They can take a reading from the elctricity box OK because it has a clear ‘window’ in the front to see through.
The gas meter is behind a padlocked gate, so they can’t get to that one unless I am here to let them in.
Thanks for the warning though.
No…they are a weed growers worst nightmare.
JOKING
I think what you say right there covers all of why I started this particular thread anyway Meg.
I repeat.
Just Say NO To Smart Meters! :twisted:
I believe there is a legal requirement for your supplier’s engineers to be able to access the meter for both readings, safety checks and maintenance. Your gas meter is not only a meter, it has the big red shut off handle too which needs to be accessible in case of emergency.
LOL oh yes try that here , its not a smart meter its one that reads your usage , everyone in the country has got to have one . its not the U K
Does anyone know what happens if you move to a house with a Smart meter but you don’t want one? Can you ask for it to removed?
Just call me Pesta, and I’ll be round with me spanners…:-D:-D:-D
Oooh goody gum drops :-p
No Pesta. I strongly suspect that once a property is changed to a Smart Meter there will be no going back. No supplier is going to go backwards.
What we must therefore do is refuse to go forwards, refuse to have a Smart Meter. Refuse entry to your property and so on.
Ultimately if suppliers threaten to shut off your supply then they’ll have to do that to a lot of people who refuse to comply.
If they force you to have a meter (and for me that would result in legal action) then simply build a Faraday cage around the meter to protect yourself and family from the constant mobile telecoms signals they emit.
Ultimately it’s basically time to get solar panels installed and gel batteries in your garage/basement to get yourself off the grid. Heat pumps (ground pumps) are going to be huge soon. Worth getting in on that early.
Hmmmm, that’s what I thought. 
This is another good reason to get out of the EU. The EU is of course forcing Smart Meters out to its member states. It will make them $trillions in profits through the associated change in billing from quarterly to billing different rates at different times of the day.
Another good reason after Brexit for nationalising our untilities as they are mostly owned by EU countries. Plus we will be controlling them not the EU. That is the only point I can agree with Labour on. Basic facilities and needs should be nationalised.
The point of smart meters is to save money on infrastructure not price gouge. They are giving you a financial incentive not to use power at (for example) breakfast, lunch and dinner time when power is most expensive.
Why is power most expensive at those times? because it is in “short” supply. Strictly speaking that is not literally true in a well run system but every system has to have capacity to generate enough available supply to cope with the peak power demand and have some in reserve to cope with system failures.
This is expensive because apart from the times mentioned a lot of this plant lies idle for the rest of the day, indeed at night a lot has to be shut down because of so little demand and requires expensive restarts to cope with the morning peak (you didn’t think they let you have off-peak power at such ridiculously cheap rates just to be nice did you?)
As pensioners a smart meter could work in your favour if you avoid using power at peak times and do your cooking when demand is low.
Don’t let the aluminium foil beanie brigade scare you with their absurd fear campaign based on their obvious ignorance of the power system but work out which is better for you - you can either pay a flat but higher rate for power all the time or you can use your electricity when it is much cheaper and restrict usage when it is more expensive (which may or may not be convenient for you or may just not be worth the effort if savings are minor).
In the long term the financial incentive provided by smart meters should reduce power bills because less generating capacity has to be built (and it is very, very expensive to build) just for some of it to lie idle for most of the day.
In the UK this is exaggerated in winter:
Thank you for all of that information Bruce, but what I highlight in bold there.
In your flipping dreams my friend. 
The only things the service companies are after, are to reduce the workforce, reduce operating costs and to INCREASE PROFITS.
NOT to reduce bills for the consumer.
We heard all of that claptrap when the trains and other services like 192 were taken over by private companies.
The cost of all SHOT UP, and certainly NEVER went down.:twisted:
Rant over! 
I’ve got to agree with that, Boozy.
It isn’t for OUR benefit at all.
I can only presume you are affiliated with the energy companies, government or EU or else are utterly deluded.
Smart Meters exist for the SOLE PURPOSE of heralding in the new billing system, charging different rates at different times of the day.
Everywhere smart meters have been rolled out, every country, the energy companies simply double the charge for energy used at peak time which of course is the time we most need it, when we get home from work, put the kettle on, cook dinner, watch TV, use the lights etc.
It’s nothing more than an excuse to totally rip customers off, making them pay 2 or even 3 times the amount of money for their bills.
All the evidence elsewhere shows that Smart Meters make ABSOLUTELY NO DIFFERENCE to customers behaviours. The novelty of a domestic gadget showing energy usage wears off very quickly and people continue using energy just as they always did.
The energy companies are already providing all that energy at peak times right now, day in day out. They have no difficulty providing it.
All they are doing is finding a back-door way to double your charges nothing more nothing less.
How can people possibly benefit from this?
Do you expect them to get up at 3am in the morning to iron a shirt for work and then go back to bed?
Do you expect people to record all their favourite TV programmes and then wait until 2am to 5am to watch them?
It’s patently ridiculous and is nothing less than a complete scam.
People should not fall for this. You WILL end up paying an absolute fortune for your energy.
Just another update…smart meters getting smarter?
According to that chart, demand is at a high at about 2am and drops off when people are waking up and making their breakfast. It then begins to build up approaching midday and the afternoon when most people are at work. The peak in the late evening I can understand.
What do Australians get up to at 2am, I wonder?
Best not to answer that, I suppose! :shock:
There appears to be ‘Humping’…… on the graph as you say JB, at 2am and again between 9 and 12pm…Perhaps it’s the air conditioning…
That’s colonials for you!