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[VioletAquarius]

Does anyone have a smart meter for their gas & electric? Or know of any stories/info?

We have solar panels and looking to get a battery for them, but have been advised to make it worthwhile we would need to be on a smart meter to take advantage of the cheap rates at night.

But I've never liked the idea of smart meters, due to the fires in the beginning, giving wrong readings and breaking down.

Would love a battery to help save money, but really unsure about having a smart meter.

Any help, info, etc appreciated.  Thanks.

[sheila99]

I think smart meters are better than they used to be but I'd question if you'd gain much by having one. Have a look at the rates for different time periods, most are after midnight where you only gain if you charge a car (who wants to be woken up by the washing machine at 2am?). Your battery should provide electricity in the evening when most of it is used.

[Suziemc]

The smart meter itself is simply a replacement of the meter close to your consumer board, it sits there in exactly the same way as your existing meter but it sends usage info to your supplier 'live' (in reality every 15 mins or so). This enables suppliers to charge different rates at different times of day, if this is a service they offer.

In addition to the smart meter you also get an In House Display (IHD) which is the little device that you plug in wherever you choose so that you can monitor your own usage. You don't have to use this if you don't wish to, you can just leave it unplugged in a drawer. It is interesting to see what electricity/gas you're using at any particular point to help identify heavy usage so that you can try and become more efficient if you wish.

We've had a smart meter for a few years now and I'd definitely have another if we moved to a house without one.

Suzie

[CLKD]

We certainly don't have 1 that speaks to the supplier so technology has certainly moved on.   In fact we switched our machine off: at least 8 years old: as we never read it. 

We have one that connects to the oil tank which lets us know when the level is low.

I don't believe that they actually make many people change the habits of their use of various supplies.