Talk to me about... smart meters.

BobClay

Well-Known Forumite
I just looked at the smart meter. So far this year (which is same number as this month) I've used 257 kWh. That's about 20 kWh a day. I am all electric, there's no mains gas in the village and I ripped out the calor gas boiler I inherited some years ago. I'm an ex-tanker man, I wont have gas in the house.
I'm well insulated, triple glazing, double glazing with secondary glazing I fitted behind it in all windows. Walls lined with silver foil and polystyrene under the paper and panelling. I do have a lot of gear running in the day, especially at this time of year, and don't get that much from solar panels on these short grey days (currently in total overcast and poor visibility I'm pulling in about 550 Watts.)
I suppose I am using a lot of kWh but there's no gas bill to go with that, and consumption drops right down once the winter has left the building.
 

staffordjas

Well-Known Forumite
Expanding foam?
Need to get it done professionally really , as we have bought stuff before and it's been no good the way we've attempted it.
The gap behind the kitchen cupboard (with all the towels etc stuffed behind)is about 9" from the top of the back board to the top of the cupboard /sink top, and about 4" at least between the outside wall bit and cupboard. That's for a whole length of about 6 foot across the kitchen units. Then there's 2 big air hole things on the outside of the house behind that (which I tried to tape up with sticky tape when a mouse was scurrying around the patio)
Not worth paying a lot now to have it done, as if we move next year the buyers will probably rip the whole lot out anyway.

We paid a lot of money for the kitchen to be installed 'professionally' all those years ago .

MY DIY insulation ..... this is why our energy bills are so high......

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Scourers between tiles and underneath high cupboards . (At least you can't see them unless on the floor)
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cupboard under the sink , complete with dog coats and towels stuffed down the gap as insulation. That's against the outside wall with air bricks behind letting in a gale force wind at times.
 

Jonah

Spouting nonsense since the day I learned to talk
Why not buy some of these insulation panels?

Insulation panels

It's what I am intending to do for the same problem in my kitchen - only myself to blame though as I forgot about insulation when I put the kitchen in.
 

staffordjas

Well-Known Forumite
Why not buy some of these insulation panels?

Insulation panels

It's what I am intending to do for the same problem in my kitchen - only myself to blame though as I forgot about insulation when I put the kitchen in.
Why not buy some of these insulation panels?

Insulation panels

It's what I am intending to do for the same problem in my kitchen - only myself to blame though as I forgot about insulation when I put the kitchen in.
Good idea. Trouble is we'd have to get someone who knows what they are doing to put it in, as it's got all pipes and wires down the back as well. We aren't any good at DIY.

(Going to have to pay to get the house spruced up a bit when/if we do come to move eventually. But don't want to splash out too much as the house prices are hell of a lot more expensive in the parts of Worcester we'd be looking to buy in ,so need to save up as much dosh as we can to make it possible.
Worked hard on my parents house before selling it. Buyers ripped the whole lot out to leave a shell and extended . )


Noticed Cadent are starting work on our estate again, moving the gas meters from inside houses to a box at the front . Getting a bit too close to our road as I'm dreading the disruption, but maybe an advantage may be that we might get a working gas smart meter . (British gas always blamed Vodafone signal not reaching it )
 
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Gramaisc

Forum O. G.
Expanding foam?
I would say that expanding foam is not something to try to do a neat job with the first time you use it - some inconsequential practice runs would be advisable - and the advice about protection that the container will carry is totally true, it is not coming off any part of you that it gets on, clothes, skin or (God forbid) hair...
 

tek-monkey

wanna see my snake?
There are studies into this, how disinformation channels are formed then become their own proof as it were for future issues. Also the way communication patterns differ between conspiracy theorists and conformists, there was even attempts to use AI to spot people most likely to spread disinformation before they started, must look that up again!
Just spotted another one, smart meters! Why are some people so scared of smart meters? Now I need to see if it's the same people, be hysterical if that was one of Putins ways to keep us buying his gas 🤣
 

proactive

Enjoying a drop of red.
Just spotted another one, smart meters! Why are some people so scared of smart meters? Now I need to see if it's the same people, be hysterical if that was one of Putins ways to keep us buying his gas 🤣
I have a mate who is scared of smart meters. I do not understand why and he seems incapable of explaining it in a way that makes any sense to me. In every other respect he's normal though, no conspiracy theory, had his jabs and thinks COVID deniers are arseholes.
 

tek-monkey

wanna see my snake?
I have a mate who is scared of smart meters. I do not understand why and he seems incapable of explaining it in a way that makes any sense to me. In every other respect he's normal though, no conspiracy theory, had his jabs and thinks COVID deniers are arseholes.
Closest I've had to a reasonable response is that it means they can cut your gas off if you don't pay. I've heard other reasons but they always ignore you when you ask for evidence, so are probably talking crap.
 

Sk84goal

Well-Known Forumite
The smart meter conspiracy is about them being used as a trojan horse to force dynamic pricing onto people in the future. i.e. you pay more when demand is high. Smart meters could enable this. They question why the government has been so keen to get people to install them, when currently they offer so little benefit.
 

tek-monkey

wanna see my snake?
The smart meter conspiracy is about them being used as a trojan horse to force dynamic pricing onto people in the future. i.e. you pay more when demand is high. Smart meters could enable this. They question why the government has been so keen to get people to install them, when currently they offer so little benefit.
So you mean like economy 7 with more stages? I'm all for that, and they'll just charge anyone without one a flat tariff that more than covers their costs in the same way as we currently pay very near to economy 7 day rate anyway.
 

Sk84goal

Well-Known Forumite
Yes - for some it would be better for others worse, If you believe the conspiracy, generally the poor would potentially suffer more. They need power when they need it and cannot afford banks of batteries to play the system like the rich would. Technology like the Tesla battery wall has been highlighted as how the rich would be able to cost justify the tech, based on dynamic pricing, whilst the poor couldn't. You asked what the conspiracy was, not whether it was good for you or not :)
 

tek-monkey

wanna see my snake?
Yes - for some it would be better for others worse, If you believe the conspiracy, generally the poor would potentially suffer more. They need power when they need it and cannot afford banks of batteries to play the system like the rich would. Technology like the Tesla battery wall has been highlighted as how the rich would be able to cost justify the tech, based on dynamic pricing, whilst the poor couldn't. You asked what the conspiracy was, not whether it was good for you or not :)
Fair enough, I get it, but the energy companies will just make their flat rate marginally less than the peak rate. As 2/3 of my usage is phantom I'll use most off peak anyway, just the cooker really that I can see as a major draw at peak times.
 

Sk84goal

Well-Known Forumite
Fair enough, I get it, but the energy companies will just make their flat rate marginally less than the peak rate. As 2/3 of my usage is phantom I'll use most off peak anyway, just the cooker really that I can see as a major draw at peak times.
Yes - but the fact is, if it's true, the government and energy industry have kept this from the public, hence its classification by some as a conspiracy.
 

tek-monkey

wanna see my snake?
Yes - but the fact is, if it's true, the government and energy industry have kept this from the public, hence its classification by some as a conspiracy.
Some companies already offer these tariffs, not exactly a conspiracy? What is octopus go if not varying pricing based on time of use?

Edit: they think we'll all be forced onto those tariffs?
 

Sk84goal

Well-Known Forumite
Some companies already offer these tariffs, not exactly a conspiracy? What is octopus go if not varying pricing based on time of use?

Edit: they think we'll all be forced onto those tariffs?
It's not based on time - it's based on demand, England in the world cup final 7pm evening = expensive, BBC2 documentary on the lifecycle of the tapeworm at 2 in the morning = cheap :). No company offers this at the moment. Conspiracies do not have to be deep and dark.

As an energy policy it has a lot of good points, smoothing demand and all that, but if this is true and they have rolled out meters in peoples houses without disclosing there true purpose would you not classify that as a conspiracy?
 
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tek-monkey

wanna see my snake?
It's not based on time - it's based on demand, England in the world cup final 7pm evening = expensive, BBC2 documentary on the lifecycle of the tapeworm at 2 in the morning = cheap :). No company offers this at the moment. Conspiracies do not have to be deep and dark.
Can't find now as nobody is taking customers, but didn't octopus do one? Sure I read about people getting paid to use electricity when it went negative.

Edit: found it
 

Sk84goal

Well-Known Forumite
Can't find now as nobody is taking customers, but didn't octopus do one? Sure I read about people getting paid to use electricity when it went negative.

Edit: found it
Sorry edited my original then saw your post -

As an energy policy it has a lot of good points, smoothing demand and all that, but if this is true and they have rolled out meters in peoples houses without disclosing there true purpose would you not classify that as a conspiracy?
 

tek-monkey

wanna see my snake?
We are now very far from covid! @Admin maybe move these into a conspiracy thread? Or an energy thread?


Edit - Done.
 
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tek-monkey

wanna see my snake?
Sorry edited my original then saw your post -

As an energy policy it has a lot of good points, smoothing demand and all that, but if this is true and they have rolled out meters in peoples houses without disclosing there true purpose would you not classify that as a conspiracy?
If you think they'll just offer it then no, it's been here since smart meters pretty much. If you mean we'll be forced onto those tariffs then I agree with you apart from one detail. The energy market is privatised, someone will always offer a flat rate tariff if people want it.
 
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