They keep 'offering' me a so called 'Smart meter' and I always say, "No thanks." I take the view that if the government or a company offer me something it's for their benefit not mine. It's all about money. Nothing more, nothing less.
If you want to save money, smart meters have enormous advantages, giving access to smart tariffs such as Octopus Go and Octopus intelligent Go and many others. The world is rapidly changing and many people will store electricity in home batteries or in their electric car. Doing so saves a lot of electricity which might otherwise be wasted and the customer benefits with lower tariffs. This also benefits other customers that don’t have batteries, since it reduces peak demand for electricity which helps to reduce the price for everyone. An excellent source of information is the Fully Charged RU-vid site where there are hundreds of working examples - which would not be possible without having smart meters!
I have had a smart metre fitted now for 7 years off utility energy and I pay pre pay and up-to-date I've never had a problem . it works for me . but I'm not saying it works for everyone 🇬🇧
I hate to break this to you. But they always could cut both without entering the property. Assuming they had followed all the legal procedure to do so. Legal procedures they are STILL required to follow even with smart meters. So yeah, the only change is that once the paperwork has been done, they can flip a switch instead of having to send somebody to physically cut the supply.
They try to convince you that the reason they want you to have a smart meter is because it will help you use less energy. Would ANYONE believe that any business wants to encourage you to buy LESS of their product?
@@whisthpo They don't care how much energy you use. If general usage falls, they simply increase standing charges to fill the gap. Go on holiday for a month and disconnect at at your main switch. You'll still get a bill when you get home. The game is fixed. And it's not fixed in your favour. It's fixed in favour of some government Minister's offshore account.
I have always believed that the purpose of smart meters is to differentiate between domestic use and electric vehicle charging. When fossil fuels disappear, the government will need to replace fuel duties with EV charging duties. A smart meter knows when you are charging your car. It can communicate with the vehicle just like charging stations do.
@@fatroberto3012 The government can charge the tax based on mileage Odometer reading during MOT or mileage reported online at the moment you sell your car
Interesting that a law which is against everyone's interests can be introduced with great speed, but when it comes to stopping people arriving illegally, there's much foot dragging.
If they're arriving illegally, then doesn't it imply there is already a law there? Furthermore there isn't a way to arrive in this country legally if you're not a UK citizen, on holiday or already have a job. Do you know of another way for somebody who wants to come to the UK to work?
@lkearney Govt, will Attempt to Make Smart Meters Compulsory under the Electricity & Gas Act 2003, under Common Law Acts & Statutes of Parliament are Commercially Legal Law, But Not A Law of the Land and Only Becomes LAW If We the People Consent to Recognise IT as a Law. as far as i'm aware you can install your own meter. Save £ 150 yr meter rental on a smart meter, £ 30 a yr rental for a Standard Meter , Only thing SMART is the extra £ 120 IN the CO.s Pocket.
It's *your choice* to comply. Refuse to read the meter and they have to send out someone to read them. Know too that any 'estimated' bill is not enforceable by any court.
My energy company repeatedly asked me to read the meter, I told them as I was not employed by them they could sod off. I also told them I would only pay £50 a month and they could put the price up as much as they like, as that is all I’m willing to pay, and that is all I pay. Isn’t it funny, how all the energy companies are owned by foreigners, this so you can’t dig to deep and find out who the shareholders are, or so they thought. The majority of mp’s have shares, that is why there hasn’t been much screaming about the price increases, if you dig deep enough you will what you are looking for.
The same happens with self serve tills in supermarkets. You what these people scanning their shopping for the benefit of the owners profit. They don’t understand that the are slave labour putting people out of work.
A few years ago my energy supplier (electric) repeatedly requested I receive a smart metre. I catagorically informed them I would not accept it in writing saying if they installed one against my wishes that I would destroy it with a sledge hammer. They never asked again. That company went under and now British Gas have taken over. They have asked once if I would have one and again I said no. If they "inform" me that they intend to fit one I again will write to say I will destroy the metre. I will not be forced by the fascist state to comply - over my dead body if necessary.
Currently, these so called 'Smart Meters' are not compulsory to have, but the Government may change the legislation on them, in years to come. I really don't understand the mentality of the people who trip over themselves to get one of these devices. If they'd half a brain, they'd realise that they're giving control of a fundamental asset of living (utilities; water, gas, electricity), to a third party, who can then play fast and loose with said utility supplies to their hearts content. I threatened all my utility suppliers with legal action, if they tried to fit such devices to my home. My meters are outside my front door, in a plastic box, whom anyone with the correct key type, could access.
I did the same years ago, when Thames Water wanted to install a water meter, I said that I would get a few friends with pick axe handles to come and help them install it and they got the message. I have got a smart meter for the electric now and the best thing about it is that I can top it up from the phone at home. It does give them the power to turn it off, but I have had a prepayment meter for ages and I don't care if they want to monitor my movements anymore. I feel like boycotting Thames water for the amount of sewage they pour into our rivers and sea and they charge £34 a month for chlorine flavoured water.
To many conspiracy theories on the net. I have had a smart meter for about a year let's you see amount of electricity/gas so you can see how much you spend. So you can swith appliances off you don't need at that time. Also handy if you have an EV, I have an ICE as well. In a month £15-20 for 800-1000 miles in the EV. 40 mpg for the ICE I will let you do the maths.
Smart meters are all about control. Once that is gained, ie peak hour usage, then different tariffs will be introduced. Not for the users benefits but a means to extract more money for over priced commodities
I noticed a report on 'yahoo news' saying that an 'expert' has called on people to 'help the government achieve the net zero target' by not heating their homes in the evening. (Apparently we should heat them in the afternoons using cheaper electricity, then we won't need to heat them in the evenings) With smart meters they will be able to enforce ideas like this.
@@patbuckley4039 You clearly have no clue how this works. They are legally barred from arbitrarily cutting off supplies. By laws that are VERY vigorously enforced. If they cut your supply without good reason they have to pay compensation. Even if they don't cut supply but a fault causes the supply to go out they STILL have to pay compensation if they don't restore supply fast. Like within a few hours kind of fast. They also cannot arbitrarily raise prices. The government controls maximum energy prices, not the companies.
I do not have a smart meter and never will, I realized early on that it WILL be a way to ration/control our consumption, why do you think they are offering them for free???!!! Have you thought about them saying you can see how much energy you are using? Oh, that appliance is using too much electricity……do I turn on appliances for the fun of it, no!!!! I turn them on because I need to!! If you were foolish enough to buy an EV then they can and WILL control how much electricity you can use, why do you think they are forcing EV cars upon us, WAKE UP PEOPLE!
„Smart“ meters are not and *never have* been _„free“._ There's a *reason* why the standing charge has increased by a factor of 8x over the course of just ten years... 💸⛓
We will not have enough energy in the UK which is pretty obvious especially under this new government who are even more net zero focused. We pay the highest price for our electricity & gas in the western world, much higher than the US other countries like Japan & the EU which they put altogether with the average price paid. The EU come 2nd & we pay way much more than them. Get the candles ready!!!
My sympathy lays with the British cannabis cultivaters who may soon be forced to pay for the electricity used during the growth of their sumptuous end product which threatens to reduce the independent farmers end profit.
Well they won't be installing smart meters in my property. If they try, I'll insist they remove the utility feed from my property. I'd want no part in their slave state, where the people will be forced into complaince, by their owners. I can't be owned, it's against the law.
The energy companies are not suppliers of your gas/elec, they are only agents. They make their money from you having their meter, not from the supply itself.
@@davetdowell I hear you and am on your side. Energy companies *do not supply* your gas/elec - they don't own it, they are only agents. They only own the meter. You have every right, and it's completely legal, to get your own meters fitted - you just have to make sure the fitting is done by professionals.
@@dianegriffen2756 No you don't understand me. There won't be any grid feed to my property to draw electricity from. If they insist on working on my power feed grid connection to do things I do not consent to, the only work they will be permitted to do, is to remove the feed lines from my property completely. I am not property, and I will not consent to being treated like property, either by the supplier, the national grid, the regulator, or the government.
Basically I agree with your position. My grandparents (born 1890ish) managed without gas or electricity for most of their lives- but of course they had coal fires, cooked on an old fashioned range, used oil lamps....However, the powers that be are already restricting other means of heating/cooking - making it more difficult to use wood burners, bottled gas and this is only going to get worse. If you are reasonably young and fit you could cope, but...
We had to have a new meter fitted early this year. We said we did NOT want a smart meter, expected problems with the company, but after 'advising us' that we were losing 'benefits' they agreed to fit an old style meter and did. When the engineer came to do it we checked with him and he confirmed what he was installing. We also asked a friend who is retired from the business and he confirmed what it was. We have, however, just been informed that our energy supplier has been changed, so are prepared for a fresh onslaught....
I think a Faraday shield will turn smart to dumb .The companies will use the "safety" excuse to fulfill the government's orders. I foresee the EV chargers chatting to the meters aswell with the meters switching them to mega high tariffs or not at all until the small hours so your EV never gets a full charge and you end up walking everywhere where the WEF want you .
@@davidgranger3628 I have an EV through work and I charge it at the civic centre when I go into town in the middle of the week to do a shop. Park up, plug it in, and leave it to charge while I do my shop. The rate is fairly decent, cheaper than what I get charged at home. There's no way I'm having a special charger fitted on my house, because there simply isn't the space due to it being a terraced house. Probably a blessing in disguise. I only have the car till I have enough saved up for a new petrol one.
@@davidgranger3628the establishment is corrupt and have lost any respect from the public, at every turn they rip us off. never do what they say if it means we would be better off.
I remember this being debated in parliament and they said that no one could be forced to have a smart meter so they are using end of life to force people to have them they should have to replace with standard meters
@@ArcticwolfGamingUK Hi. Do you have any more info about smart meters not being mandatory? I just had a call from the water company saying the old one needs replacing with a smart one. I said no thanks but the reason they gave is it's time for it to be replaced.
It’s all about control and manipulation but not for the consumer but power companies that’s why I keep avoiding one being forced on me as long as I can. Interesting info Andy thank you for clarifying.
They're not free. The companies aren't allowed to charge you directly for installation. They charge you for smart meters whether you have one or not. Why do you think your standing charge has doubled or tripled in some cases?
They were not still fitting the old meters but they were still fitting modern new metric meters that weren’t smart meters . I know this because I had a new non smart ,gas & electric meters fitted ,only a few years ago . They tried recently to pressure me into having smart meters fitted ,by turning my quarterly bill into a monthly bill. They also had the brass neck ,to expect me to do their job ,read my own meter & then go on line or phone in my own meter readings . I told them they shouldn’t of took over my old energy company unless they were prepared to honour ,all existing customers arrangements ,meter reading & payment methods . I also told them I am not a meter reader & they were supposed to employ & pay meter readers to read my meters every quarter .
@@gbhxu I heard it was every six months . Anyway my contract with the company they took over ,included readings every quarter ,so that’s what I expect as I am sure the cost of providing quarterly meter readers ,was included when they calculated their charges .
Same here. Our meter wasn't read during the cough-cough years. We keep getting suggestions we could book a change to a smart meter. A meter reader turned up early this year and read both gas and electric. We still got emails from the company asking for readings, even within a month of that reading. They sent these emails every month, saying it was to ensure we not overpaying! Had a long conversation with them and told them they were only doing monthly emails to try and get people to give up and agree to a smart meter. Told them that wouldn't happen here. Then saw a comment from someone in the indsutry saying how low the take up is now, and they actually said that they had now got 'all the low hanging fruit', in other words the easy/gullible ones that said yes to a smart meter early on.
@@macraghnaill3553 You should ask them for meter reading fees as you are doing their job for them . To add insult to injury you are paying them to provide a meter reading service hidden in their charges ,that you are providing . They are shafting you twice over .
I'm not saying this guy is wrong about the law - he's clearly done his research in that regard. But he's wrong when he says that anyone who informs you they had an old style meter fitted since 2014 is not being truthful. I'm one of those people and I'm not a liar. It was a refurbished meter, admittedly, but it was the enforcement officer who told the engineer in no uncertain terms that they were not allowed to impose a smart meter on me against my will and made them come back another time when they'd sourced a traditional one. I don't know why that happened, but it did. Last year.
I had a more modern metric meter fitted around that time & mine isn’t a smart meter . So there must be still modern metres that are not smart meters available . Also non smart meters must still be produced ,as not every country uses them & owners of guesthouses often fit their own non smart pay meters in their paying guests rooms .
It would be unLawful not to have alternatives to smart meters available. Some people *can't* have them because it would be a risk to their life - pacemakers for example.
@@maskedavenger2578 There are lots of non smart meters available, they are manufactured brand new and for a variety of reasons, and they adhere to government regulations for domestic metering. So yeah, I dont know where he gets that information from.
Thanks Andy, for this very enlightening video. I had an electricity smart meter fitted in 2019, but they could not fit a gas smart meter as per some technical problem at my home. I was not happy with this smart meter and asked them to fit a traditional meter. This was a real battle lasting about a year and numerous E-mail exchanges. Finally, I complained to the Ombudsman and through them they finally fitted a DIGITAL non-smart meter.
True. The list is getting longer.... Smart....... phone, car, house, city......hmmmm could it be a plan to control the planet? I have heard that some countries are making it illegal to disconnect from the electric grid......
Sounds like my supplier for elec.. I only phone them when I get a bill to pay. I told them I pay quarterly NOT monthly. This was accepted by them. The old system with SEB was so much easier AND better.
Same here. I used to pay quarterly by cheque, but my supplier insist that I now pay monthly online. Okay, so it saves me four stamps a year, but I was given no choice.
I had a conventional meter and the date showed it was clearly "end of life". I'm also on Economy 7 so a few months ago I was "threatened" and ended up getting the new meter. I've subsequently learned that it is only smart for them. I cannot read my meter as I've done for decades before sending in a monthly report. In fact, the night mode is not recorded at all and even talking it through with their technical team it appears I cannot have access. Thank you for the video.
@@simonbroddle754 i had the same isdue with ovo last year after they took over from SSE. They made me have an app on my phone but it didnt understand the difference between night & day tarrifs. After spending a life time on the phone they said i had to do it via my laptop, after looking on line there web site clearly stated that there system couldn't take night readings.!! I think they may have fixed it now though.
I know its more annoying but can't you submit a subject access request given its your personal data? You might even be able to automate a monthly subject access request email.
@@robertsmart7484 OVO give you bills that state Day reading, night reading and gas readings, you can also read your own meter by pressing certain buttons on the meter
Am I missing something as they have a screen are the hard wired into the house or just plugged in. Either way if turn everything off are they still running e.g. using electricity when I'm not. They're not for me things that are called smart arent
As I'm reliably informed is that you are allowed to continue to refuse these meters that they want to fit 😂 also you can continue as a freedom of choice and refuse them , not what the companies will tell you 😅
@@Martyn-ey9lw Terms and conditions are still only an agreement, which you can change as much as they can. It's and agreement between you both. If you see it written in there you can add your own terms and conditions to change it, or counteract it. Too many people have forgotten this, and just go with whatever they say.
@@dianegriffen2756 Did not know that Diane, but I would have thought if you don't agree with their terms and conditions they would just say go elsewhere.
I had a smart meter fitted some years ago, I wish I’d known it could have been put in dumb mode, I’m also on a fixed tariff which guaranteed the price of my electric until March 2024. Nothing has changed in my home and the price of my electric per unit remains the same but my bill have increased, when I enquired about why I was told I had to have something in the house using more electric, I definitely do not. I believe the electric supplier has remotely adjusted my meter to run at faster speed so that I use more. There is no other explanation for the huge increase in my bills.
Happened to my Father years ago, after a couple of months. his bill (but Not his usage) went up by £20, sometimes £30 a month! I still have dumb meters and I am £400+ in credit, which They are getting the interest on. Am I wrong?
@@Apricot101 Fair comment, so I can get it reimbursed into my savings account and I can get the interest! If not who has the money? Solomon Islands offshore account somewhere?
@whisthpo Ask them for a refund then. I was over £1k in credit a few months ago & I got £700 refunded. I just went online & asked for a £700 refund. They processed it that day for me. They will probably ask you for meter readings so they can work out exactly how much credit you have got & then sort it for you. .
My elderly parents have a smart meter. Apparently it wasn't so smart. One of their operatives called round a few weeks ago telling them it wasn't functioning properly. He did his checks and a week later they received a letter informing them that they owe £750.
@@chrissamuel495 This does not sound right ,when you get a bill ,it never tells you it.s an estimate ,even though you have a S.M. I have double vision so I do have a problem seeing things high up ,since smart meters came out I have never had anyone out to read my meter .I just assume the bill is correct .during the summer months when you use less gas ,the bill never seems to go down .I pay the same amount every month until they increase it and I complain ,then they say ,Well we can change it to this amount each month ,it seems you are always paying more than you should .
Totally agree with you. Even with having an Eon smart meter they still kept estimating my usage and I was over £400 in credit as I live alone and don't leave my lights on all over the house etc. When I tried to reduce my monthly payment it would only let me reduce it by a tiny amount meaning I was constantly over paying the amount I was using despite being £400+ in credit. It's a total joke, but I've had the last laugh as I've sold my house, moved country and got all of my credit back so stuff Eon and their criminal meters.
EDF have been trying for ages for me to agree to a smart meter. I told them when it's law. Now they're resorting to dirty tactics with the app not generating a bill once I've submitted the readings. Every time I've had to contact them they go on about how much more convenient it is to have the smart meter 😂.
I switched to this bunch of crooks (EDF) from SSE another bunch of crooks (Pay as you go) two years ago. They tried by hook and by crook to make me have smart credit meters. Insisted on old style and finally got a refurbished gas; and new electric meter. Because I knew the score with smart meters. In dispute with them now over not paying them double-charge billing from my own pocket. Told them of the situation exposed by other YT video presentation. That they debit payments from the birthright trust fund set up by the government when my birth was registered. Which is paid by my legal fiction dead entity 'Strawman'. That they are only the collecting agency, not the supplier. Therefore acting fraudulently. When fraud comes in it kills everything... Ignored everything I said to them by E-mail. Like adding the letters VC (Vi Coactus) in front of my signature. Signifying payment under constraint; and rendering their demands legally un-binding. And if it came to court action I wanted my case to be trial by jury. Dictating they need payment of £99. Now in order to avoid legal action. Sending literature warning of all the steps they can take to recover this money from me, the living breathing man. One of which is that they would switch your smart meter to pay as you go. So there you have it from the horse's mouth.🏴☠
Same. I'm unable to submit my readings via app anymore , keeps saying error . I just email it to them and they generate a bill . I don't need a smart meter I can read my meter myself tha nk you
My theory on the smart meters is that as more people will be home charging their electric cars /vehicles , the government will be loosing revenue from the fuel duty it collects. It's possible, eventually this could be collected through the electric billing system.
This isn't possible. A meter has no way of knowing what you use the electricity for and data connections to a smart meter aren't allowed for security reasons so it's not possible to connect your car charger to it to tell the meter. Sure, if you take 30A of power every night from 1AM to 5AM, it's highly likely you have an EV and are charging it but the electricity company can't say this for certain. The 2018 regulations that every new car sold must have a mobile data SIM card and connection so the car can send a message to the emergency services if you have a crash is a completely different matter. If you have an EV, it will know how much electricity you've charged it with. All cars with this fitted will know how many miles you've driven. It would be trivial to have your car communicate this data to the government for tax purposes. I have little doubt that road pricing (paying tax per mile driven rather than per litre of fuel) will come along at some time in the future.
Well, so they should be charged fuel duty and vat at 20%, why should they be exempt, if I was manufacturing my own diesel after so many liters I would have to declare it and pay fuel duty, why shouldn't someone who owns an electric car.
@@paulstimpson830 And that is how they sneak these things into circulation. Emergency call feature, then its suddenly oh gosh we did not know but these things can also track you and send a ticket for speeding or charge per mile etc etc...
As we pay the national grid via taxes to give us free electricity,why should I pay for someone's EV ,with 15 min cities they want be going anywhere anyway..I think it stinks too I want have EV as it 1000% more pollutant then a diesel adding radiation given off by EVs daily will kill u..
We get contacted every week,by phone by email by letter and even people coming to the door,their desperate to install a smart meter,this can only mean one thing,more money.
When I lived in a Victoria, Australia smart meters were mandated for everyone. I said I didn't want one, but it was put in anyway and as soon as it was I felt electricity coming from the floor into my body. It affected my balance and when I went to turn into the lounge from the hallway I just kept going. My brain wasn't telling my body what to do. I put the house on the market and moved to South Australia, but it took a year to sell, and I lost the $20K i had put into renovating the house and garden. My elderly but fit neighbour was a retired dentist and his health deteriorated so much in the 12 months since the smart meter was put in his house that he ended up almost blind and could no longer look after himself. Smart meters cause so many health problems due to the EM radiation. The Victorian state government obviously benefitted financially from the electricity companies who didn't want to keep paying for meter-readers. They didn't care if they were making people ill.
I believe wi fi smart meters etc cause oxidative stress, which in turn causes inflammation the root cause of all heart attacks and probably cancers and other illnesses. Can anyone confirm?
I think that the most important & underlying issue here is that we are being asked to believe that our 'elected' government has our well being and best interests at heart. No-one actually believes that.......Do they?.
With a smart meter, they can adjust what you pay at the push of a keyboard key. So let's say that they overcharge (as they all do) and you question it and cancel your direct debit, they can load your meter to get the money. So rather than pay 30p per kWh, they can raise it to whatever they want. British Gas recently instructed me that my annual consumption was 20,000 kWh - whereas it's 14,000 kWh - and that they were doubling my DD from £385 to £790. Fortunately I have an old meter. I cancelled my DD and TRIED to get them to see sense, even sending them 16 months of monthly readings. So I waited the 8 weeks to make a complaint to the Energy Ombudsman. I won, of course, and BG now have to pay me £100 and say sorry (yes, really). However, if I had a smart meter, they could have loaded it, and I would have been in a protracted fight. British Gas don't listen to what you say (even though you are right) and their operatives are incredibly dim with very poor grammar (how are you, Leon?).
What on earth do you mean "loaded" it? Billing has nothing to do with the smart meter, its done the same way as a dumb meter. The only difference is a smart meter sends the current reading automatically on a more regular basis, rather than needing a human to come and read it.
As a private tenant my landlady and landlord do not want any tenants to have smart meters. Even if I could I would not have one. I send a gas and electricity meter reading to my energy supplier every month and have done so for the past 12 years and I am happy to do this. They said smart meters save the customer money? How and I am sure this is just a marketing gimmick. I use common sense to save money such as only filling the kettle with enough water to make a cup of tea and turning lights off in rooms I am not in. So how on earth is someone with common sense meant to save money with a smart meter? I have heard that people with smart meters being charged wrong amounts and being charged tens of thousands of pounds!
I have a letter from Ovo energy, who took over my existing company, stating that until i have a smart meter fitted, they will not sell me any re-newable electricity, (that smacks of Blackmail), like that generated by solar, wind or water power. I said i would only accept a smart meter being fitted (and having to surrender a much needed plug socket), when they can prove that if at any time that i choose to change my supplier, they can guarantee that the meter will still operate properly and not go haywire like a lot of them have been doing in the news of late. So far, stalemate.
Electricity supply companies are exposed to price volatility in the wholesale energy markets. In order to mitigate this expose to price volatility, the supply companies are able to predict consumption with greater accuracy. The smart meters protect the suppliers from price volatility by providing data which enables companies to more accurately predict consumption and therefore manage their buying strategy more efficaciously. Smart meters are intended to serve the profit motive of the suppliers, not the householder.
Traditional meters were fitted post 2014. We had a house fire so the entire house was rebuilt over 2016/2017 and the "new" meter installed by UK power networks is a Landis & Gyr 5235A (80A L) according to octopus energy and is definately a traditional meter there are no smart fetures about it. I remember hearing in the news a while ago that some minister had so many problems after getting a smart meter that the law to force smart meters was chucked out, and the minister got a traditional meter again.
That sounds about right ! - I've often said that until things that the most disagree with start to affect politicians, nothing will change significantly for the better.
That's rubbish,blame the Tory fuckin government for selling off all the power companies,not the new population, electricity and gas should have stayed nationalised.
For the past six years, I’ve refused a Smart Meter. Last week British Gas engineer fitted one whilst I was on vacation. They emailed my landlord and fitted one in my absence and without my permission.
My neighbours had a smart meter fitted and their daily usage went up from £5 to £30 or £40., so something was obviously wrong. The supplier would not listen and insisted that the meter was working correctly so my neighbour called in a qualified electrician to check it out. The electrician condemned the installation and said they were lucky their house had not burned down. The supplier when told about the findings sent in their own man and confirmed the electrician's conclusion. The original fitter was obviously not an electrician, just a geezer with a screwdriver who did a 2 day course and was let loose to cause havoc. The supplier is still insisting that my neighbour pay the outstanding bill which is about £3,000 so on my advice they have gone to a lawyer to get compensation from the supplier for all the alarm and distress caused by their incompetence.
Excellent and enlightening information Andy. I am constantly badgered to have one fitted but have always declined. This info will come in most useful in the future I've no doubt. many thanks
Dangerous if you have a pace makers btw, they won't tell you that..!!! And also G5 towers are not allowed near schools but we have one within METRES of our house!!! Older people don't matter????
I just posted on another of your videos about the lifespan of a meter. I always thought it was 25 years but it was worth knowing it might be longer. My bit of advice is when they keep pestering you about the age of the meter just swap provider which delays it again.
Im a UK radio operator & we know that the microwave emissions from cellular, smart meters emit these emissions services are not safe. FYI I have been monitoring various military frequencies & decoding the various navies radio texts, with my equipment connected to a Linux computer. UK, Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, Russia are Live exercising like crazy & UK forces with NATO forces in UK waters. For the last 2 years military aircraft are being moved to civilian airports. They did this before WW II.
Very topical video for me Andy, because my energy company are pressing me for a smart meter, that I'm not wanting. Your video is short, to the point, and very useful. Peace and goodwill.
I know someone personally who had an old style meter fitted in 2019. He did not want the smart meter and was told they didn’t make or supply them any more. When the fitter came to install the new “Smart” meter he regaled his story to the fitter. The fitter happened to have a couple of old style meters in the van so he fitted one of those instead.
Thanks Andy Very useful info. I am resisting the ‘smart meters’ so looked for the end dates on my meters but failed to find them. Useful to know that the threats if not changed are eventually lawful.
My son in law is an gas engineer,, where he is called to inspect for gas leak at residential dwelling , First on the list , park his vehicle well away from the dwelling , then leave his (radio frequency) RF mobile phone as it givers off RF in the vehicle . From there on approach on foot he will approach the dwelling and insert his "gas sniffer" thorough the letter box to test of any gas's A " point to note" is that the Smart meter gives off RF at regular intervals and can cause 💥 which it has done , and brought the house down and damaged neighbors eg Tinsley, Sheffield
Thanks for the update Andy. A few years ago I found my electric meter seemed to be going too quick. So I contacted SP and they sent a guy out to check. 2017. I asked for a new meter but they said it was ok. I too have been bombarded with emails and texts telling me my meters old and needs replacing. Funny how they said it was ok before. I’d love to find out the expiry date and see if it’s a 40 year Unit.
There is a website that stipulates the certification period of the different makes and models of meter, but you would need to know when your meter was last refurbished (if it's the type with a rotating disc) if it's a digital meter the original certification period was 10 years but I believe they were going to take samples at or around the 10 year mark and if the accuracy hadn't drifted they would extend the life span. digital meters couldn't be refurbish and re-certified.
I am in Portugal and refused the smart meter. Whereupon my electricity was cut off without notice. I have an isolated small holding and had no means of pumping water for the animals, washing up from cheesemaking.. apparently here it is law that you cannot refuse a smart meter and keep an electricity supply. So l had to agree. Lost all my freezer stores, as well.
Hello Andy, thanks for this, in all honesty, I have had smart meters since 2017 and had not one issue. with them. Before, I had to call in reading on last day of every month, all in the past now. The only thing that went wrong was the small monitor thing that accompanied them that went pits up about a year later and they seemed to not be able to repair or replace. I am happy with my energy bills and have had no problems at all. Keep up the good work you do.
I'm a bit late to the party on this video. I had a phone call from my energy provider (British Gas) in December, I was told an appointment has been made to fit my smart meter in January, I replied I don't want one thank you. I was then told my old meter would stop working in January, I replied can I speak to a supervisor as I believe this to be incorrect and illegal. The caller then hung up.
Good for you - very dirty, low, under handed tactics on the part of the supplier. Makes you wonder, sometimes, what's behind it all, that they'd resort to such measures......
Hi Andy. Like me one of your other commentors, I like having a smart meter. I wrote to you a few weeks ago and got several very cruel remarks back because I said I had willingly had one fitted for electric and gas. As I had recently been widowed, my daughter, she 43,who lived with us took over her dad's roll of paying bills as I was not getting state pension at that time but Ill health prevented me from working. We were not pressured into having them, a representative of both firms talked us through what having a smart meter would mean for us and left us to make up our minds. As our local council had installed solar panels a few years ago we get a fair amount of free electric during daylight hours,no storage facility though. Having the meter disallowed us to watch our usage and budget to the point that we use ,on average, less than £3.00 per day on both fuels, approx £50per month on electric and the same a QUARTER on has virtually all year round . I bet the shoddy peop!e who sent emails pay more than that!!!
I was sent an email from OVO stating my smart meter has been booked to be installed on 7th of Sept. I immediately cancelled it, there was never any correspondence beforehand at all, just this email!! It was lucky i went through my emails, as i never usually do.
Very useful, thank you. Energy companies switch your throughout the. I was with a company who kept switching my tariff to Economy 7. They were able to raise my bill by 400% in August, and this was before the 80% increase. The in house display turns from green to red while they do it. Fraud?
So why was this legislation passed, even way back in 2000's or before. It's time for the civil servants, legislators, MP's Peers to be sued for this sort of over reach of service providers.
I had a smart meter fitted almost 4 years ago the Mk2 version because I was promised cheaper deals, I was aware of the negative sides of having one but went ahead and had one fitted. I had several options of deals offered to me which weren't available before I had the smart meter and chose the cheapest option for me. I compare my Tariff with a family member and mine is always cheaper(not by much granted). The best thing about having a smart meter is I can see in live time how much my energy is costing me, I can see how much gas and electricity I am using instantly no surprise bills ! I pay monthly exactly the amount I use never in debt and never over paying. It works for me!
It was an EU directive , why are we following this ? The new meters won't last like the old ones , life of a capacitor is about 12 years when on all the time.
Here in Sweden they threatened to do it with force of the IRS agents. I tried to keep them off my property, but the only thing i could do was to deny them to park at my house.
Interesting video/advice. Very informative. Thank you. My energy company keep sending me emails/messages to get a smart meter installed. I give them monthly meter readings through there online customer account/direct debit. It works for me and that's how it'll stay until if ever becomes mandatory by law. 👍
This is sooo all untrue, my mother had an old style meter fitted in 2020 because that's all she had on board, as for the "law", it is not, what's being spoken about here is legislation and note how the word energy supplier is used again and again, they DO NOT supply you with any energy all they are is billing companies and as for the court part,, this would come under civil so they can't send you to prison, I'm going to say this bit out loud, LEARN YOUR RIGHTS AND STAND ON THEM PEOPLE, OTHERWISE YOU HAVE NONE!
Another small point, also I reason I will resist smart meters as long as I can, is that the company that is running the software for these meters is DCC, a subsidiary of Capita, and if you fancy a look at Capita's Wikipedia page, you will be able to resd about the poor standard of work they carried out for the NHS a few years back. With a record like that, it fills me with no confidence whatsoever that everything will run smoothly and on time. Also, sorry to go on, are we allowed to insist on seeing the installer's qualifications before we let them in the house ?
As the date gets closer they will start using the term end of life/certification period to get people to have smart meters even getting court warrants to install them. The cost of the warrants will be put on to the users bill which could mean that someone who paid a monthly DD is put on to a prepayment tariff without them knowing of the change.
Pre payment meters ... are brilliant. Contrary to what they want you to think ! Mine was already in my place when I moved in ... 17 yrs ago and I was initially annoyed/worried to find it there ... but grew to really liking it. I keep attempting to pass on info about the benefits/ pro's ... but EVERY TIME my posts are instantly deleted ! Why ??
@@macraghnaill3553 I''ve not noticed any problem ... to be honest. Just been used to it, how it is ( and I'm CERTAINLY not wealthy ) And when faced with the alternative .... A smart meter ... I BY FAR prefer to stay the way I am ! As far as I am concerned the benefits outweigh all else ... and less complications.
Andy. I had a Smets 1 meter and when i changed supplier the new guys said they couldn't connect to it. So i had a Smets2 fitted and all was well for some time. This January the supplier started giving outrageous estimated gas readings. One for £190 for 3 days. ( total monthly bill about £100 normally) . When i got hold of them they said it was a new computer system this year. Still sending my readings in as they haven't sorted it yet. Not smart at all. 😢
Here's a question, can smart meters tell the energy companies when Gas/electricity gets used most (time of day) and can they use that to impose higher tarrifs at those times.
I don't know about adjusting tariffs but a few years ago when they were starting to be introduced one reason to go smart was to save the generating companies money and cut emissions as they could measure national consumption on the grid instantly and tailor use of back up systems used in times of high demand. Of course we still have the highest prices than most of Europe and the possibility of power cuts. Sounds the British way at it's best to me.
You can set them up so they only report to your provider daily or monthly billing if you choose - though you’ll have to have trust in the system that they are actually doing that!
Myself I was informed a couple of months ago that the energy company has done away with quarterly bills. Now I've got to pay monthly. When you are on a fixed income it can be a struggle. For years now they've wanted to fit a smart meter, I don't want it, another way in controlling us. Saw the other day where these companies were taking payments out and customers had no idea because paying by direct debit. If they had there way they take all your money, and once that's done the shirt off your backs.
Yeah I've had about 20 emails saying my meters are out of date and unsafe (they were fitted in 2015) unfortunately there was a power cut in the area a couple weeks ago and I've just noticed the display has gone so I will need to let them know about that, just means they will now fit unwanted smart meters
_”Oh, look Mary. Bob’s house is dark. I warned him about questioning the immigration policy. What? No, we cant help him. Do you want our meter to get cut off as well?!”_
I had a smart meter fitted and then another updated one about 18 months later - the fitter told me they will keep getting updated at a cost of around £1300 a pop WE are paying for that, not the suppliers. And it put all the readers out of work. Feckin disgrace.
what they did not say is that none of the smart meter companies including utilita energy have no idea how to get them fully functioning and is the reason i left the company as all the new smart meter customers was angry , also left due to massive price hikes for no reason for electric after covid
I know more than one household with series 1 smart meters that no longer can be accessed by the energy company and I understand that customers without smart meters are prioritised for replacement over those with smart meters that have gone dumb!
No one seems to mention the possible health hazard of a smart meter. I inherited one when I moved house and did not know about it otherwise would not have bought the house. Now I cannot get rid of it. A couple of years ago I was told it might be possible for a vast amount into many hundreds which as a pensioner I cannot afford. I hate the bl..dy things.
