Energy tariffs, octopus, smart metres etc.

[funk]

Already know this is likely to veer off into the land of rants, but figured it was worth a try anyway, given the hobby and associated power draw!

I've essentially refused a smart meter so far for various reasons I won't go into. I'm not running an EV or solar panels etc. but having seen some of the savings on octopus agile a mate has gotten, I figured it may be worth exploring it.

Problem being, I am expecting this guy to have been sat there watching stats on his phone, running to put the kettle on when the tariff goes down, you know the sort 😂

What are people doing? Have there been regrets of going over to a smart meter etc?

 

[Bods]

Sounds like you know my Brother

I ain't having no Smart meters and I don't even worry about, better things to do in life than scrutinise energy used lol

 

[Vorbis]

I'm on Octopus tracker where the rate varies from day to day based on wholesale price. Normal rate is between 15-22p per kwh (today is 18p, tomorrow is 22p) If the wholesale price goes through the roof it can get very expensive very quickly but I've been lucky so far. Intelligent Octopus is great also as it gives a minimum of 6 hours at 7.5p overnight, but you need an ev to sign up

 

[Vorbis]

Agile, probably could be good but fucked if I'm monitoring the cost all day

 

[CMYKhazi-Dan]

Smart meter get in the fukn bin

 

[CMYKhazi-Dan]

I get an email every week from EDF (stuck with them because I won't pay their stupid prices 😆) say that my old meter needs replacing as it's no longer reliable like an old watch, so they need to replace it with a smart meter under government orders. You can off. Right off.

 

[kingtreelo]

i'm not sure what all the hate is about smart meters if i'm being honest

it tells you how much you are using in both price and consumption, without one we would have been on bills around about £600 a month as my son and his girlfriend were leaving an electric oil heater thing on 24/7 to heat up a large space, we didnt spot it as it was before the smart thing and the energy company contacted us telling us the bill was rising to £700 a month to cover what we were now using

smart meter installed and we could see when the daily cost was through the roof and just turned things off, found the culprit very quickly

back down to a still very expensive £260 or so a month

 

[Vamino]

I don't have a smart meter nor do I want one yet, I may get one if I decide to get solar roof/panels and batteries fitted. Ideally I want to be able to run from batteries during power cuts and the like before I even consider going electronic.

The energy company I'm currently with also keeps sending me emails/texts/phone calls telling me my meter is out of date/end of life and it needs replacing. I just ignore them and they keep pestering with their automated bot phone calls and auto generated texts and emails.

Previously I was with Tonik energy, they went under and I got moved to Scottish Power. After a while Scottish Power kept spamming me every day with multiple texts so I moved providers. Scottish Power called me afterwards and asked me why I moved providers, I told them it was because they kept spamming me for smart meters.

The Scottish Power guy tried to convince me that I must have one and I politely educated him that I have the right to decline a meter which he reluctantly agreed was the case, the cheeky git then said they would love to keep me as a customer and they would take me off list of people they try to contact, he ended up just hanging up when he realised I just wasn't interested in staying with them.

Working in IT and seeing electronics fail on a daily basis I'd rather keep it simple and there's nothing more simple than the current system which shows me how much gas and electric I've used via a spinning disc and mechanical numerical display.

 

[tronads]

I fought against having a smart meter for years, then a year or so ago, they (EDF) wrote to me and told me that as my meter had reached 20 years old, they were legaly obliged to replace it, unless I could prove it wasnt 20 years old. I couldn't, and I knew it was as I have been in the house 20 years, so I reluctantly agreed.
It turned out to not be quite true what they were telling me, and I should not have given in.
I kind of told myself that ultimatelyt the when the numbers of hold-out's get small enough, the government at the time will legislate and force anyone remaining to get one under some new law or other.
So now, if and when I get an electric car, then they will know what electricity I use to charge the vehicle, and what I use for domestic electricity.....and they will have the means/data to be able to tax my usage differently....one of my main reasons for fighting it. This is something they will be forced to do when the tax revenue from petrol/diesel shrinks too much due to electric take up.

 

[kingtreelo]

i still dont know why these are a bad thing, i can still see my spinning stuff in my cabinets and read the numbers like i used to

am i missing something?

 

[tronads]

Well I've just given you a huge one.... Taxation. They will have no choice but to bring this in, and if you have an old style meter they wouldn't be able to tax your usage differently.

 

[kingtreelo]

Well I've just given you a huge one.... Taxation. They will have no choice but to bring this in, and if you have an old style meter they wouldn't be able to tax your usage differently.

you think not having a smart meter will stop the government taxing you to death?

 

[L_____E_____T]

I get an email every week from EDF (stuck with them because I won't pay their stupid prices 😆) say that my old meter needs replacing as it's no longer reliable like an old watch, so they need to replace it with a smart meter under government orders. You can off. Right off.

Th gov't is paying the utility companies for every smart meter installed. So they are hard incentivised to sign people up. This was so the gov't could hit their smart meter install base target and pat themselves on their backs, but they already failed to hit the target installations and have had to extend. So the drive continues.

I also refused one before (don't like the lack on control and don't trust them) but I had them send helpful reminders all the time.

Now moved and the house already had them installed - so I made the switch to Octopus and I have to admit they are so much better.

I hate EDF and OVO so much they are absolute tools. Octopus are not. So it's worth it just for that, and the savings you'll make through them.

 

[tronads]

you think not having a smart meter will stop the government taxing you to death?

Not at all, if you read what I said I believe they will get to a point where they will legislate to force them on the remaining hold outs if they have an electric vehicle registered at the address.
The alternative being that all electricity used will be taxed as a vehicle fuel, much like what happened to LPG, and that was because there was no way of identifying it's use. A smart meter gives them that ability though.

 

[Vamino]

i still dont know why these are a bad thing, i can still see my spinning stuff in my cabinets and read the numbers like i used to

am i missing something?

The 'smart' electronics give the ability to change tariffs and limit power usage on the fly due to 'reasons'.

If you missed what is possible with 'smart' technology have a read of this:
https://www.vox.com/recode/22543678/smart-thermostat-air-conditioner-texas-heatwave

I'm not against tech, I just don't want to give the power to energy companies that can or will limit usage/raise lower temps on thermostats/switch stuff on and off without my knowledge. It will all be automated and I'd rather have a bank of batteries in my house before I even consider embracing 'smart' tech.

 

[Bods]

i still dont know why these are a bad thing, i can still see my spinning stuff in my cabinets and read the numbers like i used to

am i missing something?

yeah, A Faraday Cage to turn it back into a standard Meter

 

[CMYKhazi-Dan]

I got fukd over with water meter. Next door still pay "rates" sprinkler hosepipe all day I have a meter. Thought it was my stupidity to agree to a water meter but turns out any new house owner had to have a water meter from around 2002.

Wankers.

The thing with energy is I used hardly any yet the standing charge is disproportionate. End that shit. Poor people pay more for using less as a percentage.

 

[CMYKhazi-Dan]

Oh, by the way, energy prices are going down but your bill won't. Fukn times.

 

[Flinnster]

I'm on Octopus tracker where the rate varies from day to day based on wholesale price. Normal rate is between 15-22p per kwh (today is 18p, tomorrow is 22p) If the wholesale price goes through the roof it can get very expensive very quickly but I've been lucky so far. Intelligent Octopus is great also as it gives a minimum of 6 hours at 7.5p overnight, but you need an ev to sign up

Does this count?

 

[CMYKhazi-Dan]

How come I get declined a mobile phone contract at £29 a month because "they" say I can't afford it yet my energy bill is hiked up by £90 a month with no questions!? I used to save water, my mortgage has increased by £700 a month, but have now actually lost the will to care about any of it as I will be dead in thirty years hopefully 😆