The smart meter revolution isn’t going to plan.
Customers’ fears that they could be forcibly switched on to prepayment energy meters may be putting people off getting smart meters, MPs have warned.
Last winter smart meters were used to switch some households remotely on to prepayment meters, leaving them at risk of running out of power.
That is one reason smart meter roll-out remains “too slow”, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) said.
Actually, the more general distrust is the issue here. Also, I dislike the government thinking that it should be telling me what to do.
All homes were supposed to have been moved on to smart meters by now.
I regard this as a victory. It also tells us that government and its target culture is a toxic waste of time. Refusal to comply gums up the works. Sure, they could change the law – indeed, they are doing just that – to enable forced entry to fit them without consent – but we are a way off that yet. Also, when that starts to happen, the backlash is going to be headline news. So, in the meantime, this gives me a little glow of satisfaction. My refusal to comply has helped to fuck up the government’s target. I’m more than happy to do this again – see also covid and flu jabs, solar panels, heat pumps etc.
My sentiments exactly. F-IW. ‘Freedom – I won’t!’
Italy is changing (slowly) to smart meters.
They are “smart” because they send the readings for billing back to the mainframe using the supply wires, not SIMcards. There is no stupid display, there is no cretinous actor on the TV telling consumers that smart meters are necessary to improve the distribution system. Can they turn off the supply? Possibly but that would be illegal.
Lockdown showed how quickly actions that are illegal can be implemented if is required by the people who are really in charge.
If smart meters were good for consumers, consumers would be clamoring to have them fitted. And would not need the threat of compulsion. And would not need targets. Anything the government wants me to push me into having, an EV, a smart meter, an injection, whatever, must inevitably be bad for me.
As soon as they set targets, it’s a red flag.
See also: eco heating methods!
I’m ready to stab fuckers too who enter my house or property uninvited. I’ll deal with the aftermath later.
The meters that have been installed are becoming obsolete apparently.
https://notalotofpeopleknowthat.wordpress.com/2023/10/20/seven-million-smart-meters-need-to-be-upgraded/
I’m sceptical about the claim that having a smart meter can save you money. If you’re prepared to drink cold tea and set a two minute timer to take a shower maybe. In any case you can buy a cheap gadget that monitors your power use if you think that will help. I think that they have a lot of gall to have hijacked Albert Einstien’s image for their ad campaigns too. Einstein was really clever and he says they’re a good idea so you should too.
I am on a prepayment meter, I use very little energy so I never had an energy crises last year. As all Gov help went on electric meter, I had to put money on the gas meter. The money on the electric meter only ran out in August. They want to put me on a smart meter but I’m resisting as long as possible as worried my bills will go up plus I can’t see how I can use less than I do. I don’t need a little gadget to tell me how to save money.
I’ve been prepayment for years. Ignoring the push on to smart meters. For smart read controllable. There is nothing smart about them. It is a buzzword that is meaningless. A bit like honourable MP.
At the start of the year in the middle of winter my meter stopped. I put a corrupt card in and it just stopped. Had £100 credit on but it cut me off. Programming issue they called it. They won’t replace it with another prepayment so I am forced on to smart. That is how they will do it. Not getting warrants for entry but simply by stopping your power in the middle of winter.
I appealed to OfGem or whatever and there is nothing they can do. It was a first though. It was a quick decision.
Tell the various companies that someone with a pacemaker lives in the property or is a regular visitor. The microwaves used in these meters can have fatal effects. My late wife had heart problems and was fitted with a pacemaker and defibrillator. Two warnings she received was never to go into the kitchen if the microwave is on, and never have a smart meter fitted.