UA-cam Subscription. I frequently have to deal with energy companies. They are a nightmare. Long call waits, tell you X will happen. Then Y happens. Another phone call "no x nor y should have happened. Z will now happen". Approach to energy companies is "if it ain't broke, don't fix it". You'll save a couple of £££, but then spend hours on the phone sorting problems out. Always take photographs, always make sure the unique meter number on the meter matches the paperwork / account. Always record peoples names and call center, reference numbers etc.
Was due to have a smart meter thursday, guy turned up after driving his van across my freshly seeded verge then marched down the hallway with muddy boots over the carpet. He then told me he was going to inspect all my appliances to make sure they were up to standard. I said "what do you do if you find a bad one", He told me he would then "condemn the equipment". My wife was ill in bed at the time and access is required through her bedroom to a new boiler in a cupboard leading off it. Told him I did not know of any faulty equipment but wanted the meter changed not a household electrical and appliance check. He then said we couldn't do it and I threw him out. E-on complaint submitted. Seems its an excuse to drum up extra work.
They don't need to do any of that. Their business starts outside and ends at the meter. Beyond that is your responsibility. The only exception would be the boiler, which may need recommissioning due to having gas cut oss during the switch.
Sounds very odd. I never had that with EDF in May 2022. I pay by direct debit they changed gas and the electric meter to smart meters and gave me a n EDF smart meter monitor so I could see consumption live as I was using…..oh on that topic its important to remember that GAS use isn’t actually live there is at least a 30 minute delay before your monitor screen notices it with electric its about 20 seconds……if that. EDF guy couldn’t be less interested in my Electrics ……… he didnt inspect anything as far as I recall and more concerned about Gas meter getting a signal on the Wi-Fi system they use……that talks to their system and informs EDF how much gas you using.
@@notyourordinarygran are you sure they not insisting you get a prepayment meter which would be also be a smart meter? They may insist on that if you haven’t paid your bills on time as a way of forcing you to keep up to date. EDF kept on sending me adverts for their Smart Meters which I ignored but it wasn’t until May of this year I chose to get a Smart Meter for gas and electric. They are a good idea if like me you on a low income and want to be in control of your energy consumption. Knowledge is power and all that 😊 so far I am warm and cosy . In credit and pay by monthly direct debit. Most of my new appliances are AAA plus like my new heat pump tumble dryers and AAA plus fridge freezer that huge but uses less power than little fridge that superseded it.
Am presently being badgered by my energy company that 'a smart meter will be installed'. NO IT WON'T as we are not obliged to have them if we don't want them. Smart meters being rolled out by most companies, although recommended, are not compulsory. So, don't be bullied by your utility company to have a smart meter installed. I have heard too many horror stories about them.
Spot on. I'm with EDF and for the past three years they've been badgering me to get a Smart meter installed. I get both letters and emails telling me that a Smart Meter is ready and waiting for me. Well it can stay ready and waiting because I'm not having it installed. Like you said, it's not compulsory for the owners of property to have one installed though the energy companies like to make you think otherwise. I'll resist for as long as legally possible.
Sse tried to bully me into one, still don't have one. I argued back that A, it wasn't my decision as I live in a rented property and B, the house is old as the hills. The wiring would likely give the meter false readings due to age. Going back to the rented property thing. Yes I'm the account holder for sse, now ovo, but it's up to the landlord what gets installed and changed into the house, not me. Also if it's not broken don't fix it.
They want every house to have a smart metre because they can force you to switch to prepayment without the need of a court order to enter and fit one for those who fail to pay bills. All these people now saying don’t pay uk will just get switched onto prepayment
I live in the city of metropolis Illinois and they are Nazi sons of b****** they come here and put one on and there ain't no taking it back unless you fight City Hall we got a mayor that is a freaking Nazi
I did mine via British Gas. All done online. They kept me informed regarding the appointment. Engineer came in and it took just over an hour. No issues. I have to say British Gas online and their app is very good.
If you are thinking of having a smart meter fitted ensure it is a SMETS 2 (not smets 1). Your gas meter needs to be "in range" of the electric meter, as it is the electric meter which gathers the data and transmits it via a sim card. With SMETS 2 the data does not go to your supplier, but to a "Hub" called the DCC - data communication centre. Your supplier then plugs into your account at the DCC and communicates via your electric meter to your " in home display". In this way you can change supplier relatively seamlessly as one supplier unplugs from DCC and new one plugs in. That's the theory anyway. Hope this helps.
I'm not convinced Gas SMETS measures true energy consumption due to the way it handles the gas Calorific Value, which changes as gas testing results come in to National Grid over a few days.
@@emmaatkinson4334 I can't really comment on this. I don't know how the gas meter measures the Therms used. I assume it measures the volume of gas used and hopefully makes an adjustment for temperature changes. Then it just depends on the purity of the Methane gas supplied..
@@geraldelwood9660 All of the pressure and temperature corrections are fixed for domestic customers and laid down in legislation that anyone can read online. The calorific value may vary over a defined range for a region's gas supply but is often in the vicinity of 39.0. That same legislation says a supplier should take meter readings regularly, presumably thinking monthly when drafted. However EdF bills twice a year. To calculate the bill, EdF takes just the latest reading, subtracts the reading on the previous bill and uses the average calorific value across the whole 6 months, which is unweighted by the customers usage. This I think is not in the spirit of the legislation. It is mathematically flawed. I tried complaining but all they did was to make a poor helpdesk agent calculate my bills between each of my readings. My next step would be a complaint to Ofgem if I have spare time; or I would change supplier if that becomes a thing again. Looking ahead, I would imagine that we may have times of severe shortage on certain parts of the gas network as we go through the cold months. I would guess that the minister would grant the National Grid special permission to allow gas mix of a lower than minimum gas calorific value if the alternative would be lengthy power cuts and severely restricting gas supply. If I agree to fit a gas SMETS 2 meter (also requires an electricity SMETS 2 as a telemetry hub) EdF will still not calculate my gas bill using approx monthly calorific data. I guess that's the problem with making an Electricity company sell gas. BTW British Gas supplies my Electricity. Someone is having a laugh.
@@emmaatkinson4334 Interesting; so if I understand correctly - the Pressure & Temperature corrections are done regionally and incorporated in the calorific values, rather than being measured at each meter. If you choose to go for a smart meter and the correct supplier; you would be able to download your usage figures from your account. Then you could combine these with the calorific values for the corresponding time spans (assuming they are published). You can then compare your adjusted consumption values with your bills.
@@geraldelwood9660 The temperature and pressure adjustment factors are done Nationally and written as values in legislation. Presumably the network has a way to incorporate reality. It may well be mashed into the CV if the National Grid cannot do that by adjusting pressure in the pipes.
Millions of smart meters have been installed and are being installed which are incompatible between suppliers. How the industry has been allowed to do this is beyond me. Either the Engineers, Management and Regulators are incompetent imbeciles (highly unlikely) or this development has been engineered to limit consumer mobility for financial gain. I've just found out my gas tariff has a standing charge of £1.50 per day from a supplier i was deemed to be in contract with. The comparison sites are horrific, all I want to know is the unit rate and standing charge from different suppliers and that appears to be the last thing they want to disclose. Well done Ofgem great job.
This Standing Charge caper is the biggest CON ever,if I don’t use my car Tesco or whoever doesn’t charge me for NOT using it like these power companies do,what a SCAM and the Government let them get away with it. I know a few people who go to Spain for the winter but they still have to pay this ridiculous amount of money for not using any gas or electricity,I certainly won’t be having a smart meter in my home and I’ve told SHELL my supplier so it’s NOT happening.
It isn't a conspiracy that the decision makers make.. you're talking about a radio read meter that's what I used to have and that's right it just put out the signal to read it I know what Smart meters do they will make you sick it's not a damn conspiracy it's the depopulation people call me a conspiracy theory if you want to I'll wear that shit
"all I want to know is the unit rate and standing charge from different suppliers and that appears to be the last thing they want to disclose." good point, i agree completely. all this nonsense of asking you for your old bill and inventing some random number about what they think you might save.. its all bullshit. They shouldn't even ask what my current/old tariff is. just give me the f'ing unit price per mWh!!!
I've managed to put off having a smart meter fitted, despite about 30 or 40 calls to convince me to get one... until now. I am very ecologically and economically responsible so I didn't need or want one. The recent thunder storm have knocked out my digital desplay on my existing meter and when I called to tell them they said they'd send an engineer to fix it... I then received a text saying I was booked in for my smart meter upgrade. When I called them to query this, they told me that I was entitled to refuse the upgrade but having the faulty meter replaced with the old type prepayment meter would incur a charge of £139 and should it ever need fixing in the future, regardless of whose fault it is, I will be responsible for the cost of any repair. Feel a bit like I'm being cornered in to this
You can have a new smart meter fitted and have it turned off (Dumb mode) for reporting to HQ for health reasons and you don't have to specify why unless they are your qualified doctor also!?!
I have been pestered by my Utility company for years to have one fitted and I've always told them I wasn't bothered. I don't waste gas or electric so it's not going to save me anything, and submitting my own readings online takes literally 2 minutes every month or so.
@Baby TT I think I don't have a choice but to get one as at the moment I'm on a predicted bill and to be honest they did say if I give them a reading then they would bill me accordingly but I don't know how to read it and work out if it's less than the predicted bill or maybe I've used more than the £204 predicted bill or and I got an email today saying there's a 40% increase given what's going on today... can anyone help me out with how to read my meter and work out if it's low enough to submit that instead of the predicted bill until my smart meter is fitted next month.
@Baby TT I didn't want one but the problem is I'm getting predicted bill's and I'm surrounded by families where's it's just me and my kid who's always at school and I work from home so I'm under the blanket and it's off during the day... but I'm thinking what if I give them a reading and it's more than the predicted bill,ughhh I'm all over the place but one thing I'm certain of is that I can't pay the same as larger families around me so I might not have a choice but to get the meter...on paper it makes sense to pay for what I use... honestly I'm 🤯and seriously hate adulting.
Do you know Jesus Christ can set you free from sins and save you from hell today Jesus Christ is the only hope in this world no other gods will lead you to heaven There is no security or hope with out Jesus Christ in this world come and repent of all sins today Today is the day of salvation come to the loving savior Today repent and do not go to hell Come to Jesus Christ today Jesus Christ is only way to heaven Repent and follow him today seek his heart Jesus Christ can fill the emptiness he can fill the void Heaven and hell is real cone to the loving savior today Today is the day of salvation tomorrow might be to late come to the loving savior today Romans 6.23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. John 3:16-21 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. 21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God. Mark 1.15 15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel. 2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. Hebrews 11:6 6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. Jesus
You’ve not been paying for energy long have you?! Forget everything and only look at standing charge and kwh rates between your supplier and new one . That’s the only way to tell what’s a good deal. Logical really. Never fall for all the BS . It’s always bottom line math. Then always set an alarm / alert on your phone for 10 months later so you can start to look at changing again at the end of your term. They want everyone to sucker into the variable rate.. always change company as there is nothing for loyalty , loyalty actually costs you more! Basically you need to rate hog, do this for everything , virgin skjy broadband mortgage and even your bank. Only thing you can’t influence is your council tax sadly
I’ve heard some companies say if you change to them you have to have a smart meter. I don’t fancy one until by law you have to have one. I’m giving someone a job a couple of times a year to come and read, so that’s ok with me. I need to change, not done so ever, thanks for the nudge 😊
@@ruthsmith2367 I'm also staying smartmeterless... I can't use any less energy than I currently use short of putting the fridge-freezer on a timer! Also, I'm unconvinced about the security of the technology involved... but that is another matter..
If you approach an energy company by telephone, they will walk you through a list of questions. YOU MUST BE PATIENT at this point, because they cannot quote you Unless you answer their questions. Here is the critical point: when they ask how much you are paying now, refuse to say, and give them your usage figures instead. This way, they are forced to quote you accurately. If you disclose your monthly payments, theyve got you in the bag. They will use artificial figures to arrive at artificially low monthly payments and appearing to beat your present supplier. Quote YOUR actual usage then write down the price per kWh for each fuel and having received your quote, tell them you will call back then hang up. Over a coffee, and using your own figures, its simple to multiply by the price per kWh, to check their quote.
Ruth Smith. Smart meters aren't compulsory but given time, I think they will be. I think all newly built houses have them as standard now. I don't like them, but I'm seriously thinking to get one fitted, because all the cheaper tartiffs insist that you have one. Basically this means if you stick with your normal meter, your bills are far higher.
I fit smart meters and they are a pain in the arse. My particular favourite is people who think it'll save them money because they've got a smart meter fitted. Changing your energy usage will save you money, and using a cheaper tarrif. Try sitting in the cold and dark, that'll save you some cash. I was once asked did i know how much energy the light in a microwave oven used when the door was open. The man who asked wasn't short of a bit of cash either, judging by his house.
Exactly mate ! I spent over an hour trying to explain to 3 different EON bods that I know where I use my power as I am not an idiot !! As they are idiots they simply could not get it ! In the end I told the last guy that I was losing the will to live and that he was lucky that I did not have a gun as I would shoot myself in the head just to end this painful conversation. He hung up. I had only phoned to find out what tariff I am on !!! Oh and EON says that without accepting a smart meter I am no longer allowed to change tariff!!
Totally agree. Why have a readout in your house telling you that you have the light on! I use what I need to use and an off switch too! The energy firms get really puffy when I tell them that I am not having any of it! ;-D
When we started being able to choose our energy suppliers, it was summer and numerous sales people came round wanting to get us on their tariff. I tried to pin them down on the price of the standing charge and the rates they were charging. Not one sales person would give us a straight answer so I told them we were not interested. We were enjoying the nice weather outside and it was a nuisance having to keep answering the door. Interestingly no one came during the cold weather later on.
Smart meters are being pushed for variable tariffs to be introduced You do not need a meter to read the label on an appliance. More wattage more expensive to run. You are right about the radio wave nonsense all electrical goods give off radio waves. However variable tarrifs are a real threat and analitical data. A smart meter is just a glorified current meter . But it transmits that consumption. With an algorithm its possible to know lots. Eg is the house occupied? Is the kettle on? 3 minutes 1500watts. How much time spent in the lounge ? TV 100 watts several hours. Ect With that knowledge its viable to alter your tariff by the hour or minute. So peak requirements will cost more. Remember economy 7? These smart meters will not just be after midnight but minute by minute
OVO scammed my mother by telling her there had been an issue with the readings and she owed them £9000. When she phoned them to ask why the hell she'd been given a £9000 bill, they agreed it was insane and lowered her direct debit to £50 a month while they "looked into it". Months pass and she's racking up a usage debt with them and then they contacted her to say it had been fixed but she now owed £950 because of the lowered direct debit.
@Spread Positivity and Enlightenment anything the government says is good for you, for instance the Covid jab and smart meters, you need to question and refuse to accept!
The real reason for smart meters has to be controlling the generation shortfall in the UK. In the future expect surge or “time of use” tariffs to dissuade use at peak consumption times, which will of course add to the pressures on low income homes, while the wealthy will just grumble a little and stump up the cash, so for example that meal at tea time could get pushed back to 8 pm for many families because it will be so much cheaper to cook then. It’s just another way to hike prices and it’s being done disguised as a green initiative. You only need to see the costs incurred during the recent storm in Texas where energy bills for that month were many times their normal level because of the rocketing cost of wholesale power during the bad weather (for those who still had supply). Expect the same here, smart meters will facilitate that.
Even if you are correct that in future time of use costs might materialise, the smart meter will only record those costs - it cannot control them. Don’t blame a dumb meter for increasing costs -it’s only there to let you see what you,re using.
@@lesliemitchell5780Well, you've just proved 'warweezil's point. People will self control to save money. Furthermore, in the future, smart meters will probably be devised that can switch you off if they think that you are using too much power. This will be done to control the generation shortfall due to the stupid net zero policies of our government which rely on intermittent wind & solar.
Why does anyone need a smart meter? If your in a room watching tv you've got the TV and lights on. If you're cold you put the heating at a comfortable setting, you wash you clothes at the right setting in thec washing machine, cook your food and do on. You dont keep lights on in an empty room, dont put on an empty washing machine etc. So why are these meters needed? They are pointless from an in house energy management perspective...Its all about external control..
We had a smart meter installed to start a new tariff. Within a few days it was telling us we were using over £25 worth of gas and electric a day. Strange considering we have solar panels and decent insolation. We unpluged it pretty quick as it was anxiety inducing. Later we had a gas engineer service our boiler. He told me he binned his smart meter the day it was installed. Makes you think when a professional working in an energy supply related industry wants nothing to do with smart meters..
Well I bet it hates my electric dryer that runs off of 120 240 single phase American voltage it's rated at 30 amps but it doesn't pull that all the time
What you unplugged wasn't the smart meter. It was merely the display that shows the figures from the meter, which has all the cables going in and out of it. You cannot unplug the smart meter.
Do not get a digital meter. You can’t be forced into it, You have to opt into these sly deals. The new digital meters will can be used for peak demand billing which means they can vary your power pricing by the hour. At peak times you could be charged 2-5 times your normal rate .
I have had a smart meter for my electricity since late January. I went with a company called Utilita. After almost six months I can not complain. It was a door saleman that switched me over. Very polite, very efficient no complaints. The switch was clean and easy too. One thing I have learned when it comes to energy suppliers and phone/internet providers, it doesn;t matter what the company is, people have different experiences. Some have good, some have bad. It's good to share personal experiences like this as it can help others choose.
Hello, I case you might reply, I have switched over to Utilita, but I can't get a good comparison regarding the price difference, can you rough estimate if it was cheaper, because in this first few days it's eating credit like crazy, and I have no idea if it's gonna stabilize.
I also am with utilita with a smart meter. I find it great. I phone in to put money on electric gas can see if I'm putting enough in. It's at a hight that's easy to read it's like a sat nav easy to use use what you pay for had mine for about four years not one problem
Strikes me the standing charge is yet another means of extracting money for nothing. In all my nearly 60 years of paying this notional charge not once - in spite of living in both old and new properties amounting to about 12 house moves around many parts of England - has it been necessary for the supplier to either replace a faulty meter or even carry out any maintenance or repairs. Why can’t we simply take out a low cost ( cheaper than the standing charge) cover for that unlikely, ‘once in a lifetime’ occasion when the meter actually does breakdown? Mind you, I talking clockwork meters, not these smart meters, which we all know are far more susceptible to malfunctions. The reliability of clockwork meters is the stuff of legend. Having spent many years in high tech instrument design I can say this with some confidence and my experience with gas and electricity meters over many decades bears out how robustly constructed they are. In short, the “standing charge” is no more than renting 5he device for the privilege of measuring your energy usage accurately. Seems it is not possible to use your own meter for this purpose, so, a nice little ‘earner’ for the supplier…..
I got a smart meter fitted when I was EDF (SMETS 1). It took them ages to finally get round to fit it, then one month later, I left EDF for Octopus. The Smart meters obviously stopped working as ‘smart meters’, however it was handy having the electronic reader in the house which at least kept working. Decided not to bother with Octopus’ offer of a new smart meter. I left Octopus a year later for being too pricey to British Gas. I did the comparison sites to find my particular tariff and, as you’ve implied, the predicted monthly cost was a load of nonsense. I calculated my likely bills myself manually and it still worked out £15/month cheaper so went for it. Glad to say, 9 months into this British Gas contract it has indeed worked out £15 cheaper (that even includes having to work from home since March last year). I still wouldn’t have a smart meter until I’m certain all the issues are worked out. To be honest, the old fashioned approach of submitting occasional meter readings manually isn’t exactly much of a chore*.
So you would have a smart meter if the bugs have been ironed out? So you like the idea of: 1. Being subject to variable tariff pricing where you will pay more for using electricity at times of peak demand in the early evening? 2. Having to pay for apparent power consumption which non smart meters can't measure and therefore can't charge you for it, but smart meters can and will when enough people have them.
@@deang5622I can't decide if this comment is aimed at me or not. Point 1 appears to praise smart meters while point 2 doesn't? So things have changed somewhat since I posted this (which was well over a year ago). 1. At the time I wasn't on a variable rate tariff - it was a 12 month fixed and cost wise it worked out pretty much bang on my own calculations. I left British Gas and went back to Octopus Energy at the end of that contract since Octopus then went back to being cheaper. 2. When you say apparent power, are you talking about the combination of real (kW) and reactive (kVAr)? Now moving on... I've moved house now which had smart meters right from the off. And guess what... They don't work properly lol. I'm now on a variable rate with Octopus (fixed aren't an option at the moment).
@@Horizon301. I posted that comment over 3 years ago and have moved house since, but can still give an update on this... At the time, Octopus did offer to fit new smart meters, but they would also have been SMETS 1 so I told them not to bother. It just seemed wasteful to me. Fast forward to present day, I've now moved to a new build house. When I first moved in, it was with British Gas with more modern smart meters already fitted. I swiftly swapped to Octopus Energy and they were able to 'connect' to the smart meters. The electric meter works perfectly, however the gas meter has never worked properly as a smart meter. This is partly the house builders fault since they decided to install the electric meter in the understairs cupboard rather than adjacent to the gas meter in an outside wall cubicle. For smart meters to work, both your elec and gas meters ideally need to be situated close to each other (or so Octopus say) so that they can 'talk' to each other - basically the elec meter is the one that 'does the work' as far as connecting to your supplier while the gas meter tags onto the electric meter. Until smart meter tech improves further, I'll need to continue to manually provide gas meter readings. In all honesty, it's hardly a hardship, but does highlight to me that we are still not quite there yet with this technology.
Hey I tell ya what, Thats smart 👍, Human to human talking is always the best way to get anything dine Apps suck, mine just goes round and round round and round, it never works properly, it sucks. Energy companies have introduced and manipulated business so much, it's confused customers so much that its always a mess which is excactly what they want, to cover up what's really going on. Digital baa hum bug you can keep it, more headaches than anything else
So Energy still trying to charge us Standing Fee every day even though our gas has been capped! I reported this and they still keep charged me. They can get F
You are in the wrong job ! Brilliantly clear explanation of subject without any slip up. Apply for a job on TV reading the news or giving factual info. of whatever. Cheers, Clive in Devon
On most pre payment electricity meters there is a button you can press to introduce a budget scheme,the meter cutting off when your limit is reached. You can always override it anytime. Handy for some people though,especially if certain members of the household think money grows on trees.
I don't have a smart meter and you've put me off even considering getting one. I'm with Bulb and they don't have year-long deals, just the same tariff all the time for all customers. My monthly direct debit seems to be quite accurate.
Put aside the conspiracy theories for a minute - what worries me is that your energy supplier can switch you off remotely without warning. Surely that's a BIG no no, right?
Where I'm from, in Italy, we all have the same smart meter, regardless of your energy privider the distribution and metering are handled by an indipendent state-owned company. Actually a new model is rolling out (the previous one was introduced in 2004), anyway they are compatible.
You manage to interest me on all your videos, even if the topic you are talking about is something I have never thought about! Thanks for the entertainment Jake!
My electricity meter is in a little cupboard under the stairs. So a smart meter : 1. Saves an unannounced visit (which I hate) from a meter reader. 2. Bending down with a broken back trying to read the thing for a self-report. That is all.
And when your meter eventually looses connection (and it will at some point, they all do) you'll be back to manual meter reads all over again. They're not fit for purpose yet.
What actually is the benefit to you of a smart meter even if it works? It just gives the power company your usage details and possibly control over the power you can use.
He just needs the Karen hair to match lol it's all pretty simple .. if you're struggling with smart meters .. I think it's time to go back home to mum and dad 🍩also the patreon nonsense at the end .. begging is illegal in the UK
I OWN MULTIPLE PROPERTIES & U.E. COMPANIES HAVE PUT SMART METERS ON ALL OF THEM WITHOUT MY KNOWLEGDE OR PERMISSION!!! I CALLED N WANTED THEM REMOVED BECAUSE THEY R PUTTING OFF RADIATION N HURTING PEOPLE. THEY SAID I WOULD HAVE TO PAY $40 TO $60 PER MONTH TO HAVE A METER READER PERSON COME OUT TO GET A READING TO VERIFIES USAGE AMOUNT. A CLASS ACTION LAW SUIT NEEDS TO B STARTED AGAINST THESE ELECTIC COMPANIES ASAP.
I’m with ScottishPower and they’ve been trying to fit a smart meter in my house for a good few years now. I keep knocking them back as i’ve boxed my electric meter in and would cause all sorts of damage to my hall if I was to expose it. So I decided to keep my old meter. I also noticed the “New Cheaper Tariffs” they were offering and spotted that the unit price was higher than what I’m currently paying, so once again I didn’t bother and will shop around once my current deal has ended.
The Only problem I have with Smart Meters is They Cost Up to £150 a year to Rent , My Standard costs £ 30 , also you get a wee monitor to sit on your Fireplace Burning Electricity 24 Hrs a Day , all i have to do is walk 12 steps to see what i'm consuming without all that extra expense. I think i'll BUY My own Meter if they attempt to Force one on me.
More accurate bills they say. Bollox. I still overpay every month, last supplier had my money for 4 months before I got it back due to "final bill" but you get a *discount* if you pay by direct debit
I think most energy companies are just bad in general. It's taken my current supplier over a year to figure out they put me on economy 7, so I had to argue with them over the several hundred pounds they added to my bill for the 'night rate' they weren't previously tracking.
Why would you get an final bill if your on prepayment meter? Which i have concerns as I have now got an email from nabuh energy or is this just a scam email been sent to me
In Ireland we have solar energy and our old meter is flying backwards. Hence, we have Solar Power, Battery Storage and Credit accumulating on our account with our supplier. The electrician who signed off the solar panel work told us not to get a Smart Meter under any circumstances. If we have excess energy to 'sell' back to the grid we would be offered about HALF the cost per KWh compared to the FULL price credit we are receiving with our current (no pun intended) old meter. There is no legal obligation to have a Smart Meter installed in your home (in Ireland).
Smart meters are a waste of time. They, in themselves, don't save you money. All they do is show you how much each appliance is using power wise and it is up to the consumer to regulate their own use. They have been promoted as this wonderful gadget that is going to save you hundreds.
You need to take back these low energy waves don't cause any health issues. There're many studies online if you care to look. I watched a hacking conference where one attendee demonstrated how to use the low energy waves to cause serious damageto an object . He proceeded by saying , in the wrong hands, it could be lethal(wifi routers are trackable with pinpoint accuracy).
I'm not sure if things have become more efficient since you made this video but I was with Tonik Energy and they went bust and i was put with Scottish Power but really didn't want to stay with them so moved again to Octopus Energy and at the time didn't have Smart meters. Through all this moving about I had to have my wits about me but kept on the ball till I finally settled down with Octopus Energy. I have nothing but praise for my existing supplier there customer service has been very good. I had my meters changed with them and the whole process was a breeze. I reluctantly went down the road of smart meters because my old meters were very old, I mean my electric meter had 6 of those small clock face dials which were very difficult to read and one mistake could cost you dearly. My monitor worked straight out of the box and Octopus take a meter reading every half hour. So to end the story....I'm really pleased I changed both energy supplier and meters. I could of course have just been very lucky. :)
Was switching from Scottish Power to Octopus energy difficult? I'm considering doing the same thing as I hate Scottish Power these days with a passion.
@@bums009 No I did it through their website and everything went so smoothly. Octopus got in touch with Scottish power and handled all the change over and all I had to do was to provide a meter reading for both gas and electric. I have been with Octopus now for a few months and they are so customer friendly or I have found them to be.
I know this is an old video but, for what it's worth, the problems you describe aren't really the fault of the smart meter but rather an incompetent energy company. Since they legally own the meter, it's up to them to fix it. I had to resort to the Energy Ombudsman to force Bulb to fix mine, but eventually it got done. Smart meters do occasionally have comms problems, but those can be fixed either by replacing the comms hub or by replacing the whole thing. Again, not your problem, you have the right to get the problem fixed at the supplier's expense. I'm perfectly happy with mine, but then I proactively asked for it to be installed. Originally so I could automate the logging of energy consumption at time of day, and now so I can access Octopus Agile. Electricity now costs me, on average, something like 13-14p/kWh. Very occasionally (like the early hours this morning), it's actually 0! (This really only works if you have battery storage.)
Scottish Power! They billed me for energy after I changed supplier took months to sort out had to find email for CEO to get anywhere constantly threatened with dept recovery. Rang about every day and emailed shocking company.
Its a big myth that smart meters are there to help us, as you explained regarding your meter readings. They are there to give the suppliers control of your supply. Watch this space, already been reported that we may hay power cuts this winter, so no problem to them to cut off your supply !!
The only useful smart meters are the ones you buy and attach to your power cables yourself. Not by disconnecting and connecting cables, but by sticking a device around the live cable. They allow you to monitor the power usage as you switch stuff on and off. But once done, you tend to forget about them till their battery runs out. Then the only time you need to switch back on is if you get something new.
@@JustAlex848 Smart plugs only monitor what's plugged in to them. The system I talked about just use a current clamp around the mains incomer and transmit the data to a device inside the home.
They wait till you go on holiday or vacation. And then get your landlord unwittingly to allow access to your property (Burglary) and fit it without your express permission.
I have an old mechanical electric meter with the spinning disk and gives me accurate reading. If I want a reading of real time usage I use a clamp meter to get an amperage reading and multiply by the volatage for to get the wattage or one can just look at the back of the appliance and it says how many it uses.
@@bikeman123 how would you know a smart meter is accurate? I have a clamp meter so I could measure the amps being used while a known load is running and check if they match.
It's quite the reverse, expertly crafted mechanical devices always trump something that can become faulty with a simple software update and digital accuracy most certainly can be wrong, stop relying computers so bloody much.
Just had my fart meter changed only toke 18 month's. One winter with out heating and hot water. Not happy with the electric company. But had a lovely young lady sort it out with in and hour.thank you young lady
Ignoring the so called smart meter issue, why the hell does the price comparison thing have to be so complicated? It's a false construct anyway, the the gas or electricity comes down the same cable /pipe no matter who "supplies" it! It's designed to be so difficult and time consuming to stay on the ball with (considering all the insurances etc that are similarly poised to rip off the unwary) that most people just don't have time to deal with it so you simply get ripped off. Why can't we just have electric and that's the price. Like it used to be? Owned by the government for the public good
I upgraded my meater about 3 weeks ago I normally pay my bills but pay as you go since the installation of my new smart meter I recently got sent a bill for guess how much €497,314.41p. I asked my power company how after 3 weeks they can justify this amount of debit after just 3 week the power company I.with SSE supposed be.one better power company's. But they are all same this smart meat installation is just a big con with all the power company's just playing same game like you.i regret installation of smart meter is bad indea .
It's all one big manoplily and smart meater is just another way of ripping of the public it's not for good of the public but for good of the big power comapys who are making big big prophets buy insisting that these meters are good thing jus one big lie
It depends in what situation one lives .. if small block of flats where smart meter is at every 3 meters and only half meter away behind the wall from your bed getting switched on at night for the reading .. plus plenty of wifi networks as well Trilliant transmitter attached to smart meter without any consent .... it's a powerful combo to make people having the same health conditions of heath palpitations, head aches , dizzines , numbing arms at night all bottom jew teeth sensitive ...and so on.. it takes few months to takes notice, but it does weaken your energy field of body through heart damage to make you more vulnerable to stronger EMFs ...it's not a conspiracy .... conspiracy is the truth people deny for money ... you will all experience sooner or later ...
I use Utilita, no standing charge, Using the app £15 emergency credit is available if you need it with extra power up if cash is really short. Being able to monitor usage is a must with the recent increase in costs
Thanks for the video, but it’s a bit misleading. You’re having issues with supply companies not the actual smart meter. I’m thinking of getting one installed for my parents as there are getting on and of their meters is right at the back of a storage cupboard, which I struggle to get to myself. I’d be more interested in your review of the actual unit and how it compares in ease to actually ready the meter manually.
Not really that misleading. If you get this smart meter you will regret it. You will inevitably change supplier at some point and the meter may not work with your new supplier. Check with your supplier when you take out the contract that you're getting the latest meter.
@@DrJakesVeryBritishReviews What a load of tosh a smart meter only provides you with your use via a smart meter and a display, it is the same reading you get by scrambling about in that under stairs cupboard and your dumb meter, or let your supplier tell you how much you should pay which will inevitably mean you re being used as a interest free loan to your supplier ie overcharged .
Anything but OVO. Last operative today told me I am in £400 credit, checked online and they say £285. I am one person in a very low energy 1 bed flat . My last bill from OVO ? £22,987.22. One before that was £11 thou + You can imagine what it took to sort that out. No apology , 3 different operatives telling me they have fixed it and one just cutting me off after nearly an hour, with me paying the phone bill. Looking all day for new provider anything but OVO !
You are able to supply your own meter readings. They will come from time to time to do one of their own but its more a case as to see the meter has not been tampered with!
It took us 3 smart meters to get the system working, we basically had the same issue as you. Then the meter reader came and told us the supplier would have put us on a higher tariff to pay for the meter... They hadn't obviously. I'm now happy enough.
Just bear in mind that someone who is paid to come and read your meter is going to be out of a job once smart meters are fully established, take their opinion of smart meters with a pinch of salt
@@Carrosive it doesnt matter as meters fail or need replaced they will be replaced with smart meters so they will be out a job regardless if you switch now or wait for the meter to need replacing.
I was getting a smart meter this November 13th but iv'e now decided against it. I'm pay as you go and today iv'e been reading up on these not so smart meters.24 hours after making it.I'm cancelling the appointment. . Thanks for making my mind up Dr Jake.
You got a SMETS-1 meter after SMETS-2 had been released. SMETS-1 don't like changing supplier, and are dificult to read manually. Of course the electric companies like them because it discourages you from changing supplier. And they used up the old stock by installing them in unsuspecting peoples houses. Personally, I'm waiting for a meter that can adjust quickly to price changes, and allows feed in, etc. At that point things like Tesla Power walls, solar panels and electric cars that can return power to the grid become economically viable. Such meters are supposed to be in development, but I suspect the electricity supplies are very much dragging their feet.
@@DrJakesVeryBritishReviews Scottish Power are doing SMETS-2 now, they keep bugging me to install one. They also tried to push SMETS-1 on me, once I told them I understood the shortcomings they left me alone !
There are already plenty of smart meters that can handle Solar PV, electric vehicles, Powerwall (and other brands of battery) and vehicle to grid systems. As you've already intimated, they are less available via the bigger suppliers, because all these systems impact their profit, but there are many more suppliers that can give you what you want. IMO it's already financially viable to have one.
I work for British gas fitting smart meters, Smets2 must be fitted as from March 2019 unless they are prepay, look up smicop, we have been fitting smets2 since June 2018.
I refuse to have one put in . Any letters sent to me regarding this go straight in the bin. I only wish I could have prevented the water meter going in , any change means you loose more , it's as simple as that ......
Dr.Jake I totally understood your informed message. As for some snips regarding you waffling....this makes your videos a pleasure to listen too. I love a good moan, it makes me feel so lucky that I wasn't Smart enough to have these Smart Meters installed. NB. I do own an Off the Shelf Smart Electric Monitor. If it is set to the current Unit Kw and Daily Standing Charge rates, it gives the same information as a Suppliers Monitors. A simple self-installation and works with any Supplier. As for the Gas.......when it gets chilly I put a Jumper On.
The correlation between the rise of smartphones and the rising rates of brain cancer is all but ignored. Of course these will be the same people attempting to sue the telecom companies 30 years later when the truth finally becomes mainstream (much like the tobacco companies).
These meters almost killed me. Forced me into early menopause bc the radiation is sooooooo vicious. These meters are population control. 3 weeks after installation of 9 meters across the hall from my unit, I could no longer walk, speak, lift my head, my skin was burnt, my brain was so fried it was making electronic noises, (didn’t know a brain could do that) my finger nails were separating from my fingers, I was violently vomiting, my body was so hot it was like worse than the worst fever, I was forced to not sleep more than 2 hours every 3-5 days, (and when I did sleep I could only dream of fire related things, faces melting, walking over hot lava, etc. bc my body was communicating to me through the visuals in my dreams), nausea and depression like you’ve never imagined a human could feel, and more. My medical tests showed connective tissue damage, lung damage, kidney damage, liver damage, brain damage, and digestive system damage. The month before, my tests were healthy as could be. Took me about 7 weeks to recover, (which medical tests showed I was healing) after I had been rushed out of my apartment to a safe place to heal for those 7 weeks. I have been in hotels and friends houses and my office for 6 months trying to find a place to live that even if I opt out, that the neighbors meters won’t hurt me, bc once you are that badly blasted you can no longer be around even one. I know this bc I went to look at a home to live in (the sixth one) to see if I could live in it and her one meter on her 1600 sq ft townhouse, along with the neighbors’ meters on each of those townhouses, totaling 3 meters, after standing in her place for 20-30 minutes talking to the owner of the place, I re-injured myself. Medical tests showed that I had done it again. Injury to all my organs. These power companies need to be sued into oblivion and beyond. I am now being forced into menopause from the radiation. After the second bout of exposure, my cycles are not returning. I hope you all realize that these meters are a way of putting Ausch*itz on each and every house to take down population. People are nearly dying in a matter of 4-6 months of exposure.
So, the main problems you experienced were caused by : 1. YOU had a SMETS1 meter fitted instead of a SMETS 2 meter and YOU did not insist on a SMETS 2 at installation (they were available at the time). 2. YOU switched energy suppliers without researching the problems this causes to smart meters, thus rendering the smart meter "DUMB". 3. YOU switched supplier mid contract and failed to ascertain that the gas supply was included in the new contract as it was in the old, thereby causing the temporary anomaly in your direct debits. To put it another way - YOU failed to do the research in advance. In everything in life RESEARCH is essential; never agree to buying a cup of tea until you know the cost of it. Ironically you then do the research in respect of comparisons and reach the correct conclusions.
- I use to work in the energy market, and the way prices and changes are done in your county is messy, like I mean messy. PS I’m from Ireland - Side note you should never change mid contract always what it out.
Dr Jake's Very British Reviews in Ireland some companies make the same claim, by giving cash back offers with discounts, normally the result is the discount is lowered to pay for the cash back. Would be interested in understanding the uk model of utility service offers more
I personally think the saddest thing about the huge amount of plastic waste generated and the ill considered and hasty move to Smart Meters is that those fitting them are effectively going to make themselves obsolete as you won't need anyone to come around to read a meter. Just like the Self-Service in Supermarkets the Staff are always promoting are just an example of advocating for their own redundancy. If you are promoting tech that can do your job eventually you won't have one.
I watched this video right in the middle of a supplier switch process. I thought "Poor Dr Jake, but this will never happen to me." Now that the switch is complete my smart meter displays £0.00 usage every day, and so far my dealings with the supplier have only yielded "turn it off and back on again" responses. Sigh.
I used to work on the backend of the meters and I can confirm they are absolute garbage that will lose connection if you do much as move something near it.
Someone at work has had a faulty smart meter for sometime, didn't know and was sent estimated bills. The meter has a cut off valve but it never worked. Recently told because the meter was faulty and the readings were wrong but the cut off valve never worked she got 2years worth of free electric
I was with Eon for years. Moved from a 3 bedroom. House to a 2 bed ground floor flat. Both had no smart meter, Started paying £70 which I was happy with the they said I wasn't paying enough,£111 later a month I'd had enough. Changed to another supplier roughly £50/60 saved per month! I'm a happy chappy
An interesting and informative video. Here in Australia, our wonderful government has mandated that everyone will have a smart meter installed. Unsure about the UK, but we have multiple retailers in every state and electricity pricing is over the top. Apparently in South Australia, they have the most expensive power in Australia. It it's wisdom the various states sold off the grid to private companies. The sale of utilities should have been outlawed, but that's government for you.
Reminded me of a monologue by Ronnie Corbett for some reason, but much more interesting. Currently shopping for a new deal and wondering if being forced to take a meter as part of the package is worth the cost of a slightly cheaper tariff. Now off to find more info about the smets2 meters and if I can request one if forced to take a meter. Thank you.
EDF have been hounding me for years to have a smart meter, in one phone call they insisted it was free. Informing them that I was recording the conversation, I asked them to guarantee that I would not be charged a little extra on subsequent bills until the cost of the meter ( around £150 ) was paid off. They then confirmed that they would in fact seek to recover the cost of supply and installation. I just bought an energy monitor for £13, which does everything I need it to do. Job done.
I'm rather glad to have seen this video. I refused a smart meter because I was told that the installer would need to work inside and outside, and the other side of the wall to my electricity meter is the expensive oak fitted wardrobe in my bedroom, and I'm not having that chopped up. Sounds like, as Americans might say, I lucked out.
Isn't it time standing charges were outlawed? I'm paying over £300 before I use any energy at all. It's perfectly possible to factor 'the cost of maintaining the network' into the unit prices. I don't have to pay supermarkets a subscription to cover their overheads, that is all covered by the price I pay for their goods.
How did you leave, was it difficult? I want to switch as we got an energy efficient fridge freezer and a room mate moved out along with his computer and fridge, yet our bills keep climbing. Apparently i have over £300 in credit but they sent me an email yesterday that they want £275 in "outstanding charges". I'm just so confused by it all... And after reading some of the horror stories in their Google reviews, I'm terrified of the effect that dealing with them will have on my mental health lol
It's so true, i regret having digital meters installed too, since the installation, i realised my credit was disappearing, especially when i turn the display machine on to check my credit. When i called SSE, the new company OVO, they couldn't do a proper explanation, being disabled and having an operation, i had no where to go, to stay, i ended up switching everything off most of the time because my weekly pip was £100 and my bills were more than £80 a week. I only had one radiator on, all other switched off. Now i don't know what to do, where to go to get the help I need. Citizens advice bureau didn't really help. Please think twice before having digital meters, you'll get ripped off
All too familiar! I had a 2nd gen smart meter fitted by one supplier - can't remember which one - and in fairness it worked fine. At the end of the contract I switched to another supplier who has thus far been unable or unwilling to collect any readings automatically. I actually think the whole market in utilities is one giant scam because regardless of supplier, you get the exact same electricity or gas delivered through the exact same infrastructure, so if one supplier is charging more than another it's either because they are grossly inefficient, or, more likely just ripping you off because they can. Most gas and electricity profit is made, I fear, from customers who are too lazy, too ignorant or too old to change supplier regularly. A complete fraud, in my view. I am all for 'free markets', but utilities isn't one.
I am going to explain the smart meter process and industry in length, it will be a little long but it may help some people. Changing the meters and cables in every house is a very expensive process, if an energy company changes your equipment and a month later you change supplier they lose money. That is why your meter and cables are by far the oldest electronic items in your house, in a lot of cases far far too old. Most meters and cabling should have been changed long ago but no one wanted to pay for it. The UK government has signed up to a number of world and European carbon emission reduction initiatives, getting a real nationwide carbon reduction is very,very,very hard and expensive so they cheat ( as do ALL countries) they used to do it by paying poorer countries to plant trees to offset the carbon we produce, this was banned. They have now decided that every home that has a smart meter fitted will use 10% less energy which in turn will create 10% less carbon, in reality of course it wont, but on paper it will allow us to hit the carbon targets. Yay way to go us! If you needed a meter changed in the past the Energy companies paid, hence they were never changed unless they had to. If you now have a smart meter fitted the government are paying for most of it ,but no one knows for how long (will a Labour or Liberal government continue with the 10% less energy/carbon fiction?) hence the energy companies want as many meters changing as quickly as possible. ****Children Please Stop Reading**** As for the Meter Fitters. they are not paid piece rate and will never try to force you to have a meter installed as some lying conspiracy theory fucking pieces of shit claim. Meter fitters get a number of meters to install every day (usually too many) if a job gets cancelled or can not be done, it might mean they can have a dinner brake or god forbid get home on time. They will never try to make you have one fitted, anyone pedaling this lie is an attention seeking arsehole. The exact opposite is true, if the meter fitter knocks on your door and you tell him you have changed your mind, wait for the smile to appear. (Sorry about this little rant but conspiracy theorists who tell out and out lies about people just trying to put food on the table is out of order)
My first smart meter from BG billed me for 4500kwh of gas for 4 weeks in midsummer when I didn't use any gas, my new EDF smart meter display (not the House Display, the meter itself) stopped working after a visit from Morrison Data services (to check the meter??) and it a took a week of fighting with EDF and Morrison before they reactivated the display allowing me to read the meter again. Smart Meters are a good idea but very unreliable, you need to check your usage more frequently to ensure you are not being overcharged, which defeats the whole point of having a so called Smart Meter in a the first place.
Guys, where did you find this video? Was it on UA-cam, Twitter or somewhere else?
On YT, in my subscription list.
Facebook :)
UA-cam
UA-cam - suggested in home page
UA-cam Subscription. I frequently have to deal with energy companies. They are a nightmare. Long call waits, tell you X will happen. Then Y happens. Another phone call "no x nor y should have happened. Z will now happen". Approach to energy companies is "if it ain't broke, don't fix it". You'll save a couple of £££, but then spend hours on the phone sorting problems out. Always take photographs, always make sure the unique meter number on the meter matches the paperwork / account. Always record peoples names and call center, reference numbers etc.
Was due to have a smart meter thursday, guy turned up after driving his van across my freshly seeded verge then marched down the hallway with muddy boots over the carpet. He then told me he was going to inspect all my appliances to make sure they were up to standard. I said "what do you do if you find a bad one", He told me he would then "condemn the equipment". My wife was ill in bed at the time and access is required through her bedroom to a new boiler in a cupboard leading off it. Told him I did not know of any faulty equipment but wanted the meter changed not a household electrical and appliance check. He then said we couldn't do it and I threw him out. E-on complaint submitted. Seems its an excuse to drum up extra work.
They don't need to do any of that. Their business starts outside and ends at the meter. Beyond that is your responsibility. The only exception would be the boiler, which may need recommissioning due to having gas cut oss during the switch.
I have told Eon many times that I do not want a smart meter but they still keep sending me emails saying they are ready to fit one and arrange a date.
Sounds very odd. I never had that with EDF in May 2022. I pay by direct debit they changed gas and the electric meter to smart meters and gave me a n EDF smart meter monitor so I could see consumption live as I was using…..oh on that topic its important to remember that GAS use isn’t actually live there is at least a 30 minute delay before your monitor screen notices it with electric its about 20 seconds……if that.
EDF guy couldn’t be less interested in my Electrics ……… he didnt inspect anything as far as I recall and more concerned about Gas meter getting a signal on the Wi-Fi system they use……that talks to their system and informs EDF how much gas you using.
@@notyourordinarygran are you sure they not insisting you get a prepayment meter which would be also be a smart meter? They may insist on that if you haven’t paid your bills on time as a way of forcing you to keep up to date. EDF kept on sending me adverts for their Smart Meters which I ignored but it wasn’t until May of this year I chose to get a Smart Meter for gas and electric. They are a good idea if like me you on a low income and want to be in control of your energy consumption. Knowledge is power and all that 😊 so far I am warm and cosy . In credit and pay by monthly direct debit. Most of my new appliances are AAA plus like my new heat pump tumble dryers and AAA plus fridge freezer that huge but uses less power than little fridge that superseded it.
@@lisadefries6718 definitely not. With 2 full time working adults in the house this is not the issue.
this is like a Ronnie Corbett chair story
"so I said to my energy provider...."
Yes, but funnier
I immediately saw the similarities after reading this comment.
He has a future in entertaining stories told from a chair while off on a tangent !
🤣@@inksterinky9820
Am presently being badgered by my energy company that 'a smart meter will be installed'. NO IT WON'T as we are not obliged to have them if we don't want them. Smart meters being rolled out by most companies, although recommended, are not compulsory. So, don't be bullied by your utility company to have a smart meter installed. I have heard too many horror stories about them.
Spot on. I'm with EDF and for the past three years they've been badgering me to get a Smart meter installed. I get both letters and emails telling me that a Smart Meter is ready and waiting for me. Well it can stay ready and waiting because I'm not having it installed. Like you said, it's not compulsory for the owners of property to have one installed though the energy companies like to make you think otherwise. I'll resist for as long as legally possible.
Sse tried to bully me into one, still don't have one. I argued back that A, it wasn't my decision as I live in a rented property and B, the house is old as the hills. The wiring would likely give the meter false readings due to age.
Going back to the rented property thing. Yes I'm the account holder for sse, now ovo, but it's up to the landlord what gets installed and changed into the house, not me. Also if it's not broken don't fix it.
@@Stringbean421 So do I, it sounds like a con to me... Aren't people suffering enough already with this fabricated cost of living crisis !!!
They want every house to have a smart metre because they can force you to switch to prepayment without the need of a court order to enter and fit one for those who fail to pay bills. All these people now saying don’t pay uk will just get switched onto prepayment
I live in the city of metropolis Illinois and they are Nazi sons of b****** they come here and put one on and there ain't no taking it back unless you fight City Hall we got a mayor that is a freaking Nazi
I did mine via British Gas. All done online.
They kept me informed regarding the appointment.
Engineer came in and it took just over an hour. No issues.
I have to say British Gas online and their app is very good.
If you are thinking of having a smart meter fitted ensure it is a SMETS 2 (not smets 1). Your gas meter needs to be "in range" of the electric meter, as it is the electric meter which gathers the data and transmits it via a sim card. With SMETS 2 the data does not go to your supplier, but to a "Hub" called the DCC - data communication centre. Your supplier then plugs into your account at the DCC and communicates via your electric meter to your " in home display". In this way you can change supplier relatively seamlessly as one supplier unplugs from DCC and new one plugs in. That's the theory anyway. Hope this helps.
I'm not convinced Gas SMETS measures true energy consumption due to the way it handles the gas Calorific Value, which changes as gas testing results come in to National Grid over a few days.
@@emmaatkinson4334 I can't really comment on this. I don't know how the gas meter measures the Therms used. I assume it measures the volume of gas used and hopefully makes an adjustment for temperature changes. Then it just depends on the purity of the Methane gas supplied..
@@geraldelwood9660 All of the pressure and temperature corrections are fixed for domestic customers and laid down in legislation that anyone can read online. The calorific value may vary over a defined range for a region's gas supply but is often in the vicinity of 39.0. That same legislation says a supplier should take meter readings regularly, presumably thinking monthly when drafted. However EdF bills twice a year. To calculate the bill, EdF takes just the latest reading, subtracts the reading on the previous bill and uses the average calorific value across the whole 6 months, which is unweighted by the customers usage. This I think is not in the spirit of the legislation. It is mathematically flawed. I tried complaining but all they did was to make a poor helpdesk agent calculate my bills between each of my readings. My next step would be a complaint to Ofgem if I have spare time; or I would change supplier if that becomes a thing again.
Looking ahead, I would imagine that we may have times of severe shortage on certain parts of the gas network as we go through the cold months. I would guess that the minister would grant the National Grid special permission to allow gas mix of a lower than minimum gas calorific value if the alternative would be lengthy power cuts and severely restricting gas supply.
If I agree to fit a gas SMETS 2 meter (also requires an electricity SMETS 2 as a telemetry hub) EdF will still not calculate my gas bill using approx monthly calorific data. I guess that's the problem with making an Electricity company sell gas. BTW British Gas supplies my Electricity. Someone is having a laugh.
@@emmaatkinson4334 Interesting; so if I understand correctly - the Pressure & Temperature corrections are done regionally and incorporated in the calorific values, rather than being measured at each meter.
If you choose to go for a smart meter and the correct supplier; you would be able to download your usage figures from your account. Then you could combine these with the calorific values for the corresponding time spans (assuming they are published).
You can then compare your adjusted consumption values with your bills.
@@geraldelwood9660 The temperature and pressure adjustment factors are done Nationally and written as values in legislation. Presumably the network has a way to incorporate reality. It may well be mashed into the CV if the National Grid cannot do that by adjusting pressure in the pipes.
Millions of smart meters have been installed and are being installed which are incompatible between suppliers. How the industry has been allowed to do this is beyond me. Either the Engineers, Management and Regulators are incompetent imbeciles (highly unlikely) or this development has been engineered to limit consumer mobility for financial gain. I've just found out my gas tariff has a standing charge of £1.50 per day from a supplier i was deemed to be in contract with. The comparison sites are horrific, all I want to know is the unit rate and standing charge from different suppliers and that appears to be the last thing they want to disclose. Well done Ofgem great job.
This Standing Charge caper is the biggest CON ever,if I don’t use my car Tesco or whoever doesn’t charge me for NOT using it like these power companies do,what a SCAM and the Government let them get away with it. I know a few people who go to Spain for the winter but they still have to pay this ridiculous amount of money for not using any gas or electricity,I certainly won’t be having a smart meter in my home and I’ve told SHELL my supplier so it’s NOT happening.
It isn't a conspiracy that the decision makers make.. you're talking about a radio read meter that's what I used to have and that's right it just put out the signal to read it I know what Smart meters do they will make you sick it's not a damn conspiracy it's the depopulation people call me a conspiracy theory if you want to I'll wear that shit
It's low power but it makes my damn ears ring okay.. there's nothing you can say it makes my ears ring
Yeah, they are trying to standardise phone chargers but they can't do the same with smart meters.
"all I want to know is the unit rate and standing charge from different suppliers and that appears to be the last thing they want to disclose."
good point, i agree completely.
all this nonsense of asking you for your old bill and inventing some random number about what they think you might save.. its all bullshit. They shouldn't even ask what my current/old tariff is.
just give me the f'ing unit price per mWh!!!
I would never have a smart meter and have always resisted the hype to get one. Glad I did!
Moi aussi
Why?
I've managed to put off having a smart meter fitted, despite about 30 or 40 calls to convince me to get one... until now. I am very ecologically and economically responsible so I didn't need or want one. The recent thunder storm have knocked out my digital desplay on my existing meter and when I called to tell them they said they'd send an engineer to fix it... I then received a text saying I was booked in for my smart meter upgrade. When I called them to query this, they told me that I was entitled to refuse the upgrade but having the faulty meter replaced with the old type prepayment meter would incur a charge of £139 and should it ever need fixing in the future, regardless of whose fault it is, I will be responsible for the cost of any repair. Feel a bit like I'm being cornered in to this
You were
Same as my meter aswell.
You can have a new smart meter fitted and have it turned off (Dumb mode) for reporting to HQ for health reasons and you don't have to specify why unless they are your qualified doctor also!?!
They are only smart to the company. Smart meters are a massive con to the public .
I have been pestered by my Utility company for years to have one fitted and I've always told them I wasn't bothered. I don't waste gas or electric so it's not going to save me anything, and submitting my own readings online takes literally 2 minutes every month or so.
I've been pestered for at least a year by the supplier. Mail and phone calling. There must be a financial gain for them.
@@yxnone9771 they are forced by the government to install them.
@@bazahaza just threaten with changing supplier and they will stop or keep changing supplier
@Baby TT I think I don't have a choice but to get one as at the moment I'm on a predicted bill and to be honest they did say if I give them a reading then they would bill me accordingly but I don't know how to read it and work out if it's less than the predicted bill or maybe I've used more than the £204 predicted bill or and I got an email today saying there's a 40% increase given what's going on today... can anyone help me out with how to read my meter and work out if it's low enough to submit that instead of the predicted bill until my smart meter is fitted next month.
@Baby TT I didn't want one but the problem is I'm getting predicted bill's and I'm surrounded by families where's it's just me and my kid who's always at school and I work from home so I'm under the blanket and it's off during the day... but I'm thinking what if I give them a reading and it's more than the predicted bill,ughhh I'm all over the place but one thing I'm certain of is that I can't pay the same as larger families around me so I might not have a choice but to get the meter...on paper it makes sense to pay for what I use... honestly I'm 🤯and seriously hate adulting.
A smart meter allows the energy company to switch you off remotely or immediately switch you over to pay as you go.
The amount of meters that just randomly slip into PAYG mode is crazy, it can be caused by something as innocuous as a power cut.
Do you know Jesus Christ can set you free from sins and save you from hell today
Jesus Christ is the only hope in this world no other gods will lead you to heaven
There is no security or hope with out Jesus Christ in this world come and repent of all sins today
Today is the day of salvation come to the loving savior Today repent and do not go to hell
Come to Jesus Christ today
Jesus Christ is only way to heaven
Repent and follow him today seek his heart Jesus Christ can fill the emptiness he can fill the void
Heaven and hell is real cone to the loving savior today
Today is the day of salvation tomorrow might be to late come to the loving savior today
Romans 6.23
For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
John 3:16-21
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. 21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.
Mark 1.15
15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.
2 Peter 3:9
The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
Hebrews 11:6
6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
Jesus
No they cannot!
You’ve not been paying for energy long have you?! Forget everything and only look at standing charge and kwh rates between your supplier and new one . That’s the only way to tell what’s a good deal. Logical really. Never fall for all the BS . It’s always bottom line math. Then always set an alarm / alert on your phone for 10 months later so you can start to look at changing again at the end of your term. They want everyone to sucker into the variable rate.. always change company as there is nothing for loyalty , loyalty actually costs you more!
Basically you need to rate hog, do this for everything , virgin skjy broadband mortgage and even your bank. Only thing you can’t influence is your council tax sadly
Standing Charge and KWH rates - Alarm every 10 months ….. bingo! How do you avoid all the other mince they tell you?😂
I’ve heard some companies say if you change to them you have to have a smart meter. I don’t fancy one until by law you have to have one. I’m giving someone a job a couple of times a year to come and read, so that’s ok with me. I need to change, not done so ever, thanks for the nudge 😊
@@ruthsmith2367 I'm also staying smartmeterless... I can't use any less energy than I currently use short of putting the fridge-freezer on a timer!
Also, I'm unconvinced about the security of the technology involved... but that is another matter..
If you approach an energy company by telephone, they will walk you through a list of questions. YOU MUST BE PATIENT at this point, because they cannot quote you Unless you answer their questions.
Here is the critical point: when they ask how much you are paying now, refuse to say, and give them your usage figures instead. This way, they are forced to quote you accurately. If you disclose your monthly payments, theyve got you in the bag. They will use artificial figures to arrive at artificially low monthly payments and appearing to beat your present supplier.
Quote YOUR actual usage then write down the price per kWh for each fuel and having received your quote, tell them you will call back then hang up.
Over a coffee, and using your own figures, its simple to multiply by the price per kWh, to check their quote.
Ruth Smith.
Smart meters aren't compulsory but given time, I think they will be. I think all newly built houses have them as standard now.
I don't like them, but I'm seriously thinking to get one fitted, because all the cheaper tartiffs insist that you have one.
Basically this means if you stick with your normal meter, your bills are far higher.
I fit smart meters and they are a pain in the arse. My particular favourite is people who think it'll save them money because they've got a smart meter fitted. Changing your energy usage will save you money, and using a cheaper tarrif. Try sitting in the cold and dark, that'll save you some cash.
I was once asked did i know how much energy the light in a microwave oven used when the door was open. The man who asked wasn't short of a bit of cash either, judging by his house.
The bloke who fitted mine was quick to tell me the cost of having the meter on - I suspect he'd been asked a million times
Exactly mate ! I spent over an hour trying to explain to 3 different EON bods that I know where I use my power as I am not an idiot !! As they are idiots they simply could not get it !
In the end I told the last guy that I was losing the will to live and that he was lucky that I did not have a gun as I would shoot myself in the head just to end this painful conversation.
He hung up.
I had only phoned to find out what tariff I am on !!! Oh and EON says that without accepting a smart meter I am no longer allowed to change tariff!!
Totally agree. Why have a readout in your house telling you that you have the light on! I use what I need to use and an off switch too! The energy firms get really puffy when I tell them that I am not having any of it! ;-D
Not strictly true. Mine saves me money..half-hourly tariff (smart meter required) means I've paid less than 8p per kWh for the last year..
So... other than showing you where you spend the energy, smart meter actually doesn't do anything?
When we started being able to choose our energy suppliers, it was summer and numerous sales people came round wanting to get us on their tariff. I tried to pin them down on the price of the standing charge and the rates they were charging. Not one sales person would give us a straight answer so I told them we were not interested. We were enjoying the nice weather outside and it was a nuisance having to keep answering the door. Interestingly no one came during the cold weather later on.
Smart meters are being pushed for
variable tariffs to be introduced
You do not need a meter to read the label on an appliance.
More wattage more expensive to run.
You are right about the radio wave nonsense all electrical goods give off radio waves.
However variable tarrifs are a real threat and analitical data.
A smart meter is just a glorified current meter .
But it transmits that consumption.
With an algorithm its possible to know lots.
Eg is the house occupied?
Is the kettle on? 3 minutes 1500watts.
How much time spent in the lounge ?
TV 100 watts several hours.
Ect
With that knowledge its viable to alter your tariff by the hour or minute.
So peak requirements will cost more.
Remember economy 7?
These smart meters will not just be after midnight but minute by minute
OVO scammed my mother by telling her there had been an issue with the readings and she owed them £9000. When she phoned them to ask why the hell she'd been given a £9000 bill, they agreed it was insane and lowered her direct debit to £50 a month while they "looked into it". Months pass and she's racking up a usage debt with them and then they contacted her to say it had been fixed but she now owed £950 because of the lowered direct debit.
Fortunately I point blank refused to have smart meters in my house. Still on analog and will be as long as possible.
@Spread Positivity and Enlightenment anything the government says is good for you, for instance the Covid jab and smart meters, you need to question and refuse to accept!
@Spread Positivity and Enlightenment
The govt has just said report to room 1102 for 🔥 burning
Always photograph the old and the new meter when they change it.
A guy from Eon told me 4 years ago the Government are paying companies £1000 for every house they fit a smart meter to.
The real reason for smart meters has to be controlling the generation shortfall in the UK. In the future expect surge or “time of use” tariffs to dissuade use at peak consumption times, which will of course add to the pressures on low income homes, while the wealthy will just grumble a little and stump up the cash, so for example that meal at tea time could get pushed back to 8 pm for many families because it will be so much cheaper to cook then.
It’s just another way to hike prices and it’s being done disguised as a green initiative. You only need to see the costs incurred during the recent storm in Texas where energy bills for that month were many times their normal level because of the rocketing cost of wholesale power during the bad weather (for those who still had supply). Expect the same here, smart meters will facilitate that.
But the world is not flat.
@@TonyFisherPuzzles FFS toss pot.
Even if you are correct that in future time of use costs might materialise, the smart meter will only record those costs - it cannot control them. Don’t blame a dumb meter for increasing costs -it’s only there to let you see what you,re using.
This is right, you've hit the nail on the head.
@@lesliemitchell5780Well, you've just proved 'warweezil's point. People will self control to save money. Furthermore, in the future, smart meters will probably be devised that can switch you off if they think that you are using too much power. This will be done to control the generation shortfall due to the stupid net zero policies of our government which rely on intermittent wind & solar.
The purpose of smart meters is energy rationing . This winter 2022 there will be rolling blackouts with the countrydivided into 16 sub grids.
Why does anyone need a smart meter? If your in a room watching tv you've got the TV and lights on. If you're cold you put the heating at a comfortable setting, you wash you clothes at the right setting in thec washing machine, cook your food and do on. You dont keep lights on in an empty room, dont put on an empty washing machine etc. So why are these meters needed? They are pointless from an in house energy management perspective...Its all about external control..
We had a smart meter installed to start a new tariff. Within a few days it was telling us we were using over £25 worth of gas and electric a day. Strange considering we have solar panels and decent insolation. We unpluged it pretty quick as it was anxiety inducing.
Later we had a gas engineer service our boiler. He told me he binned his smart meter the day it was installed. Makes you think when a professional working in an energy supply related industry wants nothing to do with smart meters..
I don't like smart meters I've done my research and they put one on my house and I had no choice
Well I bet it hates my electric dryer that runs off of 120 240 single phase American voltage it's rated at 30 amps but it doesn't pull that all the time
What you unplugged wasn't the smart meter. It was merely the display that shows the figures from the meter, which has all the cables going in and out of it. You cannot unplug the smart meter.
Do not get a digital meter. You can’t be forced into it, You have to opt into these sly deals. The new digital meters will can be used for peak demand billing which means they can vary your power pricing by the hour. At peak times you could be charged 2-5 times your normal rate .
I have had a smart meter for my electricity since late January. I went with a company called Utilita. After almost six months I can not complain. It was a door saleman that switched me over. Very polite, very efficient no complaints. The switch was clean and easy too. One thing I have learned when it comes to energy suppliers and phone/internet providers, it doesn;t matter what the company is, people have different experiences. Some have good, some have bad. It's good to share personal experiences like this as it can help others choose.
Hello, I case you might reply, I have switched over to Utilita, but I can't get a good comparison regarding the price difference, can you rough estimate if it was cheaper, because in this first few days it's eating credit like crazy, and I have no idea if it's gonna stabilize.
I also am with utilita with a smart meter. I find it great. I phone in to put money on electric gas can see if I'm putting enough in. It's at a hight that's easy to read it's like a sat nav easy to use use what you pay for had mine for about four years not one problem
I prefer utilita ..as all charges are in the price you see and are taken in the first two kwhs of the day .. so what you see is all you pay.. 💐
YES IT DOES MATTER PLEASE READ MYPOST THANK YOU
@@michael6692 No, it doesn't matter. Caps is not necessqary either.
Strikes me the standing charge is yet another means of extracting money for nothing. In all my nearly 60 years of paying this notional charge not once - in spite of living in both old and new properties amounting to about 12 house moves around many parts of England - has it been necessary for the supplier to either replace a faulty meter or even carry out any maintenance or repairs. Why can’t we simply take out a low cost ( cheaper than the standing charge) cover for that unlikely, ‘once in a lifetime’ occasion when the meter actually does breakdown? Mind you, I talking clockwork meters, not these smart meters, which we all know are far more susceptible to malfunctions. The reliability of clockwork meters is the stuff of legend. Having spent many years in high tech instrument design I can say this with some confidence and my experience with gas and electricity meters over many decades bears out how robustly constructed they are. In short, the “standing charge” is no more than renting 5he device for the privilege of measuring your energy usage accurately. Seems it is not possible to use your own meter for this purpose, so, a nice little ‘earner’ for the supplier…..
Sorry you had such a hassle with smart meter. Thank you for sharing, think i'll stick to the old style meter!
By any chance can we opt out
Look into it for yourself don't let other tell you what to think. remember when they said "trust the science".
I got a smart meter fitted when I was EDF (SMETS 1). It took them ages to finally get round to fit it, then one month later, I left EDF for Octopus. The Smart meters obviously stopped working as ‘smart meters’, however it was handy having the electronic reader in the house which at least kept working. Decided not to bother with Octopus’ offer of a new smart meter.
I left Octopus a year later for being too pricey to British Gas. I did the comparison sites to find my particular tariff and, as you’ve implied, the predicted monthly cost was a load of nonsense. I calculated my likely bills myself manually and it still worked out £15/month cheaper so went for it. Glad to say, 9 months into this British Gas contract it has indeed worked out £15 cheaper (that even includes having to work from home since March last year).
I still wouldn’t have a smart meter until I’m certain all the issues are worked out. To be honest, the old fashioned approach of submitting occasional meter readings manually isn’t exactly much of a chore*.
Lol the last word made me laugh, classic auto spell error 😜
So you would have a smart meter if the bugs have been ironed out?
So you like the idea of:
1. Being subject to variable tariff pricing where you will pay more for using electricity at times of peak demand in the early evening?
2. Having to pay for apparent power consumption which non smart meters can't measure and therefore can't charge you for it, but smart meters can and will when enough people have them.
@@deang5622I can't decide if this comment is aimed at me or not. Point 1 appears to praise smart meters while point 2 doesn't?
So things have changed somewhat since I posted this (which was well over a year ago).
1. At the time I wasn't on a variable rate tariff - it was a 12 month fixed and cost wise it worked out pretty much bang on my own calculations. I left British Gas and went back to Octopus Energy at the end of that contract since Octopus then went back to being cheaper.
2. When you say apparent power, are you talking about the combination of real (kW) and reactive (kVAr)?
Now moving on... I've moved house now which had smart meters right from the off. And guess what... They don't work properly lol.
I'm now on a variable rate with Octopus (fixed aren't an option at the moment).
@@orion1983ukso when you went from edf to octopus they offered to fit a new meter for free?
@@Horizon301. I posted that comment over 3 years ago and have moved house since, but can still give an update on this... At the time, Octopus did offer to fit new smart meters, but they would also have been SMETS 1 so I told them not to bother. It just seemed wasteful to me. Fast forward to present day, I've now moved to a new build house. When I first moved in, it was with British Gas with more modern smart meters already fitted. I swiftly swapped to Octopus Energy and they were able to 'connect' to the smart meters. The electric meter works perfectly, however the gas meter has never worked properly as a smart meter. This is partly the house builders fault since they decided to install the electric meter in the understairs cupboard rather than adjacent to the gas meter in an outside wall cubicle. For smart meters to work, both your elec and gas meters ideally need to be situated close to each other (or so Octopus say) so that they can 'talk' to each other - basically the elec meter is the one that 'does the work' as far as connecting to your supplier while the gas meter tags onto the electric meter. Until smart meter tech improves further, I'll need to continue to manually provide gas meter readings. In all honesty, it's hardly a hardship, but does highlight to me that we are still not quite there yet with this technology.
Hey I tell ya what,
Thats smart 👍,
Human to human talking is always the best way to get anything dine
Apps suck, mine just goes round and round round and round, it never works properly, it sucks.
Energy companies have introduced and manipulated business so much, it's confused customers so much that its always a mess which is excactly what they want, to cover up what's really going on.
Digital baa hum bug you can keep it, more headaches than anything else
So Energy still trying to charge us Standing Fee every day even though our gas has been capped! I reported this and they still keep charged me. They can get F
When a company wants to GIVE you something br very suspicious. Do't be in any doubt - you will pay!
Your meter is so smart that it makes you do it's job by doing nothing.
You are in the wrong job ! Brilliantly clear explanation of subject without any slip up. Apply for a job on TV reading the news or giving factual info. of whatever. Cheers, Clive in Devon
Smart meter have been installed in America since long time ago already and I can assure you that they had many problems about it!!!
On most pre payment electricity meters there is a button you can press to introduce a budget scheme,the meter cutting off when your limit is reached. You can always override it anytime. Handy for some people though,especially if certain members of the household think money grows on trees.
I don't have a smart meter and you've put me off even considering getting one. I'm with Bulb and they don't have year-long deals, just the same tariff all the time for all customers. My monthly direct debit seems to be quite accurate.
I'm with Bulb as well. I like the fact they don't constantly hassle you to get a smart meter.
@@mardea587 don't they ? i got 15 texts on my phone from bulb since middle of last year asking me if i want a smart meter installed, sod em
@@sharpelk JEEEZ that would do my head in!
Put aside the conspiracy theories for a minute - what worries me is that your energy supplier can switch you off remotely without warning. Surely that's a BIG no no, right?
Where I'm from, in Italy, we all have the same smart meter, regardless of your energy privider the distribution and metering are handled by an indipendent state-owned company. Actually a new model is rolling out (the previous one was introduced in 2004), anyway they are compatible.
That sounds intriguing 🤔
That is Scottish Power I don't know why there allowed to have customers. They were banned from taking new customers on a few years ago.
You manage to interest me on all your videos, even if the topic you are talking about is something I have never thought about! Thanks for the entertainment Jake!
Wow, thank you!
Hi There,
Thank you for your video. Very helpful.
One thing I’m confused about is, if your smart meter is faulty, why not get it replaced?
My electricity meter is in a little cupboard under the stairs. So a smart meter : 1. Saves an unannounced visit (which I hate) from a meter reader. 2. Bending down with a broken back trying to read the thing for a self-report. That is all.
And when your meter eventually looses connection (and it will at some point, they all do) you'll be back to manual meter reads all over again. They're not fit for purpose yet.
What actually is the benefit to you of a smart meter even if it works? It just gives the power company your usage details and possibly control over the power you can use.
Loving your slow but notable transformation in a Karen.
I've been a Karen all along but I'm slowly beginning to share it with the world!
He just needs the Karen hair to match lol it's all pretty simple .. if you're struggling with smart meters .. I think it's time to go back home to mum and dad 🍩also the patreon nonsense at the end .. begging is illegal in the UK
D D u ok hun? xx
I OWN MULTIPLE PROPERTIES & U.E. COMPANIES HAVE PUT SMART METERS ON ALL OF THEM WITHOUT MY KNOWLEGDE OR PERMISSION!!! I CALLED N WANTED THEM REMOVED BECAUSE THEY R PUTTING OFF RADIATION N HURTING PEOPLE. THEY SAID I WOULD HAVE TO PAY $40 TO $60 PER MONTH TO HAVE A METER READER PERSON COME OUT TO GET A READING TO VERIFIES USAGE AMOUNT. A CLASS ACTION LAW SUIT NEEDS TO B STARTED AGAINST THESE ELECTIC COMPANIES ASAP.
I’m with ScottishPower and they’ve been trying to fit a smart meter in my house for a good few years now. I keep knocking them back as i’ve boxed my electric meter in and would cause all sorts of damage to my hall if I was to expose it. So I decided to keep my old meter.
I also noticed the “New Cheaper Tariffs” they were offering and spotted that the unit price was higher than what I’m currently paying, so once again I didn’t bother and will shop around once my current deal has ended.
if its boxed in, how do you read the meter? lol or do you mean its boxed in as in difficult to work on it.
@@richsmif it’s boxed in with a little door on the front, but you couldn’t remove the actual meter without making a right mess.
The Only problem I have with Smart Meters is They Cost Up to £150 a year to Rent , My Standard costs £ 30 , also you get a wee monitor to sit on your Fireplace Burning Electricity 24 Hrs a Day , all i have to do is walk 12 steps to see what i'm consuming without all that extra expense. I think i'll BUY My own Meter if they attempt to Force one on me.
More accurate bills they say. Bollox. I still overpay every month, last supplier had my money for 4 months before I got it back due to "final bill" but you get a *discount* if you pay by direct debit
Mine is completely useless now
I think most energy companies are just bad in general. It's taken my current supplier over a year to figure out they put me on economy 7, so I had to argue with them over the several hundred pounds they added to my bill for the 'night rate' they weren't previously tracking.
Why would you get an final bill if your on prepayment meter? Which i have concerns as I have now got an email from nabuh energy or is this just a scam email been sent to me
In Ireland we have solar energy and our old meter is flying backwards. Hence, we have Solar Power, Battery Storage and Credit accumulating on our account with our supplier.
The electrician who signed off the solar panel work told us not to get a Smart Meter under any circumstances.
If we have excess energy to 'sell' back to the grid we would be offered about HALF the cost per KWh compared to the FULL price credit we are receiving with our current (no pun intended) old meter.
There is no legal obligation to have a Smart Meter installed in your home (in Ireland).
Smart meters are a waste of time. They, in themselves, don't save you money. All they do is show you how much each appliance is using power wise and it is up to the consumer to regulate their own use. They have been promoted as this wonderful gadget that is going to save you hundreds.
They aren’t meant to save you money.
@@guerrerofam3518
That's what he said.
@@guerrerofam3518 just screw you
You need to take back these low energy waves don't cause any health issues. There're many studies online if you care to look. I watched a hacking conference where one attendee demonstrated how to use the low energy waves to cause serious damageto an object . He proceeded by saying , in the wrong hands, it could be lethal(wifi routers are trackable with pinpoint accuracy).
I'm not sure if things have become more efficient since you made this video but I was with Tonik Energy and they went bust and i was put with Scottish Power but really didn't want to stay with them so moved again to Octopus Energy and at the time didn't have Smart meters. Through all this moving about I had to have my wits about me but kept on the ball till I finally settled down with Octopus Energy. I have nothing but praise for my existing supplier there customer service has been very good. I had my meters changed with them and the whole process was a breeze. I reluctantly went down the road of smart meters because my old meters were very old, I mean my electric meter had 6 of those small clock face dials which were very difficult to read and one mistake could cost you dearly. My monitor worked straight out of the box and Octopus take a meter reading every half hour. So to end the story....I'm really pleased I changed both energy supplier and meters. I could of course have just been very lucky. :)
Was switching from Scottish Power to Octopus energy difficult? I'm considering doing the same thing as I hate Scottish Power these days with a passion.
@@bums009 No I did it through their website and everything went so smoothly. Octopus got in touch with Scottish power and handled all the change over and all I had to do was to provide a meter reading for both gas and electric. I have been with Octopus now for a few months and they are so customer friendly or I have found them to be.
I know this is an old video but, for what it's worth, the problems you describe aren't really the fault of the smart meter but rather an incompetent energy company. Since they legally own the meter, it's up to them to fix it. I had to resort to the Energy Ombudsman to force Bulb to fix mine, but eventually it got done.
Smart meters do occasionally have comms problems, but those can be fixed either by replacing the comms hub or by replacing the whole thing. Again, not your problem, you have the right to get the problem fixed at the supplier's expense.
I'm perfectly happy with mine, but then I proactively asked for it to be installed. Originally so I could automate the logging of energy consumption at time of day, and now so I can access Octopus Agile. Electricity now costs me, on average, something like 13-14p/kWh. Very occasionally (like the early hours this morning), it's actually 0! (This really only works if you have battery storage.)
Scottish Power! They billed me for energy after I changed supplier took months to sort out had to find email for CEO to get anywhere constantly threatened with dept recovery. Rang about every day and emailed shocking company.
Its a big myth that smart meters are there to help us, as you explained regarding your meter readings. They are there to give the suppliers control of your supply. Watch this space, already been reported that we may hay power cuts this winter, so no problem to them to cut off your supply !!
My old tv and freezer were eating my electric , the smart meter helped me find this out.
I had smart meter but cost expensive so had it enough as it can be manipulated
Yes
@@qualitylife5350 no it can't!
Dialed back the heat on hot water tank and saving plenty....realized I didn't need boiling hot water 24/7... hot does nicely.
@@marilyncourteau8951 how do you dial it so its not on 24 /7
I keep getting calls to get a smart meter fitted, and every time I tell them HELL NO!! And put the phone down every time.
The only useful smart meters are the ones you buy and attach to your power cables yourself. Not by disconnecting and connecting cables, but by sticking a device around the live cable. They allow you to monitor the power usage as you switch stuff on and off. But once done, you tend to forget about them till their battery runs out. Then the only time you need to switch back on is if you get something new.
@@JustAlex848 Smart plugs only monitor what's plugged in to them. The system I talked about just use a current clamp around the mains incomer and transmit the data to a device inside the home.
They wait till you go on holiday or vacation. And then get your landlord unwittingly to allow access to your property (Burglary) and fit it without your express permission.
I have an old mechanical electric meter with the spinning disk and gives me accurate reading. If I want a reading of real time usage I use a clamp meter to get an amperage reading and multiply by the volatage for to get the wattage or one can just look at the back of the appliance and it says how many it uses.
@j k my meter is outside and can be checked without me being notified, so it wouldn't be wise to tamper with it.
How do you know it is accurate? It would seem more likely that something old and mechanical might not be accurate.
@@bikeman123 how would you know a smart meter is accurate? I have a clamp meter so I could measure the amps being used while a known load is running and check if they match.
It's quite the reverse, expertly crafted mechanical devices always trump something that can become faulty with a simple software update and digital accuracy most certainly can be wrong, stop relying computers so bloody much.
Just had my fart meter changed only toke 18 month's. One winter with out heating and hot water. Not happy with the electric company. But had a lovely young lady sort it out with in and hour.thank you young lady
Ignoring the so called smart meter issue, why the hell does the price comparison thing have to be so complicated? It's a false construct anyway, the the gas or electricity comes down the same cable /pipe no matter who "supplies" it! It's designed to be so difficult and time consuming to stay on the ball with (considering all the insurances etc that are similarly poised to rip off the unwary) that most people just don't have time to deal with it so you simply get ripped off. Why can't we just have electric and that's the price. Like it used to be? Owned by the government for the public good
I upgraded my meater about 3 weeks ago I normally pay my bills but pay as you go since the installation of my new smart meter I recently got sent a bill for guess how much €497,314.41p. I asked my power company how after 3 weeks they can justify this amount of debit after just 3 week the power company I.with SSE supposed be.one better power company's. But they are all same this smart meat installation is just a big con with all the power company's just playing same game like you.i regret installation of smart meter is bad indea .
It's all one big manoplily and smart meater is just another way of ripping of the public it's not for good of the public but for good of the big power comapys who are making big big prophets buy insisting that these meters are good thing jus one big lie
Exactly the politicians or the royals who ever set this system up is reaping the benefits as usual,sitting in there gold thrones etc loving live 🤮
lol you'll be suggesting we dig our own coal and become a self-sufficient country next. Hang on a minute...
Thank you so much!!! What is the top 3 best energy providers in 2023? 💜
It depends in what situation one lives .. if small block of flats where smart meter is at every 3 meters and only half meter away behind the wall from your bed getting switched on at night for the reading .. plus plenty of wifi networks as well Trilliant transmitter attached to smart meter without any consent .... it's a powerful combo to make people having the same health conditions of heath palpitations, head aches , dizzines , numbing arms at night all bottom jew teeth sensitive ...and so on.. it takes few months to takes notice, but it does weaken your energy field of body through heart damage to make you more vulnerable to stronger EMFs ...it's not a conspiracy .... conspiracy is the truth people deny for money ... you will all experience sooner or later ...
I use Utilita, no standing charge, Using the app £15 emergency credit is available if you need it with extra power up if cash is really short. Being able to monitor usage is a must with the recent increase in costs
Thanks for the video, but it’s a bit misleading. You’re having issues with supply companies not the actual smart meter. I’m thinking of getting one installed for my parents as there are getting on and of their meters is right at the back of a storage cupboard, which I struggle to get to myself. I’d be more interested in your review of the actual unit and how it compares in ease to actually ready the meter manually.
Not really that misleading. If you get this smart meter you will regret it. You will inevitably change supplier at some point and the meter may not work with your new supplier. Check with your supplier when you take out the contract that you're getting the latest meter.
@@DrJakesVeryBritishReviews What a load of tosh a smart meter only provides you with your use via a smart meter and a display, it is the same reading you get by scrambling about in that under stairs cupboard and your dumb meter, or let your supplier tell you how much you should pay which will inevitably mean you re being used as a interest free loan to your supplier ie overcharged .
Anything but OVO. Last operative today told me I am in £400 credit, checked online and they say £285. I am one person in a very low energy 1 bed flat . My last bill from OVO ? £22,987.22. One before that was £11 thou + You can imagine what it took to sort that out. No apology , 3 different operatives telling me they have fixed it and one just cutting me off after nearly an hour, with me paying the phone bill. Looking all day for new provider anything but OVO !
Interesting video Jake! Will make sure to stay aware in the future.
Having a smart meter saves your supplier the costs of reading a meter. Meter reading is included in the standing charges so no smart meter for me
You are able to supply your own meter readings. They will come from time to time to do one of their own but its more a case as to see the meter has not been tampered with!
It took us 3 smart meters to get the system working, we basically had the same issue as you. Then the meter reader came and told us the supplier would have put us on a higher tariff to pay for the meter... They hadn't obviously. I'm now happy enough.
Just bear in mind that someone who is paid to come and read your meter is going to be out of a job once smart meters are fully established, take their opinion of smart meters with a pinch of salt
@@Carrosive it doesnt matter as meters fail or need replaced they will be replaced with smart meters so they will be out a job regardless if you switch now or wait for the meter to need replacing.
I was getting a smart meter this November 13th but iv'e now decided against it. I'm pay as you go and today iv'e been reading up on these not so smart meters.24 hours after making it.I'm cancelling the appointment. . Thanks for making my mind up Dr Jake.
You got a SMETS-1 meter after SMETS-2 had been released. SMETS-1 don't like changing supplier, and are dificult to read manually. Of course the electric companies like them because it discourages you from changing supplier. And they used up the old stock by installing them in unsuspecting peoples houses.
Personally, I'm waiting for a meter that can adjust quickly to price changes, and allows feed in, etc. At that point things like Tesla Power walls, solar panels and electric cars that can return power to the grid become economically viable. Such meters are supposed to be in development, but I suspect the electricity supplies are very much dragging their feet.
That makes a lot of sense. Thanks for the info
@@DrJakesVeryBritishReviews Scottish Power are doing SMETS-2 now, they keep bugging me to install one. They also tried to push SMETS-1 on me, once I told them I understood the shortcomings they left me alone !
There are already plenty of smart meters that can handle Solar PV, electric vehicles, Powerwall (and other brands of battery) and vehicle to grid systems. As you've already intimated, they are less available via the bigger suppliers, because all these systems impact their profit, but there are many more suppliers that can give you what you want. IMO it's already financially viable to have one.
I work for British gas fitting smart meters, Smets2 must be fitted as from March 2019 unless they are prepay, look up smicop, we have been fitting smets2 since June 2018.
Smart metering installation code of practice
I refuse to have one put in . Any letters sent to me regarding this go straight in the bin. I only wish I could have prevented the water meter going in , any change means you loose more , it's as simple as that ......
Hi Jake, did you ask the power company to change the smart meter to one that works with their systems?, if not, why not?
Dr.Jake I totally understood your informed message. As for some snips regarding you waffling....this makes your videos a pleasure to listen too. I love a good moan, it makes me feel so lucky that I wasn't Smart enough to have these Smart Meters installed. NB. I do own an Off the Shelf Smart Electric Monitor. If it is set to the current Unit Kw and Daily Standing Charge rates, it gives the same information as a Suppliers Monitors. A simple self-installation and works with any Supplier. As for the Gas.......when it gets chilly I put a Jumper On.
How much do you love that EMI and PWM Radiation
The correlation between the rise of smartphones and the rising rates of brain cancer is all but ignored. Of course these will be the same people attempting to sue the telecom companies 30 years later when the truth finally becomes mainstream (much like the tobacco companies).
The thing as, can they force you to take a meter if you do not with one.???
These meters almost killed me. Forced me into early menopause bc the radiation is sooooooo vicious. These meters are population control. 3 weeks after installation of 9 meters across the hall from my unit, I could no longer walk, speak, lift my head, my skin was burnt, my brain was so fried it was making electronic noises, (didn’t know a brain could do that) my finger nails were separating from my fingers, I was violently vomiting, my body was so hot it was like worse than the worst fever, I was forced to not sleep more than 2 hours every 3-5 days, (and when I did sleep I could only dream of fire related things, faces melting, walking over hot lava, etc. bc my body was communicating to me through the visuals in my dreams), nausea and depression like you’ve never imagined a human could feel, and more. My medical tests showed connective tissue damage, lung damage, kidney damage, liver damage, brain damage, and digestive system damage. The month before, my tests were healthy as could be. Took me about 7 weeks to recover, (which medical tests showed I was healing) after I had been rushed out of my apartment to a safe place to heal for those 7 weeks. I have been in hotels and friends houses and my office for 6 months trying to find a place to live that even if I opt out, that the neighbors meters won’t hurt me, bc once you are that badly blasted you can no longer be around even one. I know this bc I went to look at a home to live in (the sixth one) to see if I could live in it and her one meter on her 1600 sq ft townhouse, along with the neighbors’ meters on each of those townhouses, totaling 3 meters, after standing in her place for 20-30 minutes talking to the owner of the place, I re-injured myself. Medical tests showed that I had done it again. Injury to all my organs. These power companies need to be sued into oblivion and beyond. I am now being forced into menopause from the radiation. After the second bout of exposure, my cycles are not returning. I hope you all realize that these meters are a way of putting Ausch*itz on each and every house to take down population. People are nearly dying in a matter of 4-6 months of exposure.
What a nice story, you made me laugh 🤣
It's just a meter with a modem like in your mobile phone, nothing special in there!
So, the main problems you experienced were caused by :
1. YOU had a SMETS1 meter fitted instead of a SMETS 2 meter and YOU did not insist on a SMETS 2 at installation (they were available at the time).
2. YOU switched energy suppliers without researching the problems this causes to smart meters, thus rendering the smart meter "DUMB".
3. YOU switched supplier mid contract and failed to ascertain that the gas supply was included in the new contract as it was in the old, thereby causing the temporary anomaly in your direct debits.
To put it another way - YOU failed to do the research in advance.
In everything in life RESEARCH is essential; never agree to buying a cup of tea until you know the cost of it.
Ironically you then do the research in respect of comparisons and reach the correct conclusions.
- I use to work in the energy market, and the way prices and changes are done in your county is messy, like I mean messy.
PS I’m from Ireland
- Side note you should never change mid contract always what it out.
True, but some companies pay the exit fees now
I'm switching mid-contract because on my new tariff the exit fee should pay itself off within about 3 months, with the cheaper prices.
Dr Jake's Very British Reviews in Ireland some companies make the same claim, by giving cash back offers with discounts, normally the result is the discount is lowered to pay for the cash back. Would be interested in understanding the uk model of utility service offers more
elucidate cool in that ya, 😊
I personally think the saddest thing about the huge amount of plastic waste generated and the ill considered and hasty move to Smart Meters is that those fitting them are effectively going to make themselves obsolete as you won't need anyone to come around to read a meter.
Just like the Self-Service in Supermarkets the Staff are always promoting are just an example of advocating for their own redundancy.
If you are promoting tech that can do your job eventually you won't have one.
I watched this video right in the middle of a supplier switch process. I thought "Poor Dr Jake, but this will never happen to me." Now that the switch is complete my smart meter displays £0.00 usage every day, and so far my dealings with the supplier have only yielded "turn it off and back on again" responses. Sigh.
I used to work on the backend of the meters and I can confirm they are absolute garbage that will lose connection if you do much as move something near it.
Someone at work has had a faulty smart meter for sometime, didn't know and was sent estimated bills. The meter has a cut off valve but it never worked. Recently told because the meter was faulty and the readings were wrong but the cut off valve never worked she got 2years worth of free electric
I was with Eon for years. Moved from a 3 bedroom. House to a 2 bed ground floor flat. Both had no smart meter, Started paying £70 which I was happy with the they said I wasn't paying enough,£111 later a month I'd had enough. Changed to another supplier roughly £50/60 saved per month! I'm a happy chappy
Which supplier did you change too.¿¿¿¿
@Baby TT pay as you use simple when your monthly bill hits pay it
An interesting and informative video. Here in Australia, our wonderful government has mandated that everyone will have a smart meter installed. Unsure about the UK, but we have multiple retailers in every state and electricity pricing is over the top. Apparently in South Australia, they have the most expensive power in Australia. It it's wisdom the various states sold off the grid to private companies.
The sale of utilities should have been outlawed, but that's government for you.
Reminded me of a monologue by Ronnie Corbett for some reason, but much more interesting. Currently shopping for a new deal and wondering if being forced to take a meter as part of the package is worth the cost of a slightly cheaper tariff. Now off to find more info about the smets2 meters and if I can request one if forced to take a meter. Thank you.
EDF have been hounding me for years to have a smart meter, in one phone call they insisted it was free. Informing them that I was recording the conversation, I asked them to guarantee that I would not be charged a little extra on subsequent bills until the cost of the meter ( around £150 ) was paid off. They then confirmed that they would in fact seek to recover the cost of supply and installation. I just bought an energy monitor for £13, which does everything I need it to do. Job done.
I'm not surprised they do the exact opposite of what they promote anyway lol
I'm rather glad to have seen this video. I refused a smart meter because I was told that the installer would need to work inside and outside, and the other side of the wall to my electricity meter is the expensive oak fitted wardrobe in my bedroom, and I'm not having that chopped up. Sounds like, as Americans might say, I lucked out.
Great advice, to truly compare tariffs use a spread sheet with data from your annual usage and unit rate and standing charge to give monthly cost
Isn't it time standing charges were outlawed? I'm paying over £300 before I use any energy at all. It's perfectly possible to factor 'the cost of maintaining the network' into the unit prices. I don't have to pay supermarkets a subscription to cover their overheads, that is all covered by the price I pay for their goods.
Yes I'm sure the privately owned companies and the smelly government want less money from you.
Scottish Power told me i didn't have gas even when i did i wouldn't use Scottish Power again if it was free
How did you leave, was it difficult? I want to switch as we got an energy efficient fridge freezer and a room mate moved out along with his computer and fridge, yet our bills keep climbing.
Apparently i have over £300 in credit but they sent me an email yesterday that they want £275 in "outstanding charges". I'm just so confused by it all...
And after reading some of the horror stories in their Google reviews, I'm terrified of the effect that dealing with them will have on my mental health lol
It's so true, i regret having digital meters installed too, since the installation, i realised my credit was disappearing, especially when i turn the display machine on to check my credit. When i called SSE, the new company OVO, they couldn't do a proper explanation, being disabled and having an operation, i had no where to go, to stay, i ended up switching everything off most of the time because my weekly pip was £100 and my bills were more than £80 a week. I only had one radiator on, all other switched off. Now i don't know what to do, where to go to get the help I need. Citizens advice bureau didn't really help. Please think twice before having digital meters, you'll get ripped off
All too familiar! I had a 2nd gen smart meter fitted by one supplier - can't remember which one - and in fairness it worked fine. At the end of the contract I switched to another supplier who has thus far been unable or unwilling to collect any readings automatically. I actually think the whole market in utilities is one giant scam because regardless of supplier, you get the exact same electricity or gas delivered through the exact same infrastructure, so if one supplier is charging more than another it's either because they are grossly inefficient, or, more likely just ripping you off because they can. Most gas and electricity profit is made, I fear, from customers who are too lazy, too ignorant or too old to change supplier regularly. A complete fraud, in my view. I am all for 'free markets', but utilities isn't one.
Its a business after your cash.
Roland! I completely agree with you.
Can you back up your statements like 'they are CIMPLETELY safe' in terms of the EMFs? Thanks
I am going to explain the smart meter process and industry in length, it will be a little long but it may help some people.
Changing the meters and cables in every house is a very expensive process, if an energy company changes your equipment and a month later you change supplier they lose money. That is why your meter and cables are by far the oldest electronic items in your house, in a lot of cases far far too old. Most meters and cabling should have been changed long ago but no one wanted to pay for it.
The UK government has signed up to a number of world and European carbon emission reduction initiatives, getting a real nationwide carbon reduction is very,very,very hard and expensive so they cheat ( as do ALL countries) they used to do it by paying poorer countries to plant trees to offset the carbon we produce, this was banned.
They have now decided that every home that has a smart meter fitted will use 10% less energy which in turn will create 10% less carbon, in reality of course it wont, but on paper it will allow us to hit the carbon targets. Yay way to go us!
If you needed a meter changed in the past the Energy companies paid, hence they were never changed unless they had to. If you now have a smart meter fitted the government are paying for most of it ,but no one knows for how long (will a Labour or Liberal government continue with the 10% less energy/carbon fiction?) hence the energy companies want as many meters changing as quickly as possible.
****Children Please Stop Reading****
As for the Meter Fitters. they are not paid piece rate and will never try to force you to have a meter installed as some lying conspiracy theory fucking pieces of shit claim.
Meter fitters get a number of meters to install every day (usually too many) if a job gets cancelled or can not be done, it might mean they can have a dinner brake or god forbid get home on time. They will never try to make you have one fitted, anyone pedaling this lie is an attention seeking arsehole.
The exact opposite is true, if the meter fitter knocks on your door and you tell him you have changed your mind, wait for the smile to appear.
(Sorry about this little rant but conspiracy theorists who tell out and out lies about people just trying to put food on the table is out of order)
My first smart meter from BG billed me for 4500kwh of gas for 4 weeks in midsummer when I didn't use any gas, my new EDF smart meter display (not the House Display, the meter itself) stopped working after a visit from Morrison Data services (to check the meter??) and it a took a week of fighting with EDF and Morrison before they reactivated the display allowing me to read the meter again. Smart Meters are a good idea but very unreliable, you need to check your usage more frequently to ensure you are not being overcharged, which defeats the whole point of having a so called Smart Meter in a the first place.
Smart meters remind you switch things off , I don’t switch it off