Neither are Scottish Power, they’re Spanish.
Yep which means you pay a flat rate per unit of energy used which is totally fair and easy for people to understand.
This is pie in the sky thinking. Smart Meters and this “philosophy” has been trialled in other countries and the evidence suggests that for the initial few weeks people take notice of their energy usage, and make some temporary changes and delight in the gadget they give you to monitor it all, but then a short while later that novelty factor wears off and people resort back to their normal energy usage habits.
What that then means is that the units of energy they were previously being charged X pounds for from say 3pm to 12pm are now going to cost 5X pounds.
Overall their energy bills WILL swiftly double or triple simply because of the extortionate rate that energy companies WILL apply to the peak period when they know everyone wants and needs to use electricity.
What will parents do when kids come home from school and through the evening? Say “sorry junior but there’s no XBOX for you I’m afraid, you’ll have to play it at 2am in the morning!”
The fact is people WILL watch TV, will boils lots of kettles of water for tea/coffee, will cook their dinners, will need the lights on, will need their Sky/Freeview boxes on and so on.
The rate that they will ultimately charge people for this “peak” period will far far outweigh any usage at other times of the day. The Smart Meter is an excuse to hike up energy rates simple as and it will cost people dearly if they don’t do their research now.
I will say to people again. Once you go over to a Smart Meter you can never go back to an old meter. It is Game Over at that point. Think VERY carefully before allowing your utility company to attach a harmful radiation device to the side of your house which will spy on your energy usage every minute of every day.
Yes I don’t think I will be getting a smart meter anytime soon, the energy companies are trying to get us to switch to them by saying how easier it would be, and that they have the customers best interests at heart…so how come they always hike their prices just before winter, when they know we all need to use more, so I’m with realist on this, they will eventually implement some kind of variable billing system but you can guarantee it will be for the consumers “best interests “…
…plus they don’t mention the health implications with the massive WiFi outputs…
Will the Meter jump to a special rate when your Car is plugged in???
Just read this…Can a smart meter lower my energy bills? | This is Money
Wow! If I have a meter I could save £11 per year…
Don’t spend it all at once, Rehab.
It says it in there…,flexible tariffs, and charging different amounts at different times of day…!
If you take into account the £11+ billions cost of installing the meters ( £420 per household) which will no doubt one way or another be paid for by the consumer, I can’t see how we are going to be saving anything at all and if we do it won’t be any time soon.
I would splurge. 
People are not interested in how much energy they consume. Only a minority will think about using less. But that minority like me already switch off lights and appliances when not in use. I am not interested in checking the meter. It’s not going to stop me having a cup of tea or doing the washing of switching on the hoover. Our lifestyle consumes energy.
Part of the idea with smart meters is that they don’t have to send anyone out to check the reading. It’s not about reducing bills as such (unless by financial disincentives) but about saving money on overheads. It will also be about more easily controlling the energy supply to identifying those who use the most.
The cost of installing meters will be passed to customers in higher bills. They have made no secret of that.
Some of us are interested - I check both meters regularly and can tell to the penny how much I use per day.
Like you though - I do swith off things not currently in use - and never leave anything on ‘standby’. With a craft room full of card, paper, ribbons, and every type of glue known to man - I have to also be aware of fire risks!
The fireman who came to install my smoke alarm went a whiter shade of pale when he looked in there !
I’ve also noticed our three main kitchen appliances, dishwasher,washing machine and dryer, all have delayed starts so you can set them to come on at any time, so, when variable billing does come out, we can all do our laundry during the early hours, that’ll show these energy companies, they’ll never cotton onto that…
I don’t remember anyone coming to read our meters for a couple of years!
And I’m not on a smart meter.
It occurs to me that another factor in the drive for smart meters and encouraging us to use energy at off-peak times, could be the fact that we are losing the means to generate electricity to keep up with demand.
Coal-fired power stations are all being (or have been) closed down; the government are talking about building another nuclear-powered station and we are reliant on Russia for our gas and France for our electricity. The latter is particularly concerning, as the Frogs are quite likely to turn off the supply when we leave the EU purely out of badness!
Once again, short sightedness on the part of our glorious leaders, and their much-vaunted windmills are not going to make up the shortfall.
Nor mine JB, I understand the suppliers send a meter reader once a year and he takes readings for many of the companies at the same time but I have never seen him around.
I have taken readings from my own meter monthly for many years and posted the details online. Even before I had a PC I used to telephone in the meter readings.
Same Same, it’s no hardship. No doubt those of use who refuse smart meters will get punished in some way or other.
I wonder how many people have become or will become refuseniks?
The only trouble with that is if you have a bosch or similar washing machine that beeps when it’s finished the wash. Kind of annoying at 3am!
I think one did come in the last two years but perhaps it was before that. Maybe they do spot checks. They do send emails to say they want a reading.