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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.
  • 0

    David Martin:

    Pricing mechanisms  ... interesting subject ... does having a smart meter automatically mean a change in tarrif?  . . . 




    Not necessarily. What you are currently being charged is a false “daily average” figure. In the UK, the day is split into 48 half hour periods, and a different price will be set for each half hour depending on what is being generated and how, and what the customer demand is. Smart meters allow half hour consumption data can be collected easily from a smart meter and allows the suppliers to offer more adventurous tariffs - charging more when the price is higher and less when it is not. 


    Regards,


    Alan. 

  • 0

    Alan Capon:




    ebee:

    The very first question to ask is

    "What benefit is a smart meter to a sensible consumming customer? "




    There are many benefits. Here are a few: 


    • The meter does not need a monthly or quarterly read, and estimated bills are not required. 

    • Once all conventional meters are removed, meter readers are not required. 

    • Easy identification of areas without power is possible, cutting the length of power cuts. 

    • Supply tampering is easier to spot, preventing this “lost” electricity having to be paid for by other customers. 

    • The meter can be converted from “credit” to “pre-payment” and back again without having to visit the property to change the metering equipment. 

    • With the “pre-payment” option, alerts can be sent to the bill payer when the meter is running out of credit. 

    • The meter operator can get a good idea of the health of their devices without having to visit them often. 



    Regards,


    Alan. 

     




    Good answer Alan and thank you for educating me.

    I had thought of just the remote reading facility and lets you keep an eye on usage but the usage position I had discounted because, like many others, I tend to watch my usage and keep it minimum anyway. Thanks to you I am now better informed

  • 0

    ebee:




    Alan Capon:




    ebee:

    The very first question to ask is

    "What benefit is a smart meter to a sensible consumming customer? "




    There are many benefits. Here are a few: 


    • The meter does not need a monthly or quarterly read, and estimated bills are not required. 

    • Once all conventional meters are removed, meter readers are not required. 

    • Easy identification of areas without power is possible, cutting the length of power cuts. 

    • Supply tampering is easier to spot, preventing this “lost” electricity having to be paid for by other customers. 

    • The meter can be converted from “credit” to “pre-payment” and back again without having to visit the property to change the metering equipment. 

    • With the “pre-payment” option, alerts can be sent to the bill payer when the meter is running out of credit. 

    • The meter operator can get a good idea of the health of their devices without having to visit them often. 



    Regards,


    Alan. 

     




    Good answer Alan and thank you for educating me.

    I had thought of just the remote reading facility and lets you keep an eye on usage but the usage position I had discounted because, like many others, I tend to watch my usage and keep it minimum anyway. Thanks to you I am now better informed


     




    Still can't see a benefit for me ( a sensible consumming customer).

  • 0
    Lol.


    I told my dad’s electric supplier that I am not prepared to faff about sending them a copy of the power of attorney I have to manage his finances so that they can speak to me about installing a smart meter and I don’t have control over the access to the plant room where it is, but having been told that they cannot discuss installing a smart meter for him without the copy of the power of attorney I explained that his meter is in a cluster of around seventeen meters in a plant room and I was told in a “”general discussion about the installation of smart meters” that wasn’t specifically about my dad’s meter, that the meters won’t work when they are all clustered together.


    I am glad I didn’t get involved sending them a copy of the power of attorney only to be told they cannot fit one anyway!


     Andy Betteridge
  • 0

    Typiod:




    ebee:




    Alan Capon:




    ebee:

    The very first question to ask is

    "What benefit is a smart meter to a sensible consumming customer? "




    There are many benefits. Here are a few: 


    • The meter does not need a monthly or quarterly read, and estimated bills are not required. 

    • Once all conventional meters are removed, meter readers are not required. 

    • Easy identification of areas without power is possible, cutting the length of power cuts. 

    • Supply tampering is easier to spot, preventing this “lost” electricity having to be paid for by other customers. 

    • The meter can be converted from “credit” to “pre-payment” and back again without having to visit the property to change the metering equipment. 

    • With the “pre-payment” option, alerts can be sent to the bill payer when the meter is running out of credit. 

    • The meter operator can get a good idea of the health of their devices without having to visit them often. 



    Regards,


    Alan. 

     




    Good answer Alan and thank you for educating me.

    I had thought of just the remote reading facility and lets you keep an eye on usage but the usage position I had discounted because, like many others, I tend to watch my usage and keep it minimum anyway. Thanks to you I am now better informed


     




    Still can't see a benefit for me ( a sensible consumming customer).


     




    Apart from the one where it would beneft those who are not frugal like me anyway, I did not see any benefits.

    However the points Alan mentioned do have effects on cost and convenience of all customers too to one degree or another .

    Potentially each member of a herd benefits if the the whole herd benefits so that has to be factored in too, I had missed that.

  • 0
    Some of you may have read on here about my experience of inserting a REC 2 with surge protection in my meter tails to prepare for the installation of a smart meter so that I would be able to change my 2 consumer units at my will without involvement of the DNO.


    I wanted to change from a pain in the backside key meter that came with the house so asked for a change to a credit meter. I have 2 consumers units normal domestic and an E7 board to supply the storage heaters. Come the arrival of the contractor to fit the new meter after  he declared I have an E7 supply and they do not supply smart 5 hole meters so I would have to have a 5 hole dumb meter. That was Scottish Power I have also been told the same thing by EDF. I am told there are 5 hole smart meters but cannot find a person who has actualy seen one.


    Has anyone on the forum seen a 5 hole smart meter?
  • 0
    I haven't actually seen one, but this manufacturer apparently makes one.
  • 0
    Chris


    Thanks. I assume meter operators do not buy them for some reason so do not supply them. Any idea who supplied the the one you saw?
  • 0
    I guess in the "big picture" there should be no need to have traiff switching done my the meter - as when off-peak is in effect should be broadcast all around the house on the Home Area Network (HAN) wirelessly by the meter. What we want is a contactor that picks up that wireless signal and switches on or off appropriately - which we could then incorporate into CUs or elsewhere without additional wiring from the meter (and related messiness when it comes to isolation).


    So my question is: has anyone seen such a smart-meter controlled contactor yet?


      - Andy.
  • 0
    Andy my E7 was controlled by a contactor switched by my previous pre-payment meter. This was stripped out and removed when my new 5 hole meter dumb meter was fitted. Shame I did not ask to keep it as. I had thought of switching it on and of via my phone when I am not there. I have no phone connection at the cottage  and a very poor intermittent mobile signal.

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