Smart meters- anyone had problems?

[polo1]

Hi all. Anyone had any problems with installations with a smart meter, after removing the (unsealed) DNO fuse & then reinstating the supply i.e. Do they throw a wobbly or just continue to work as normal?
I appreciate that they can issue a supply failure signal to the MOP, but anything else?
Cheers.

 

[PEG]

Just an update from my previous post,regarding Smart meter carry-on...
They failed again,have started complaint process number three,have promised compensation,and have agreed in principle,to rebate my parents the excess charges,due to failure to comply with contract promise. They said it is not called a rebate,and will only call it a "good will gesture"...i told them they could call it "Doris" as long as it equated to a fair redress.
On at least 3 occasions,i asked them if it was a deliberate company policy,or strategy to make as many major errors,so as to wear folk down...i got no denial.

Point number 2,I have seen the software,demonstrated in front of me,several years ago,regarding the dissemination of real-time streamed data,from a property with both gas and electric smart meters (telemetry enabled)

It was amazing,the information that a computer can glean,and the potential value of that,regarding marketing,of any kind.
Eating patterns,holidays,usage of equipment,work patterns...even the ability to estimate the fitness of an individual,assessed purely on the time it takes to go to and from the bathroom,based on lighting operation

I asked what was the point of that? ...and it's medical sales,lifestyle gear,even assessment by an insurance company,regarding any disability or compensation arrangement.
They know the property location,size,value and room layout,and the programme merely estimates the distance between rooms and times between light operations...that is just the tip of it

My third point,would be to allay any fears regarding the "remote disconnecting" of supply,to a property.
I have spoke to a R&D technician,who has worked for a major utility provider,for the last 22 years.
The major stumbling block (literally) is that the DNO would still have to be present,inside the property,whilst disconnecting.

The reasons for this are obvious,for a sudden loss of power,with internal stairways,medical equipment,stair lifts,pumped waste,connected loads,and about another 20 reasons,make the real remote cut-off,not viable...yet

So cheer up! We are not all extras in Blade Runner...yet

 

[Spoon]

I find the whole smart meter spying argument a bit strange, the same people who actively raise issue and complain about user usage gathering are usually people who probably hold FB accounts, bank accounts, forum memberships, use smart phones, shop on line, use credit cards etc etc .... the list is very long all of which gather and monitor how you use their services and sell such info in some cases and some like FB actually gave out personal info everytime you allow another app' to load onto your FB as you often click on a tab to allow said access, it's strange you don't see them actively raising issue and protesting against these bodies yet have issue with the energy provider for what is in context a minimal intrusion in comparison.

My FB info is not true. My forum info is very limited. I put the wrong DOB on sites I have to give info to. Maybe I'm just a bit paranoid.

 

[Darkwood]

@Spoon - these were just examples and you highlight ones that you actively have control of info given, there are many things out there that know a lot more about you than you would wish shared like Phones, bank cards, home internet usage where every site you visit and everything you do online is logged and stored for years, your personal IP address linked to you and your home also gives many items that connect to the router the ability to gather info like your PS4 or X-Box, when you Wi-Fi your phone to your router all the info of the users phone ID is then linked to your IP, all this is valuable info to the right people and is often shared without you knowing but like I said before, because of a media storm in the USA over smart meter privacy we see a frenzy of groups rising against the use of them to due to some what of a lesser intrusion what most electronic/digital modern tech does and has done for decades.
The only issue I have is where info' can have a negative effect on safety and actually come down to protecting kids from pedo's etc, women from abusive ex's, take FB, if you don't set your security up then anyone can work out things like regular appointments, gyms, swimming clubs, after-school activities etc all of which can lead a not so pleasant persons to target you or your kids when at the most vulnerable.

 

[Spoon]

and even if you set up your security properly....

'All wifi networks' are vulnerable to hacking, security expert discovers - https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/oct/16/wpa2-wifi-security-vulnerable-hacking-us-government-warns[/user]

 

[Darkwood]

@Spoon - most of modern lifestyle can be hacked but do you spend your life living in fear and trying to fight the system or do you just deal with it day by day, at the end of the day financially you are protected to a certain extent and it would only be through deliberate actions of your own if you were say fooled by a scam that would leave you out of pocket.... so what if information service has logged that I just watch 7 episodes of this or that or that I just completed Resident evil in VR mode, if that helps the market deliver better TV and Games then who am I to complain.
Other than living like a hermit and dealing in cash only then we are all been monitored and our habits are been logged, we already live in the George Orwell novel '1984' minus the totalitarian socialist system.

 

[sparksburnout]

Well, all I can say is that I must lead a very boring life, because personally I couldn't give a ---- who looks at anything any of my "data" might reveal, because I don't do anything that I wouldn't want revealed to anyone. Personally I am not bothered one jot if any saddo is going to monitor the frequency of light switches going on and off and to be honest I sort of don't get this paranoia about collecting real time leccy usage, it must be better than those dodgy little men who come round spying on me, with their torches, looking round at my interior decoration preferences and poking about "looking for the meter". They don't fool me I know what they are up to...........

 

[Spoon]

Thanks @darkwood .. you make me sound like a right freak..
I know people are collecting data. I know my Nectar card logs what foods I buy and when.. Personally I don't like smart meters. One reason is, the companies will make all the meter reading people redundant and just keep the money. We will see none of it.

 

[sparksburnout]

Thanks @darkwood .. you make me sound like a right freak..
I know people are collecting data. I know my Nectar card logs what foods I buy and when.. Personally I don't like smart meters. One reason is, the companies will make all the meter reading people redundant and just keep the money. We will see none of it.

Good point spoony. I don't use self service checkouts for the same reason, because one day, that's all there might be, just a row of annoying machines beeping at you, and the people you used to actually pass the time of day with sat at home staring out of the window.

 

[sparksburnout]

Oh and by the way I forgot to add, I think some contributors to this thread have forgotten that we are not actually supposed to be pulling cutouts without a bloody good reason, thus depriving the poor old meter of its life blood. I do think DES 56 made a very good point though regarding fitting Isolators.

 

[Darkwood]

Thanks @darkwood .. you make me sound like a right freak..
I know people are collecting data. I know my Nectar card logs what foods I buy and when.. Personally I don't like smart meters. One reason is, the companies will make all the meter reading people redundant and just keep the money. We will see none of it.

Just throwing in my opinion Spoon, not the intention to portray you as some kind of freak , you could wear a tinfoil hat which makes you immune to data harvesting
As Sparks says, it is a good point about putting meter readers out of a job but that was going to happen anyway as technology moves on, meters with remote readout abilities have been around for decades, it's just now you don't need to even go to the address to get the reading as just logging into a computer is all that is required on modern meters and this comes regardless of data harvesting other than the intended reading... technology has a habit of wiping out whole sections of the job market but it also creates new job fronts too.... agree that this is of no comfort to the meter reader doing his job but you cannot just blame smart meters here, you can txt or send online your meter reading at anytime nowadays which again is another wedge in the need for a manual meter reading.

 

[sparksburnout]

Just throwing in my opinion Spoon, not the intention to portray you as some kind of freak , you could wear a tinfoil hat which makes you immune to data harvesting
As Sparks says, it is a good point about putting meter readers out of a job but that was going to happen anyway as technology moves on, meters with remote readout abilities have been around for decades, it's just now you don't need to even go to the address to get the reading as just logging into a computer is all that is required on modern meters and this comes regardless of data harvesting other than the intended reading... technology has a habit of wiping out whole sections of the job market but it also creates new job fronts too.... agree that this is of no comfort to the meter reader doing his job but you cannot just blame smart meters here, you can txt or send online your meter reading at anytime nowadays which again is another wedge in the need for a manual meter reading.

Yes true DW but don't you think there should at least be some sort of annual check, as I thought meter readers were also trained to look for signs of dodgy stuff, or maybe due to the massive profits the companies make they are not really that bothered?

 

[Darkwood]

Yes true DW but don't you think there should at least be some sort of annual check, as I thought meter readers were also trained to look for signs of dodgy stuff, or maybe due to the massive profits the companies make they are not really that bothered?

There is a solution to meter tampering now we are in the smart wireless area and that is a cutout and meter combo that knows when its seals are cut/removed, I know this was done before but there was no other benefit to fitting them and it was costly just to fit them for no other reason, now the benefits outweigh the costs. If they also has a isolation point that qualified competent persons could access to change tails etc for new boards then this would satisfy all parties involved, you cannot stop any determine electric thief but at the moment you can watch a 30second youtube video and know how to bypass your meter so it is open to major abuse by even the most incompetent of people.

 

[DPG]

Yes true DW but don't you think there should at least be some sort of annual check, as I thought meter readers were also trained to look for signs of dodgy stuff, or maybe due to the massive profits the companies make they are not really that bothered?

I think they will still do periodic meter checks. Specially if any dodgy behaviour is suspected.

 

[littlespark]

Here's your answer;-
I asked Gittish Bras for a smart meter but because I have solar PV they couldn't give me one.
Reading all these reasons NOT to get one, I may refuse when they finally say their meters and PV are compatible.

Are suppliers likely to prosecute if their smart meters tell them the fuse was pulled for 5 minutes? If the usage was the same before and after? (ie to change the c.u without an isolator)
If a drastic reduction in usage was recorded, then that would suggest a visit to check the situation.

 

[DPG]

Are suppliers likely to prosecute if their smart meters tell them the fuse was pulled for 5 minutes? If the usage was the same before and after? (ie to change the c.u without an isolator)
If a drastic reduction in usage was recorded, then that would suggest a visit to check the situation.

Seems sensible to me.