you for keeping up your blogging activities in spite of the challenges it presents to you these days.
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear you have been to hospital (again). It must be very tiresome - not just physically - to constantly battle against a serious condition, constantly being on the watch as to what to eat and drink when, when to rest and when to be active, plus a regime of medication (I suppose). It sounds pretty much like a fulltime job.
Smart meters are very common here in Germany. In this house, we're still on the dumb ones, and that's fine. I don't mind doing the annual reading myself and transmitting the readings to the provider. As someone who works in Privacy Protection, I am well aware of how smart meters can collect and transmit personal data, even if that data is completely unnecessary for the provider who only needs to know the usage.
It is like a full time job and you describe some of the difficulties correctly.
DeleteOur energy supplier here likes monthly readings, not annual. We don't always give them, but make sure we do when the price changes, which is every 3 months at the moment. It does concern me that a smart meter would send in readings every half-hour, from which they can get a pretty good idea of how you spend your say. In particular, they show whether anyone is in or not. If they could be hacked, that would be helpful to anyone with criminal intent.
Exactly; it sums up to profiling, and under data/privacy protection regulations, that's only allowed if very strict requirements are observed.
DeleteI'm sorry to read of your tribulations and hope your medical people can do something to address them.
ReplyDeleteWe have resisted smart meter installation, too, and submit readings to Eon at regular intervals.
Thank you, Janice(?). It was only the discount, fixing the rate, and the eventual inevitability that persuaded us. Also my wife does not want to have to send in readings if I can't.
DeleteIllness can be such a wretch, I hope you get better from this latest bout. As for 'Smart meters'. The name gives the game away, we haven't got one here and did have one in Normanby but took no notice of it. I go around switching off lights and tut-tutting at family on waste - All to no avail!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Thelma. Unfortunately, I won't get better, but hopefully I won't get worse for as long as possible.
DeleteThere is really nothing smart about smart meters.
I'm sorry that you're struggling right now, but like the rest of your commenters, I am glad to see a post from you. Never mind the commenting. That part does not matter a whit to me.
ReplyDeleteSmart meters are not a 'thing' here, and it is interesting to me that their purpose is nothing more that to point out when you're over budget. I have a smart husband. At one house, he felt that the meter was wrong. It was a rehab, so he went through and disconnected every electrical thing in the house. Still the meter spun crazily. He complained to the electric company and they came out to install a new meter. The old one was not working properly. This meant, of course, that he came home and did the same thing at our house to make sure that our meter could be stopped/slowed. Every new gadget has him out there testing and watching. For several months, he was reading the meter every day.
But he'd be tickled pink to be saving money even if the company cannot get the job done. He'd be cheerfully sending a post card back to the electric company each time that he received a notification from them. 'Ready when you are!' or something to that effect. And he'd laugh and laugh every time he thought of it.
Forget the electricity. Conserve your own energy. You're hoeing a tough row right now, and you needn't worry about things like comments.
Thank you, Debby. Posting and commenting are one of the things that keep me going.
DeleteThe energy companies here are almost impossible to contact except for pre-determined reasons listed on the online account. The phone number is in tiny writing at the bottom of a page. Your husband would have great fun with them.
We have time of use power here, so you save money if you use power at certain times of day. Nights and weekends are cheaper so that is when I do cleaning, laundry etc. Daytime is the most expensive. I believe my meter is on the outside of the house. I hope you get feeling better. I look forward to your interesting blog when you feel up to it. Gigi
ReplyDeleteThank you, Gigi. Time of use is for all is the eventual aim, I think, in order to even out demand and avoid shortages and over-provision. I don't know anyone who has it, though.
DeleteI can totally identify with your meter problem! Our energy supplier badgers us endlessly to get a smart meter, but when I called them years ago to have one installed they were unable to do it. Something about our old circuit breakers or the fact that we're one flat in a two-flat building, or SOMETHING, I can't quite remember. The whole thing was annoying and yet they STILL send me pleading e-mails to get a smart meter. Argh!
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear about your recent health issues. Take care of yourself! Commenting on blogs can wait! (But of course we always like to hear from you.)
Thank you, Steve.
DeleteMy son has had 3 flats where he is one of several, and always had a smart meter, so I doubt the flat is the difficulty. I don't know about circuit breakers, though.
Main impact of smart meters in Oz that I'm aware of is that they have enabled electricity providers to introduce time-of-day based tarrifs.
ReplyDeleteYes, as responded next-but-one above, it also helps the generators to even out the supply.
DeleteI've had two smart meters. Neither work. I keep getting calls from EDF asking if I would like a smart meter only to be told each time that I'll be put on the list but they have no installers in this area. Their estimates are usually within £2 or £3 of my reading on the due day.
ReplyDeleteHowever I am more concerned about the fact that I was unaware of how unwell you are. I hope that you have many more ups than downs over the period of your treatment. You will be in my thoughts.
The treatment has to continue until it no longer works, and I run out of options.
DeleteIt seems smart meters have a lot of problems and are something of a farce. But we will play along if it gives us a reduced tariff.