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Smart Meters
Does the government really think we are all not clever enough to manage our own engergy usage without having a gadget to tell us how much we're using?
What a complete waste of money.
Anyone got one?
Thoughts?
What a complete waste of money.
Anyone got one?
Thoughts?
Comments
I'd also rather not leave cyber security in the hands of a company that is interested in maximising profits and therefore is likely to cut costs by doing the bare minimum to ensure their device can't be compromised. Think there's a much better chance of the friendly neighbourhood weed dealer sending their 24/7 grow light usage to my meter with a smart meter than if they have to do a bunch of re-wiring.
Plus when there's inevitably a security flaw discovered at some point: Is updating the software going to require you to turn your power off to update the device (Like how your computer does installs Windows updates on shutdown)? If a security issue can't be patched, are they just gonna go around the entire country and replace every smart meter in every home for the same 10/11-figure sum that we're wasting on rolling out smart meters in the first place?
I'm fine with technology for most things but this is a spot where I really don't see the pros outweighing the cons. The only argument for it is increasing awareness of energy usage by device, and once people realise how much energy their *insert device here* is using and how much it costs, they'll stop doing things like leaving their computer on when they go out for an hour or two.
Frankly that doesn't make it worth having Big Brother watching me. Sadly far too many people are falling for smart meters as being a good thing.
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FWIW, spent most of the winter getting harassed by my provider to get a smart meter. Literally phonecalls every day, sometimes 2 a day until I got fed up and actually answered the unknown number that wouldn't leave me alone. When I told them I wasn't interested, they stopped for about 2 weeks then started again. The customer care people literally said "We have to keep calling you, it's a safety thing" blahblahblah.
Knew at the time I'm probs not renting this place for long so accepted just to shut them up because meh, it's the next tenant's problem if they don't want it, not mine. Engineer failed to turn up first time. Rescheduled. Second time was scheduled during the early March snow so again, didn't turn up for the appointment.
Third time 'lucky' the guy turns up, says "Oh I've been to these flats before, we can't fit the smart meter here" for whatever reason. Checks where my existing meter is fitted to make sure, makes a note on his clipboard and leaves. Haven't heard back from them since. Managed to get compensation out of them for missing the first 2 visits too, so they've left me alone and given me money to not install a smart meter that I didn't want. Absolute nut result
Shows the whole "Smart meter in every home" plan the Government supposedly has is literally impossible until there's a workaround for places that can't have the current equipment fitted, and that the whole "Safety" line the providers feed everyone is BS too (I knew this anyway) otherwise I wouldn't still have the same setup that I had prior.
Governments and big corporations dont spend millions without a guaranteed return, or is there something more "sinister" going on.
As Mr Pingu stated in 2018
"I suspect it'll lead to more exploitative (possibly personalised) variable pricing as well in a few years' time as companies obtain real time electricity usage data - No thanks. I'd rather not set myself up to be exploited by energy companies given the choice".
I dont see anything sinister in it.
However, I dont drink urine, and know the earth isnt flat.
I suppose energy companies have 3 choices.
They could employ a load of people to wander the streets trying to catch their customers in and personally read each customers meter, at an ongoing cost of millions every year.
Alternatively, they allow customers to read their own meters, and hope they send in the correct readings, rather than under report their usage, maybe costing more millions every year.
Or get everyone to install a smart meter, also costing millions, but as a one off cost.
These smart meters may have cameras, and microphones installed in them, that can see through cupboards, and monitor what we are up to, but I am sure that there is equipment available that could test for this.
It's almost as if they knew this crisis was coming....
https://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/bills/article-8706033/Smart-meters-used-switch-electricity-without-warning-compensation.html