Smart Meters

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Re: Smart Meters

Post by JimbO »

I've told eon that until they're legal requirement I won't be getting one.

The irony is that it's another device that you have to pay to run.
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Re: Smart Meters

Post by Top of the JES »

Just had a Smart meter installed. it's still connecting to the Octopus Energy at the moment (can take a few days) but should soon be up and running.

We are going all in on Eco and by having a smart meter will have access to Octopus smart electricity tariffs which will give us up to 6 hours cheap electricity each night. And when combined with Solar panels and a storage battery (being installed) it should save us a pretty penny on energy bills and petrol. Solar will power the house and/or car for free during the day help with topping up the storage battery, If needed we can use Octopus smart electricity tariff at night to top up our home battery for use when solar isn't generating power any excess we can sell back to the grid. had two independent forecasts and it should generate enough electricity to save us between £1,400 and £2,000 year. The solar/Battery system isn't cheap but we have been fortunate to have been left some money so not worried about payback. Currently deciding what EV to get to replace my 7 year old Petrol car.
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Re: Smart Meters

Post by Type high »

Sid Bishop wrote: Fri Sep 18, 2020 3:33 pm
The Mindsweep wrote: Fri Sep 18, 2020 3:15 pm I've heard that when you touch the pad of the Smart Meter it takes a biometric profile of you and works out:

What drugs you've taken in the last year
The likelihood of dying from high blood pressure
The last time you washed you hands
Your sexual orientation

You have been warned!
You say this in jest, but I am going to join a NHS pre-diabetes scheme recommended by my doctor where you join a group ( all group sessions done over the phone ) and are mentored as to how to bring your blood sugar count down via dieting and exercise etc. Anyway, before joining the group sessions, I had someone phone me up for routine questions, details. First time all ok, second time I got phoned up and the young woman at the other end of the phone went through a further tick list of questions and nearing the end, the questions got around to my own sexual orientation and also was I now the same sex as I was when born ! I was rather astonished at this line of questioning and refused these particular ones on principle. I said what on earth have these questions got to do with reducing my blood sugar level ? I was told that I did not have to answer them but it was a general survey type of thing that the NHS asked of people, In my opinion, a rather odd, unnecessary and intrusive things to be asked by a complete stranger over the phone !
Should've asked her round for a cup of coffee to help answer the questions about your sexual predilection.
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Re: Smart Meters

Post by E10EU »

I have had the Octopus smart meter installed 3 weeks ago. Whatever the politics of this type of metering may be, for me it serves as a very clear visual demonstration of the energy I use and how our individual daily choices impact on it. We used to take it for granted that gas and electricity was affordable, always available, just like the air we breathe.
Recent events have shown just how complex and vulnerable the generating and supply of gas and electricity really is and how it can become a weapon in warfare. Putin is weaponising this. Also: extreme profits for some, devastation for others !!!
Last edited by E10EU on Thu Nov 10, 2022 2:02 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Smart Meters

Post by E10EU »

Of course, there is also the aspect how more and more occupations are being made redundant through technology:
No quarterly meter readers coming to your door, fewer check-out operators in supermarkets with the push for self-service, and I still remember tne days when travelling on a London bus involved a LT employee issuing a ticket to the passengers on board.
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Re: Smart Meters

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Top of the JES wrote: Wed Nov 09, 2022 11:40 pm Just had a Smart meter installed. it's still connecting to the Octopus Energy at the moment (can take a few days) but should soon be up and running.

We are going all in on Eco and by having a smart meter will have access to Octopus smart electricity tariffs which will give us up to 6 hours cheap electricity each night. And when combined with Solar panels and a storage battery (being installed) it should save us a pretty penny on energy bills and petrol. Solar will power the house and/or car for free during the day help with topping up the storage battery, If needed we can use Octopus smart electricity tariff at night to top up our home battery for use when solar isn't generating power any excess we can sell back to the grid. had two independent forecasts and it should generate enough electricity to save us between £1,400 and £2,000 year. The solar/Battery system isn't cheap but we have been fortunate to have been left some money so not worried about payback. Currently deciding what EV to get to replace my 7 year old Petrol car.
We're in a similar position, but I already had the car, and got the panels (6.5Kw) and batteries (13.4Kw) last month. I can run the house all day from the cheap rate electricity I put in the battery overnight, and I charge the car at the same time too when needed. At this time of year you'll never be able to run your car for free as there isn't enough solar generation (on some very overcast days there's barely any) but I'm hopeful it will be a different story in the summer. Selling back to the grid is barely worth it, if you can get a SolarBoost type device which will use your excess generation to heat your water and save on gas (if you have that type of setup). My other tip is make sure you get an EV charger that can monitor your solar generation as otherwise your car will likely try to pull 7kw from your supply, and some of that will have to come from the grid as your batteries won't be able to supply all that at once.

I didn't have a smart meter for a long time but I'm really pleased I have one now. As others have said, you can't beat a visual representation of your current spending to fully understand the 'cost' of boiling the kettle ten times a day. Also, it will get to the point where the best tariffs require one anyway, so you're not really doing yourself any favours by holding out.
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Re: Smart Meters

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o-no wrote: Thu Nov 10, 2022 7:45 am
Top of the JES wrote: Wed Nov 09, 2022 11:40 pm Just had a Smart meter installed. it's still connecting to the Octopus Energy at the moment (can take a few days) but should soon be up and running.

We are going all in on Eco and by having a smart meter will have access to Octopus smart electricity tariffs which will give us up to 6 hours cheap electricity each night. And when combined with Solar panels and a storage battery (being installed) it should save us a pretty penny on energy bills and petrol. Solar will power the house and/or car for free during the day help with topping up the storage battery, If needed we can use Octopus smart electricity tariff at night to top up our home battery for use when solar isn't generating power any excess we can sell back to the grid. had two independent forecasts and it should generate enough electricity to save us between £1,400 and £2,000 year. The solar/Battery system isn't cheap but we have been fortunate to have been left some money so not worried about payback. Currently deciding what EV to get to replace my 7 year old Petrol car.
We're in a similar position, but I already had the car, and got the panels (6.5Kw) and batteries (13.4Kw) last month. I can run the house all day from the cheap rate electricity I put in the battery overnight, and I charge the car at the same time too when needed. At this time of year you'll never be able to run your car for free as there isn't enough solar generation (on some very overcast days there's barely any) but I'm hopeful it will be a different story in the summer. Selling back to the grid is barely worth it, if you can get a SolarBoost type device which will use your excess generation to heat your water and save on gas (if you have that type of setup). My other tip is make sure you get an EV charger that can monitor your solar generation as otherwise your car will likely try to pull 7kw from your supply, and some of that will have to come from the grid as your batteries won't be able to supply all that at once.

I didn't have a smart meter for a long time but I'm really pleased I have one now. As others have said, you can't beat a visual representation of your current spending to fully understand the 'cost' of boiling the kettle ten times a day. Also, it will get to the point where the best tariffs require one anyway, so you're not really doing yourself any favours by holding out.
Nope. I shall continue to cut off my nose to spite my face for I am a free man.
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Re: Smart Meters

Post by o-no »

Max B Gold wrote: Thu Nov 10, 2022 10:13 am
o-no wrote: Thu Nov 10, 2022 7:45 am
Top of the JES wrote: Wed Nov 09, 2022 11:40 pm Just had a Smart meter installed. it's still connecting to the Octopus Energy at the moment (can take a few days) but should soon be up and running.

We are going all in on Eco and by having a smart meter will have access to Octopus smart electricity tariffs which will give us up to 6 hours cheap electricity each night. And when combined with Solar panels and a storage battery (being installed) it should save us a pretty penny on energy bills and petrol. Solar will power the house and/or car for free during the day help with topping up the storage battery, If needed we can use Octopus smart electricity tariff at night to top up our home battery for use when solar isn't generating power any excess we can sell back to the grid. had two independent forecasts and it should generate enough electricity to save us between £1,400 and £2,000 year. The solar/Battery system isn't cheap but we have been fortunate to have been left some money so not worried about payback. Currently deciding what EV to get to replace my 7 year old Petrol car.
We're in a similar position, but I already had the car, and got the panels (6.5Kw) and batteries (13.4Kw) last month. I can run the house all day from the cheap rate electricity I put in the battery overnight, and I charge the car at the same time too when needed. At this time of year you'll never be able to run your car for free as there isn't enough solar generation (on some very overcast days there's barely any) but I'm hopeful it will be a different story in the summer. Selling back to the grid is barely worth it, if you can get a SolarBoost type device which will use your excess generation to heat your water and save on gas (if you have that type of setup). My other tip is make sure you get an EV charger that can monitor your solar generation as otherwise your car will likely try to pull 7kw from your supply, and some of that will have to come from the grid as your batteries won't be able to supply all that at once.

I didn't have a smart meter for a long time but I'm really pleased I have one now. As others have said, you can't beat a visual representation of your current spending to fully understand the 'cost' of boiling the kettle ten times a day. Also, it will get to the point where the best tariffs require one anyway, so you're not really doing yourself any favours by holding out.
Nope. I shall continue to cut off my nose to spite my face for I am a free man.
Run, and you'll live... at least a while. And dying in your beds, many years from now, would you be willin' to trade ALL the days, from this day to that, for one chance, just one chance, to come back here and tell our enemies that they may take our lives, but they'll never take our clapped out old electricity meters
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Re: Smart Meters

Post by Top of the JES »

o-no wrote: Thu Nov 10, 2022 7:45 am
Top of the JES wrote: Wed Nov 09, 2022 11:40 pm Just had a Smart meter installed. it's still connecting to the Octopus Energy at the moment (can take a few days) but should soon be up and running.

We are going all in on Eco and by having a smart meter will have access to Octopus smart electricity tariffs which will give us up to 6 hours cheap electricity each night. And when combined with Solar panels and a storage battery (being installed) it should save us a pretty penny on energy bills and petrol. Solar will power the house and/or car for free during the day help with topping up the storage battery, If needed we can use Octopus smart electricity tariff at night to top up our home battery for use when solar isn't generating power any excess we can sell back to the grid. had two independent forecasts and it should generate enough electricity to save us between £1,400 and £2,000 year. The solar/Battery system isn't cheap but we have been fortunate to have been left some money so not worried about payback. Currently deciding what EV to get to replace my 7 year old Petrol car.
We're in a similar position, but I already had the car, and got the panels (6.5Kw) and batteries (13.4Kw) last month. I can run the house all day from the cheap rate electricity I put in the battery overnight, and I charge the car at the same time too when needed. At this time of year you'll never be able to run your car for free as there isn't enough solar generation (on some very overcast days there's barely any) but I'm hopeful it will be a different story in the summer. Selling back to the grid is barely worth it, if you can get a SolarBoost type device which will use your excess generation to heat your water and save on gas (if you have that type of setup). My other tip is make sure you get an EV charger that can monitor your solar generation as otherwise your car will likely try to pull 7kw from your supply, and some of that will have to come from the grid as your batteries won't be able to supply all that at once.

I didn't have a smart meter for a long time but I'm really pleased I have one now. As others have said, you can't beat a visual representation of your current spending to fully understand the 'cost' of boiling the kettle ten times a day. Also, it will get to the point where the best tariffs require one anyway, so you're not really doing yourself any favours by holding out.
Thanks o-no - I know that the battery will charge the car more often than not in the winter with lack of Solar input at times but I can fully charge the car for about £7 on cheap electricity from Octopus assuming a 60kwh (max) charge even if it takes two nights to fully charge it that's not an issue. that said I'm not going to let the charge go down to zero on the car and plan to operate between 20-80% my longest journey is 90 mile round trip to the O's. I've ordered an Eddy to divert power and warm my water as you say will save gas. What charger have you got? Provisionally I'm down for a Zappy but may change to a Ohme as it seem to have more compatibility with Octopus. is your 13.4kwh a power wall? can I pm you with a few questions please?
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Re: Smart Meters

Post by Max B Gold »

Top of the JES wrote: Thu Nov 10, 2022 11:54 am
o-no wrote: Thu Nov 10, 2022 7:45 am
Top of the JES wrote: Wed Nov 09, 2022 11:40 pm Just had a Smart meter installed. it's still connecting to the Octopus Energy at the moment (can take a few days) but should soon be up and running.

We are going all in on Eco and by having a smart meter will have access to Octopus smart electricity tariffs which will give us up to 6 hours cheap electricity each night. And when combined with Solar panels and a storage battery (being installed) it should save us a pretty penny on energy bills and petrol. Solar will power the house and/or car for free during the day help with topping up the storage battery, If needed we can use Octopus smart electricity tariff at night to top up our home battery for use when solar isn't generating power any excess we can sell back to the grid. had two independent forecasts and it should generate enough electricity to save us between £1,400 and £2,000 year. The solar/Battery system isn't cheap but we have been fortunate to have been left some money so not worried about payback. Currently deciding what EV to get to replace my 7 year old Petrol car.
We're in a similar position, but I already had the car, and got the panels (6.5Kw) and batteries (13.4Kw) last month. I can run the house all day from the cheap rate electricity I put in the battery overnight, and I charge the car at the same time too when needed. At this time of year you'll never be able to run your car for free as there isn't enough solar generation (on some very overcast days there's barely any) but I'm hopeful it will be a different story in the summer. Selling back to the grid is barely worth it, if you can get a SolarBoost type device which will use your excess generation to heat your water and save on gas (if you have that type of setup). My other tip is make sure you get an EV charger that can monitor your solar generation as otherwise your car will likely try to pull 7kw from your supply, and some of that will have to come from the grid as your batteries won't be able to supply all that at once.

I didn't have a smart meter for a long time but I'm really pleased I have one now. As others have said, you can't beat a visual representation of your current spending to fully understand the 'cost' of boiling the kettle ten times a day. Also, it will get to the point where the best tariffs require one anyway, so you're not really doing yourself any favours by holding out.
Thanks o-no - I know that the battery will charge the car more often than not in the winter with lack of Solar input at times but I can fully charge the car for about £7 on cheap electricity from Octopus assuming a 60kwh (max) charge even if it takes two nights to fully charge it that's not an issue. that said I'm not going to let the charge go down to zero on the car and plan to operate between 20-80% my longest journey is 90 mile round trip to the O's. I've ordered an Eddy to divert power and warm my water as you say will save gas. What charger have you got? Provisionally I'm down for a Zappy but may change to a Ohme as it seem to have more compatibility with Octopus. is your 13.4kwh a power wall? can I pm you with a few questions please?
It will be steam locomotives chat next.
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Re: Smart Meters

Post by Top of the JES »

Max B Gold wrote: Thu Nov 10, 2022 11:58 am
Top of the JES wrote: Thu Nov 10, 2022 11:54 am
o-no wrote: Thu Nov 10, 2022 7:45 am

We're in a similar position, but I already had the car, and got the panels (6.5Kw) and batteries (13.4Kw) last month. I can run the house all day from the cheap rate electricity I put in the battery overnight, and I charge the car at the same time too when needed. At this time of year you'll never be able to run your car for free as there isn't enough solar generation (on some very overcast days there's barely any) but I'm hopeful it will be a different story in the summer. Selling back to the grid is barely worth it, if you can get a SolarBoost type device which will use your excess generation to heat your water and save on gas (if you have that type of setup). My other tip is make sure you get an EV charger that can monitor your solar generation as otherwise your car will likely try to pull 7kw from your supply, and some of that will have to come from the grid as your batteries won't be able to supply all that at once.

I didn't have a smart meter for a long time but I'm really pleased I have one now. As others have said, you can't beat a visual representation of your current spending to fully understand the 'cost' of boiling the kettle ten times a day. Also, it will get to the point where the best tariffs require one anyway, so you're not really doing yourself any favours by holding out.
Thanks o-no - I know that the battery will charge the car more often than not in the winter with lack of Solar input at times but I can fully charge the car for about £7 on cheap electricity from Octopus assuming a 60kwh (max) charge even if it takes two nights to fully charge it that's not an issue. that said I'm not going to let the charge go down to zero on the car and plan to operate between 20-80% my longest journey is 90 mile round trip to the O's. I've ordered an Eddy to divert power and warm my water as you say will save gas. What charger have you got? Provisionally I'm down for a Zappy but may change to a Ohme as it seem to have more compatibility with Octopus. is your 13.4kwh a power wall? can I pm you with a few questions please?
It will be steam locomotives chat next.
Leave that to you.
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Re: Smart Meters

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Top of the JES wrote: Thu Nov 10, 2022 11:54 am
o-no wrote: Thu Nov 10, 2022 7:45 am
Top of the JES wrote: Wed Nov 09, 2022 11:40 pm Just had a Smart meter installed. it's still connecting to the Octopus Energy at the moment (can take a few days) but should soon be up and running.

We are going all in on Eco and by having a smart meter will have access to Octopus smart electricity tariffs which will give us up to 6 hours cheap electricity each night. And when combined with Solar panels and a storage battery (being installed) it should save us a pretty penny on energy bills and petrol. Solar will power the house and/or car for free during the day help with topping up the storage battery, If needed we can use Octopus smart electricity tariff at night to top up our home battery for use when solar isn't generating power any excess we can sell back to the grid. had two independent forecasts and it should generate enough electricity to save us between £1,400 and £2,000 year. The solar/Battery system isn't cheap but we have been fortunate to have been left some money so not worried about payback. Currently deciding what EV to get to replace my 7 year old Petrol car.
We're in a similar position, but I already had the car, and got the panels (6.5Kw) and batteries (13.4Kw) last month. I can run the house all day from the cheap rate electricity I put in the battery overnight, and I charge the car at the same time too when needed. At this time of year you'll never be able to run your car for free as there isn't enough solar generation (on some very overcast days there's barely any) but I'm hopeful it will be a different story in the summer. Selling back to the grid is barely worth it, if you can get a SolarBoost type device which will use your excess generation to heat your water and save on gas (if you have that type of setup). My other tip is make sure you get an EV charger that can monitor your solar generation as otherwise your car will likely try to pull 7kw from your supply, and some of that will have to come from the grid as your batteries won't be able to supply all that at once.

I didn't have a smart meter for a long time but I'm really pleased I have one now. As others have said, you can't beat a visual representation of your current spending to fully understand the 'cost' of boiling the kettle ten times a day. Also, it will get to the point where the best tariffs require one anyway, so you're not really doing yourself any favours by holding out.
Thanks o-no - I know that the battery will charge the car more often than not in the winter with lack of Solar input at times but I can fully charge the car for about £7 on cheap electricity from Octopus assuming a 60kwh (max) charge even if it takes two nights to fully charge it that's not an issue. that said I'm not going to let the charge go down to zero on the car and plan to operate between 20-80% my longest journey is 90 mile round trip to the O's. I've ordered an Eddy to divert power and warm my water as you say will save gas. What charger have you got? Provisionally I'm down for a Zappy but may change to a Ohme as it seem to have more compatibility with Octopus. is your 13.4kwh a power wall? can I pm you with a few questions please?
Sure, no probs. For anyone else interested, I have a EO Mini Pro 2 charger, but I think there is a Mini Pro 3 now. I mainly chose it because it's fairly inconspicuous on the house. I'm a bit torn as to recommend it - the app is terrible, but their support is really good. You can get a solar clamp accessory which lets the charger know what the panels are generating, so I want to get that fitted. One thing I should have mentioned before, if you haven't had your panels installed yet, make sure you get the pigeon-protection added to stop the little blighters nesting underneath. My neighbours had to get the scaffolding guys in again to get that put on afterwards which cost him a pretty packet. I have a 5.2 and 8.2Kw Givenergy batteries by the way. Now trains......
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Re: Smart Meters

Post by Max B Gold »

Now you're talkin'
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