Smart metre? They twisted my arm!

[Barry]

You might think a smart meter would mean never needing to contact British Gas again. Since having my smart meters installed in May, they have demanded I read the gas meter to try to fix their problem. They refuse to fix the problem. Well, actually, they don't refuse, but they say it will be done in 7 days to fob me off. Then there is their IT which so often does not work. I could never enter my meter readings online as the IT was broken, so I got smart meters. Guess what? They ask me to read the meter. What a shower of sh***!

[Barry]

I had an email from B Gas a week ago telling me I should book an appointment for a smart meter as it was a condition of my contract.
I popped upstairs and read said contract which told me they were bluffing, so I have ignored them. In any case, it relates to a house I'm no longer living in but haven't yet sold, so it gets complicated.
The new owner is going to change to Scot power so I don't see the point of the smart meter at all.

[johnofgwent]

Of course it's possible the the Mail has ears to the ground that others don't possess.

It also has  track record of telling big porkies.

The article links directly to this:

https://www.dcusa.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/DCP-371_Last-resort-arrangements-for-Distributors-to-manage-specific-consumer-connected-devices.pdf

Site: The Distribution Connection and Use of System Agreement (DCUSA) is a multi-party contract between licensed electricity distributors, ...

So

It would seem that JOG was actually ahead of the curve with his forecast that Energy firms may be allowed to limit power to homes in certain conditions. Since it involves 3rd generation meters compulsorily installed I'll think I'll pass on the 2nd generation.

This looks like it will be governed by the numbers of electric cars plugged in.  Lovely - no doubt pensioners will get to freeze to death while the cars charge up nicely. They call it progess!

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/money/bills/article-8706033/Smart-meters-used-switch-electricity-without-warning-compensation.html

As per usual  with the Daily Heil there is no link to the origin. I can't find out anything to verify it or not.
(Although nothing the devious underhanded government tries to hide from us would surprise me.)

.... there is a link to the origin.

That is the proposal to allow this as a last resort to prevent network overload.

It does however reveal the reality

This change proposes a Distributor smart intervention as a last resort, emergency measure, to protect customers security of supply and the network assets.

This proposal is not to enable the Distributor to become a flexibility service provider or to subvert market solutions.

This change proposal anticipates the take up of LCT and their connection to the smart metering infrastructure. Future generations of smart meters will be available with Han Connected Auxiliary Load Control Switches (HCALCS) that would facilitate smart load control and innovative flexibility service products. This change seeks to give Distributors access to the HCALCS for priority demand control purposes

So, as I pointed out, there are already measures in place to "blow the fuse" if you take too many amps at a go, that amperage being WELL BELOW the board of trade limit which electrical wiring regulations require consumer units to handle. whether this is a small print contractual commitment or a network imposition I do not know, my own electricity provider seems to have clammed up since i started asking too many impertinent questions.

The above consultation document makes it crystal clear that "future generation" smart meters will incorporate technology allowing the electricity company to control what circuits in your house are powered and which are not. At the moment these are being referred to as "flexible service facilities" allowing you the customer to opt in to allowing your provider to ape Yorkshire electric's cement stone crushing control as a network demand cash cow enabling the company to cash in on the vast profits available for those able to supply other network customer's shortcomings and suck up other network's excessive largesse.

This document intends to empower the company to shut you down when the network is in danger of collapse through undersupply or overdemand whether you want it or not (although there are clauses suggesting even this is an opt-in feature, I rather doubt they will survive the audit)

[Borg Refinery]

I don't think this is a political football. It seems to have been raised by the power industry and let's face it would have been proposed whoever was in power. If Labour had their day and Nationalised it all this would have been the same development. We can't all be pushed to have electric cars when it is obvious that we don't have the infrastructure without someone being left behind and forgotten.

The push seems to be growing towards even more lack of freedom with the word compulsory becoming the fashion.

Maybe, but in the end of the day it's fair to criticise the folks running things right now and current policy. IIRC certain pollute-ticians have big interests in the energy sector and have aggressively lobbied for certain things over years - many of these under NL, just can't remember details right now, but the point is.. I hope there's a organised campaign to push back against these measures in any case.

[T00ts]

I don't think this is a political football. It seems to have been raised by the power industry and let's face it would have been proposed whoever was in power. If Labour had their day and Nationalised it all this would have been the same development. We can't all be pushed to have electric cars when it is obvious that we don't have the infrastructure without someone being left behind and forgotten.

The push seems to be growing towards even more lack of freedom with the word compulsory becoming the fashion.

[Borg Refinery]

.... there is a link to the origin.

Really? Could you post it please because I can't find one.

I just did.

https://www.dcusa.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/DCP-371_Last-resort-arrangements-for-Distributors-to-manage-specific-consumer-connected-devices.pdf

There is a bit of blue clickable text in the article that says "backdoor modifications" (which sounds about right for Bojo's lot in many differing ways.. ).

[papasmurf]

.... there is a link to the origin.

Really? Could you post it please because I can't find one.

[Borg Refinery]

Btw thanks for digging that up Toots, it's shocking stuff...

[Borg Refinery]

Of course it's possible the the Mail has ears to the ground that others don't possess.

It also has  track record of telling big porkies.

The article links directly to this:

https://www.dcusa.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/DCP-371_Last-resort-arrangements-for-Distributors-to-manage-specific-consumer-connected-devices.pdf

Site: The Distribution Connection and Use of System Agreement (DCUSA) is a multi-party contract between licensed electricity distributors, ...

So

It would seem that JOG was actually ahead of the curve with his forecast that Energy firms may be allowed to limit power to homes in certain conditions. Since it involves 3rd generation meters compulsorily installed I'll think I'll pass on the 2nd generation.

This looks like it will be governed by the numbers of electric cars plugged in.  Lovely - no doubt pensioners will get to freeze to death while the cars charge up nicely. They call it progess!

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/money/bills/article-8706033/Smart-meters-used-switch-electricity-without-warning-compensation.html

As per usual  with the Daily Heil there is no link to the origin. I can't find out anything to verify it or not.
(Although nothing the devious underhanded government tries to hide from us would surprise me.)

.... there is a link to the origin.

[papasmurf]

Of course it's possible the the Mail has ears to the ground that others don't possess.

It also has  track record of telling big porkies.

[T00ts]

It would seem that JOG was actually ahead of the curve with his forecast that Energy firms may be allowed to limit power to homes in certain conditions. Since it involves 3rd generation meters compulsorily installed I'll think I'll pass on the 2nd generation.

This looks like it will be governed by the numbers of electric cars plugged in.  Lovely - no doubt pensioners will get to freeze to death while the cars charge up nicely. They call it progess!

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/money/bills/article-8706033/Smart-meters-used-switch-electricity-without-warning-compensation.html

As per usual  with the Daily Heil there is no link to the origin. I can't find out anything to verify it or not.
(Although nothing the devious underhanded government tries to hide from us would surprise me.)

Of course it's possible the the Mail has ears to the ground that others don't possess. Just as a matter of interest since the change in editor it's not so nearly CCCCCC as it used to be. The criticism is there if required.

[papasmurf]

It would seem that JOG was actually ahead of the curve with his forecast that Energy firms may be allowed to limit power to homes in certain conditions. Since it involves 3rd generation meters compulsorily installed I'll think I'll pass on the 2nd generation.

This looks like it will be governed by the numbers of electric cars plugged in.  Lovely - no doubt pensioners will get to freeze to death while the cars charge up nicely. They call it progess!

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/money/bills/article-8706033/Smart-meters-used-switch-electricity-without-warning-compensation.html

As per usual  with the Daily Heil there is no link to the origin. I can't find out anything to verify it or not.
(Although nothing the devious underhanded government tries to hide from us would surprise me.)

[T00ts]

It would seem that JOG was actually ahead of the curve with his forecast that Energy firms may be allowed to limit power to homes in certain conditions. Since it involves 3rd generation meters compulsorily installed I'll think I'll pass on the 2nd generation.

This looks like it will be governed by the numbers of electric cars plugged in.  Lovely - no doubt pensioners will get to freeze to death while the cars charge up nicely. They call it progess!

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/money/bills/article-8706033/Smart-meters-used-switch-electricity-without-warning-compensation.html

[papasmurf]

Your links are a year old and don't appear to show any unresolvable adverse impacts on consumers' energy supplies...

There is still no common standard for the meters.

[patman post]

Several million people having problems with them and I did post a link for that at the start of the thread.

Your links are a year old and don't appear to show any unresolvable adverse impacts on consumers' energy supplies...