Smart meter compulsory replacement

[JohnW2]

We have become customers of Octopus because they bought the retail customers from Shell Energy ... Be interesting to see if they try to insist on us having a SM

Yes, it will be interesting to discover that. They may well be prepared to offer you a ';standard variable rate' tariff (per Ofgem 'cap') but it is an inevitability that they wouldn't be able to offer many (all?) of their cheaper tariffs if you did not have a 'smart' meter'.

When eric talks about being 'forced' to have a 'smart meter', I think he means that he has to have such a meter if he wishes to enjoy some of the cheaper tariffs they can offer.

 

[ebee]

Yes, it will be interesting to discover that. They may well be prepared to offer you a ';standard variable rate' tariff (per Ofgem 'cap') but it is an inevitability that they wouldn't be able to offer many (all?) of their cheaper tariffs if you did not have a 'smart' meter'.

When eric talks about being 'forced' to have a 'smart meter', I think he means that he has to have such a meter if he wishes to enjoy some of the cheaper tariffs they can offer.

Perhaps not "forced" but more akin to "Enticed" might be appropriate

 

[JohnW2]

Perhaps not "forced" but more akin to "Enticed" might be appropriate

Indeed - and that is the point I keep making.

As I've said, if one supplier (of anything) imposes certain conditions for one to enjoy their lowest prices, then, if one does not satisfy (and/or does not want to satisfy) those conditions, then one surely should 'shop around' in the hope that one can find a different supplier who offers something closer to what one would like?

Kind Regards, John

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

So still it seems smart means two way coms, and only reason for two way coms it the ability to turn off the supply, or have I got something wrong? And this was always my worry, that in error I would loose my supply.

I think you are massively over-thinking it Eric - why would they, in error, turn your supply off? A whole series of checks have to be made first, numerous attempts made to find an alternative, letters sent, and visits to your door. Even then, if they do cut your supply in error, they are liable for extensive damages.

I'm an early SM adopter. Last year, due to my suppliers mismanagement of my account, it was in quite serious debt. There were no warnings, no threats to cut me off, they never cut me off.

Why concern your self with the problem of the SM being able to communicate? Just leave it to the installers to resolve. Octopus will already be able to check your consumption, from your existing supplier, I would imagine.

 

[EFLImpudence]

why would they, in error, turn your supply off?

Duh! Because they made a mistake.

 

[JohnW2]

I think you are massively over-thinking it Eric - why would they, in error, turn your supply off? A whole series of checks have to be made first, numerous attempts made to find an alternative, letters sent, and visits to your door. Even then, if they do cut your supply in error, they are liable for extensive damages.

Indeed. Mistakes obviously do occasionally happen, but with the increasing prevalence of external meters (and cutouts), they often can 'disconnect' supplies' (as a last resort) by pulling the cutout fuse without having to have access to the (inside of) the property - and theoretically could mistakenly pull the fuse from the wrong cutout.

Kind Regards, John

 

[ericmark]

When eric talks about being 'forced' to have a 'smart meter', I think he means that he has to have such a meter if he wishes to enjoy some of the cheaper tariffs they can offer.

Correct in my case can't be paid for feed in without a smart meter, in fact they have been dragging their heals fitting it, said it could not be fitted as job came over smart phone, and with solar panels it needs to come on his tablet. Work that one out if you can.

 

[JohnW2]

Correct in my case can't be paid for feed in without a smart meter,

Fair enough - but that is again a case of your motivation being 'for financial gain', and no-one is forcing you to have a 'smart' meter (hence that financial gain) if you don't want to.

in fact they have been dragging their heals fitting it, said it could not be fitted as job came over smart phone, and with solar panels it needs to come on his tablet. Work that one out if you can.

I think I'll leave you to try to work out that one

Kind Regards, John

 

[Murdochcat]

Duh! Because they made a mistake.

Or their systems have been hacked

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

Or their systems have been hacked

Very unlikely, don't you think, and why would anyone expend a great deal of energy, to do that. Back to the blocked you go..

 

[Why Not Indeed]

why would anyone expend a great deal of energy, to do that

That is *exactly* the kind of thing that a hostile nation state would do. This is not the usual swivel-eyed paranoia.
I would like to think that the software that manages this stuff has been written in such a way to heavily rate-limit connections/disconnections, so that even if access to it were compromised, the amount of havoc wreaked would be kept to a minimum. DCC is run by Capita, so looks like we're in safe hands

 

[ebee]

Well you would hope so wouldn`t you.
Having said that.
I think we have a right to expect that to be the case.
However - how much do you actually trust Governments, Orginisations and individuals to be near spot on?
I think history (both ancient and modern (including very, very recent) teaches us to not trust them much more than 50% ish or thereabouts.
How many calamaties do we get more often than we might dream of? Not at all bording perfection in my opinion.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

That is *exactly* the kind of thing that a hostile nation state would do.

I cannot imagine a 'hostile nation' going through a list of meters, one at a time, going click, click, click.

 

[aveatry]

Stuff gets hacked all the time and I have a feeling more than we are told.