Smart Meter

I think how much disruption the fitting of smart meters might cause will depend on where the meters are fitted. Most modern houses have them on the outside of the house and the only thing that you will notice is a short interruption in supply. As recounted by Bakers2 a while back installing them inside the house causes more disruption as you have to provide free working space. The meters themselves have a digital display, sometime you have to press a button to see the current meter reading. I am surprised you have not received any information. When ours were changed we received a leaflet and links to online explainers from Western Power.

David

If you are interested contact them, if not ignore them as they cannot force you to have one. They may hint that you need one but they’ll never put that in writing. It’s your choice. Keep amassing knowledge until you are comfortable with a decision which you choose👍🏻

Even though EON keep pestering us to have one fitted,  and several requests from me as to what is involved and what apart from marketing speak as to you can see what you  are using,, they have not come up with anything really positive to make me have them fitted

Most of the reasons they come up with are for their convenience 

They pester everyone hosta, it’s just par for the course nowadays.😁Some folks like to be fully aware of usage, others are more laid back about day to day monitoring. The main thing to be aware of is what can make a difference in terms of consumption of both gas and electric, and making your home and yourself energy efficient.

Topical at the moment here, as my OH gets the shivers very easily since his health scares, so he cannot tolerate being out in the cold and not being active for very long. Fine if he’s cycling or doing manual work, but on a dog stroll, with our very slow moving pooch nowadays, he gets very cold. His sister has bought him an iHeat waistcoat for under his outdoor coats. Brilliant at keeping him warm as it heats his core. Works off a small rechargeable unit that fits in pocket, pennies to recharge. I think someone else (😉) might be borrowing it for gardening🤣 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Electric-Heating-Lightweight-14400MAH-Battery/dp/B08DJ7TP6G/ref=sr_1_8?adgrpid=109689367570&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI1_Lhhp349QIVibbtCh2ODgD4EAAYAiAAEgJXNfD_BwE&hvadid=578553464570&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=1007027&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=7058809455231231262&hvtargid=kwd-1067492012577&hydadcr=22616_2196187&keywords=iheat+jacket&qid=1644602332&sr=8-8

It is important to remember that it is the power supply companies that maintain the infrastructure that fit meters not energy suppliers. (Energy suppliers may offer better tariffs if you have a Smart meter)  As I understand it power supply companies are under an obligation from Government to promote the fitting of Smart Meters. Perhaps worth also remembering that if your meter has to be replace through either a fault or age in will automatically be replaced with a Smart Meter.

David

Our dumb meter failed and was replaced with another dumb meter because we refused a smart meter for the reasons I gave earlier.🤷🏻‍♂️

We have had smart meters for a few years. To answer the OP's questions.

Why do we need one? We don't need one for personal reasons, as if we are at home to regularly read our own meter, we can do that. Simple maths we learned at school enables us to calculate everything else. We had our first smart electric meter (gas smart was not available then) so that we could eliminate estimated bills, and that saved us the grief of getting alarming wrong estimates. Ad soon as gas smart meters were available we pushed to get one installed.

Where is it placed? (Where are they?) They replace the existing gas and electric meters.

Any upset fitting it? It depends on whether your home has an inaccessible meter. Assuming the fitter can get at it, he will simply re-plum, or re wire the new meter in place. About an hour each is typical.

Does it help? It saves you reading your meter, if you don't want to. You can still read the meters if you want to. You can read the remote display if you want to. You don't have to use the remote display if you don't want to. The smart meters will not save you any money, but the ease of monitoring your own consumption may help you.

Eventually, when enough of us have smart meters, smart charging will be used to control the national grid. This will incentivise users to reduce consumption when tariffs are high, and use energy at lower tariff times. Lots of domestic appliances will become smart in the future. Electric car charging will be smart. Peak power requirement of the national grid will be very much less than otherwise - perhaps reducing the peak requirement by about half.

Let's hope enough of us resist then, otherwise AI will be controlling our lives! 

+1👍🏻, I’ve been with BG, Shell(by another named company), So energy, now back with Shell as Shell. Each have tried to push another smart meter & I’ve rejected the offers. I’m happy with my ‘ex smart but currently dumb’ meter👍🏻

PS-the day I get annoyed at taking a screen shot of my meter reading to send to the energy company I will then realise I’m officially old🤷🏻‍♂️👍🏻

It is here & is growing apace Brue-social media, digital assistants, parking vehicles & self driving, email comms, web searches, stores & services, chatbots, streaming services, banking, digital mapping & commuting, Face ID, there is just a few. Industry are jumping in to save money, AI don’t need pay increases🤷🏻‍♂️