Smart meters?

[JohnD]

does Owl measure gas?

No.

 

[omega015]

I would imagine by installing smart meters, the energy companies save on meter readers for a start - lets face it, sending a man round every 6 mths to physically read a meter could be thought a bit archaic?

Indeed this does seem a bit archaic but I barely get a meter man out once a year. By law this is meant to be at least once every two years but I suspect they want to visit some households/neighbourhoods more frequently due to failure to provide accurate/frequent readings or suspected tampering. Also I do not expect the energy company to pass on any savings to the customer that they would make from losing these meter readers.

 

[omega015]

does Owl measure gas? when our Smart meter was fitted we got a new meter. Its the gas usage that has surprised me...

There are some energy monitoring products that do read gas meters but that all depends on your gas meter and what output it has (optic, RJ45, etc..)

 

[ban-all-sheds]

ban all sheds, if you (one) run your house on a shoestring turning off every light, hanging the washing over the rads, not having the CH unless you're shivering then you know you are using the minimum amount of energy possible. If you are not fixated on the cost of everything you do , fixated being the operative word, then its likely you will have less idea of what your energy is costing.

Indeed, but I don't need a smart meter, or an energy monitor, to tell me that if I leave lights on in unoccupied rooms, or have the house hotter than I want, or don't turn the oven off when I take the pie out, I'll consume electricity or gas for no useful purpose.

As for fixating, it seems to me that it's the ones who want to look at usage data on their PCs who are doing that.

I would imagine by installing smart meters, the energy companies save on meter readers for a start - lets face it, sending a man round every 6 mths to physically read a meter could be thought a bit archaic?

It could indeed. But that's not a benefit for the consumer.

 

[JohnD]

There are some people who think that the cost of lighting is significant. It isn't. Or bathroom extractor fans, or phone chargers or TVs.

All negligible.

Things that heat houses, or water, are costly.

Energy from gas now costs about a quarter the price of energy from electricity.
My own tariff (ex VAT) is currently:
Electricity 9.55p per kWh
Gas 2.105p per kWh
Nearly five times as much.
So better the central heating than an electric heater.

And of course the boiler, not an immersion heater or electric shower, for hot water.

 

[big-all]

@big-all - having worked all of those things out are you now not washing and drying clothes as often as you used to?

thats cheap to me
i have never bothered hanging clothes to dry because i do my woodwork in the same area as i would dry my washing
for years i was told i would be spending about 40-50p to dry a load off washing so that would convert to perhaps £1 now so was pleseantly surprized a couple off years ago to find a cold fill 40 degree 1hr wash 1600 spin and a tumble till dry would cost around 30p
i use the information to stop doing pointless things like turning off led lights for short spells or instead off turning off or unplugging i leave anything around the 1w mark on standby

 

[matz]

Indeed, but I don't need a smart meter, or an energy monitor, to tell me that if I leave lights on in unoccupied rooms, or have the house hotter than I want, or don't turn the oven off when I take the pie out, I'll consume electricity or gas for no useful purpose.

As for fixating, it seems to me that it's the ones who want to look at usage data on their PCs who are doing that.



It could indeed. But that's not a benefit for the consumer.

not sure how many people need a smart meter to remind them the ovens still running after they take the pie out Energy companies put these gadgets in to make themselves more profit which I dont have a problem with. A spin off is the average consumer gets an insight into their real time energy usage as I did. I never imagined how much gas my boiler used. I'm not sure the average person would have a clue as to the gas consumption of their CH boiler. However, most people know if they put the tumble drier on or electric fire on its going to cost them. Maybe my smart meter is over reading the gas consumption because for sure it shoots up when the heating is on. ie £8 a day for gas and electric when its a bit cold with not excessive use of electric ( modern 4 bed detached mum and dad and now one offspring)

 

[EFLImpudence]

A spin off is the average consumer gets an insight into their real time energy usage as I did. I never imagined how much gas my boiler used. I'm not sure the average person would have a clue as to the gas consumption of their CH boiler.

So what are you doing now that you do know which you did not do when you did not know?




When I get up in the morning, I watch tv for three minutes instead of boiling the kettle for tea.

It saves on electricity.

 

[flameport]

I have tried to explain to them about the possible health risks,microwave interference and possible spying but they think its all nonsense.

That's because it is nonsense.
Smart meters communicate using the mobile phone network, so low level microwave signals are used.
However so do mobile phones, laptops, tablets and a hoard of other devices.
Unless your parents do not own any of these, and all of their neighbours also do not have any of them, and they live in a location far away from any mobile phone base station, WiFi access point or similar, then they are already being exposed to the same microwaves.
If they do happen to live in such a place, they can't have a smart meter anyway.

As for the spying - your energy supplier could see how much power you are using at a certain moment, and when that increases/decreases.
It's theoretically possible for future appliances to communicate with the meter in various ways, but such things do not yet exist.

 

[matz]

So what are you doing now that you do know which you did not do when you did not know?




When I get up in the morning, I watch tv for three minutes instead of boiling the kettle for tea.

It saves on electricity.

I keep turning the CH stat down more often than I did. With smart meter newly installed i went round making sure all the lights were off until I realised it hardly made any difference I never realised how much gas the CH used. If out of 100 customers who have smart meters installed more are like me than like someone like ban sheds then smart meters are an advantage. If i am in the minority and everyone else is constantly monitoring their usage then smart meters will not make much differnce to them.

 

[Doggit]

That's because it is nonsense.

Not quite. I'm sensitive to mobile phones and wifi, and I eventually realise when I can't sleep, that I've left one of them on. I can even tell if there's a phone on in the flat next door. I invariably have my phone in my left trouser pocket, and have noticed the muscles in my leg getting hot lately. There are reports of increased cases of cancer near mobile phone masts, but as to problems caused by smart meters, no I don't think so.

 

[EFLImpudence]

I keep turning the CH stat down more often than I did.

Why do you need to "keep turning the CH stat down"?

Who keeps turning it back up?

Were you too hot before or are you too cold now?





Do you not see the point being made?

 

[matz]

no I cant see the point being made, maybe I'm being a bit thick lol. In a home people wish to be comfortable. If you are watching the pennies its a contant battle between £ and comfort. Luckily for us we dont live need to like that but its easy to err towards too much comfort and being lazy (human nature) ie cant be bothered to put a jumper on etc. Its not until you actually see what your laziness is actually costing that you realise how much money you could save.

 

[Doggit]

Your eyes have been opened Matz, and like any revelation, it's going to take you a bit of time for you to come to terms with it.

 

[aptsys]

There are some people who think that the cost of lighting is significant. It isn't. Or bathroom extractor fans, or phone chargers or TVs.

All negligible.

Things that heat houses, or water, are costly.

The quiescent power draw in my house is anywhere between 400 and 600W - that's no heating devices, just things like TVs with no hard power off, chargers, clock radios, alarm, TV recorders etc and a fridge freezer. Individually they're 'insignificant' but it apparently very quickly adds up.