I must agree with
@impartial viewer to me smart is when it coronates information to automatic do some function, so AMR (automatic meter reading) has been with us for years, AMI (advanced metering infrastructure) is however claimed to do more. usually involve real-time or near real-time sensors, power outage notification, and power quality monitoring.
It would be nice if we had a more integrated system, but to be frank we are today talking about daily use of around £3, and to have a washing machine, tumble drier, or dish washer which can auto turn on when we have an excess of power I think is not with us yet, I have to manually judge when to turn it on.
The immersion heater yes that does auto select when to turn on, but the iboost+ costs around £300 which is a far hunk of the price of a washing machine, and what we really want is a return to the hot fill washing machine.
It seems crazy that demise of the hot fill was in the main due to the way the energy ratings were worked out, and the hot fill fell foul of the way the energy ratings work. Yes you can still get hot fill, at a very inflated price.
But what I was looking at was the in home display (IHD) which comes with the smart meter. So I have changed tariff, and what I want to know, is have I done the right thing by changing? Now my solar panel software can tell me what I am using in kWh, today at 8 am I have used 3.4 kWh and imported 6.7 kWh if I get up early enough and read the IHD I have used £1.38 or 6.32 kWh I will assume it is the solar software which is slightly out 6.7 to 6.32 kWh anyway in my favour. If I do get up, then I can read the IHD but latter in the day there is no real way for me to look back on what was used at the cut off point at 8 am.
The app should help but this
is the latest reading with the app. 26th Feb 2024 is before I changed tariff, and before the solar software was set to charge battery over night. 7.25 - 6.32 = 0.93 kWh at the higher rate of 31.31p which is 29p and 6.32 at the lower rate of 8.95p so 56.5p so standing charge 59.14 + 29 + 56.5 = £1.44 a day looking back to before tariff change shows
showing nearly a whole week and it would seem what did cost me £2.14 for the day will now cost me £1.44 a whole 69p was it worth all the effort? OK £252 per year sounds better. Working on the £2.14 that is average of £65.09 a month, but being charged £81.35 a month direct debit with £414.91 in credit, I thought the whole idea of smart meter was more accurate bills? Yes idea is to select a figure which evens out through the year, so no large bills in the winter, however it is March, so we should be in debit this time of year not credit.
It seems unlikely what ever I do the bill will drop below £1.38 a day, yes I may get more than that back in energy exported, but separate billing for that. But I still feel I should be able to see a better display of yesterdays use, I would have expected four figures each day, off peak use, on peak use, standing charge, and total.
I can't expect this
from my IHD, it can't show what I am generating, storing, and using like the solar software, but it could show same as the app does but up to date.
And the big hype about more accurate bills, clearly with £414.91 in credit and still taking £65.09 per month that is plain lies, no other way to put it, yes smart meter is saving me money, but an AMR could have done that, no really need for AMI. As to the Smart meter allowing a switch to pre-payment, no it could not, as the IHD has not got the touch screen required.