Just had a call from the power company

[Borchester]

I think power companies should stay focussed on making power available, not crushing stone for the cement business

Well, sort of John.



Time was when the power companies were monolithic cartels who both made and sold gas and electricity and their prices were set in stone. But now they have been broken up into what seems to be a few wheeler dealers who buy in their suppliers and try to make a few bob selling it to me. I have no problem with that. But I also want the best deal I can get, which means no smart meter without a reduction in my bill

[Nalaar]

It won't save you a penny, it will make you a slave to doing your washing at 2am or eating at unsocial hours. FINE if that is what you do now, totally out of order if it's not.

Companies use to commonly offer economy rates that offered cheaper Unit prices at off-peak times. Though few offer it now, I don't think it's a bad thing to give the consumer the choice.

[johnofgwent]

they want you to have a smart meter because once everyone as one they can charge you what it actually costs them each half hour.



I've mentioned this before, it was called the New Electricity Trading Arrangements and it meant each company has to gamble what they think you will use during each of the 48 30 minute periods of each day, and bid for each of those kilowatt hours of energy per 30 minuts. If they get it wrong EITHER WAY they are heavily penalised. They must pay a huge premium for any extra kilowatts over their gambled guesstimate they need, and an equally huge penalty for getting the network to take unused kilowatts off their lines.



Yorkshire electric realised that they could use the stone crushers at a local cement works as a buffer to burn excess when other consumer demand was lower than target, and not crush stone if other consumer demand was above the target. But they also accepted the extra kilowatts from the network when others had overcapacity, and shut down the crushers altogether to provide others in need, making a huge profit either way out of other companies wrong gambles.



So they gave the cement company next to free electric for the stone crushers provided they agreed that the electricity company, not the cement company, could choose when to crush stone.



I think power companies should stay focussed on making power available, not crushing stone for the cement business



Smart meters can measure consumption instant by instant. When we all have them, the companies will simply charge you for using more than they planned by passing on the surcharge the network charge them.



You need to listen to the bullshit the smartmeter advocacy companies put out in the light of what I said above.



It won't save you a penny, it will make you a slave to doing your washing at 2am or eating at unsocial hours. FINE if that is what you do now, totally out of order if it's not.

[Streetwalker]

:hattip    ::

[Borchester]

Whats in it for you Borchester is that you will have a wider choice and possibly cheaper tariffs if you have one installed . I certainly got a good deal when I had mine put in though not such a good one two years later .

I started playing with the display gadget just after I got it which of course rendered it almost useless .Its in a draw somewhere .  



Just about a  :thup: from me but as you have alluded its more for their benefit than ours .

I guess that I am like Nicolas Cage in Lord of War Streetwalker. I don't just want to get out of jail, I expect to be paid for it.  



One of the great advantages of a life time spent not doing very much on behalf of HMRC is that I have learned that how ever badly you pay people, they  always cost a zillion times more than the most expensive machinery. The last time EON sent a meter reader the poor old bugger spent the morning looking for somewhere to park and nearly burst into tears at the realisation that he would have to climb a ladder. I did a sum and reckoned that the reading was costing the EON and me about half my quarterly bill. So if EON are going to replace grandpa death with a smart meter, I want a cut of the funeral meats.

[T00ts]

My current company, E.ON keep texting and emailing me, and I keep ignoring them. If you don't want to have a smart meter be careful of the small print when arranging new contracts!

I am changing to Eon for no other reason than they offered me the largest saving, almost £300 pa. I was/am anti adopting a smartie pants meter but live in hope that they find my house unsuitable. The promised favourable quote will still stand. I may use the virus as a delaying tactic!

[papasmurf]

My current company, E.ON keep texting and emailing me, and I keep ignoring them. If you don't want to have a smart meter be careful of the small print when arranging new contracts!

I contacted the CEO of my electricity supplier, explained they will fit a smart meter to my home over my dead body and to stop harassing me about it.

Not been contacted since.

[Barry]

My current company, E.ON keep texting and emailing me, and I keep ignoring them. If you don't want to have a smart meter be careful of the small print when arranging new contracts!

[T00ts]

I am just in the process of changing supplier. I have read/uploaded meter readings over the last few years and a reader arrived once a year. I was very reluctant to go  Smart meter, just the name has a bad vibe after Smart motorways wrecked the name, but as they say I got a much better deal by agreeing to the menace invader.

I will no doubt change again after a year so if the meter is pointless by then more fool them.

[Streetwalker]

Whats in it for you Borchester is that you will have a wider choice and possibly cheaper tariffs if you have one installed . I certainly got a good deal when I had mine put in though not such a good one two years later .

I started playing with the display gadget just after I got it which of course rendered it almost useless .Its in a draw somewhere .  



Just about a  :thup: from me but as you have alluded its more for their benefit than ours .

[Borchester]

Well a few hours ago but anyway, the lad at the other end wanted to instal a smart meter. So I asked what was in it for me. And the salesman went into his no need to phone in readings and greater accuracy etc and I said, no, you are missing the point. What is in it for me spoondolly wise. Whereupon he said it was free and I said that he was still not getting the point.



If I don't provide them with a reading they have to send someone round to read the meters. Which costs money. But if I have a smart meter then they don't have to hire a meter reader. And if they don't hire a meter reader then they are saving on his wages. And if that is the case, how much of the savings will they pass onto me.



And the lad said that he did not know but would ring me back.



But so far he ain't.