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smart meters: questions to ask?

DavidMartin
My electronics does not quite extend to domestic power systems so would appreciate advice: 


We have a 4kW PV installation (which works well), but I understand some smart meters are incompatible with PV installations.  Partly for that reason I have prevented installation, so far.

I also understand that smart meter standards are still settling and not all meters being installed are guaranteed to work for the forseeable future, through changes in suppliers, etc.

There also seem to be issues around safely and future maintenance of some smart meter systems.


So ... can the team suggest questions I should ask to reduce the risk of a 'bad' smart meter installation ?


Thanks.
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  • 0

    Potential:

    Benefits to the customer?

    Not a lot, if any at all.  It is all a con.




    I was just offered a SMETS2 by my supplier. So I did some calculations.


    [Aside from my other fear that hackers could remote disconnect me - the SMETS2 does appear to have a remote controlled contactor inside. BigClive took one to bits. And IME what's state of the art encryption and security on the data comms side today, is tomorrow's exploitable code. There isn't a single encryption and security implementation over HTTPS (SSL/TLS) or SSH that has lasted the course - they've all been advanced and improved and replaced. Can we rely on that happening here?]


    Back to economics:


    My tariff now is 13.98p/kWh


    The tariff on offer for SMART would be, from my supplier:

    4pm-7pm - 41.94p

    Other times - 11.67p

    11pm-7am - 7.91p


    Standing charge the same so ignore.


    The only 2 appliances I have that I can choose when to run in any meaningful way are washer/dryer and dishwasher. I measured the consumption of both for a typical day averaged from 3 days use:


    WasherDryer - 4.23kWh

    Dishwasher   - 2.65kWh


    So if we operate both overnight, we save 41.76p/day or £152/year. Seems good.


    But if someone accidentally runs or has to do both in the 4-7pm peak, the day cost rockets to 192p *extra* over non smart and eats up the savings for over 4 days.


    In reality, on certain days we run the dishwasher twice so one at "other" rate and one overnight. The washer/dryer often builds up washing to do and I end up clearing one overnight and 2 in the day on my at-home days.


    For anything else, cooking is going to shoot up (4-7pm) and always on (computers, fridge etc) works out at an average of 14.25p/kWh over the day so slightly worse.


    Unless you have large loads than can be shifted to overnight or you have a small household and can set washing etc to always run overnight, I see no real gains. It won't take many "have to run machines 4-7pm - or I forgot about the times" to negate any savings for my household.


    I have declined mine and instructed then to replace with a dumb meter.



    Your milage may vary of course... If I had an electric car or storage heaters, I'd probably jump on it, though likely I would already be on a dumb Eco7 tariff anyway...


    Cheers, Tim

Reply
  • 0

    Potential:

    Benefits to the customer?

    Not a lot, if any at all.  It is all a con.




    I was just offered a SMETS2 by my supplier. So I did some calculations.


    [Aside from my other fear that hackers could remote disconnect me - the SMETS2 does appear to have a remote controlled contactor inside. BigClive took one to bits. And IME what's state of the art encryption and security on the data comms side today, is tomorrow's exploitable code. There isn't a single encryption and security implementation over HTTPS (SSL/TLS) or SSH that has lasted the course - they've all been advanced and improved and replaced. Can we rely on that happening here?]


    Back to economics:


    My tariff now is 13.98p/kWh


    The tariff on offer for SMART would be, from my supplier:

    4pm-7pm - 41.94p

    Other times - 11.67p

    11pm-7am - 7.91p


    Standing charge the same so ignore.


    The only 2 appliances I have that I can choose when to run in any meaningful way are washer/dryer and dishwasher. I measured the consumption of both for a typical day averaged from 3 days use:


    WasherDryer - 4.23kWh

    Dishwasher   - 2.65kWh


    So if we operate both overnight, we save 41.76p/day or £152/year. Seems good.


    But if someone accidentally runs or has to do both in the 4-7pm peak, the day cost rockets to 192p *extra* over non smart and eats up the savings for over 4 days.


    In reality, on certain days we run the dishwasher twice so one at "other" rate and one overnight. The washer/dryer often builds up washing to do and I end up clearing one overnight and 2 in the day on my at-home days.


    For anything else, cooking is going to shoot up (4-7pm) and always on (computers, fridge etc) works out at an average of 14.25p/kWh over the day so slightly worse.


    Unless you have large loads than can be shifted to overnight or you have a small household and can set washing etc to always run overnight, I see no real gains. It won't take many "have to run machines 4-7pm - or I forgot about the times" to negate any savings for my household.


    I have declined mine and instructed then to replace with a dumb meter.



    Your milage may vary of course... If I had an electric car or storage heaters, I'd probably jump on it, though likely I would already be on a dumb Eco7 tariff anyway...


    Cheers, Tim

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