Smart meters and electric cars
- Thread starter rodp
- Start date
That's one way of looking at it. The other is to recognise you’ve been empowered, as the person subject to utilities billing, to better understand usage, check the validity or otherwise of billing and ultimately reduce consumption if so inclined.
K
K
The utility companies wouldn't be pushing smart meters if there wasn't something in it for them.
Unless you have an uprated outlet (say 32 amp) and it was on a separate circuit breaker, I don't think even the smartest meter would know what you were using the power for.
Having said that, you make a good point in that there will be a massive loss of income for HMG if no-one is paying fuel duty and the VAT on it
More about that here Treasury will need to plug gap in tax as drivers switch to electric cars | Politics | The Guardian
Road pricing would appear to be the most likely solution
Cheers
Bruce
Unless you have an uprated outlet (say 32 amp) and it was on a separate circuit breaker, I don't think even the smartest meter would know what you were using the power for.
Having said that, you make a good point in that there will be a massive loss of income for HMG if no-one is paying fuel duty and the VAT on it
More about that here Treasury will need to plug gap in tax as drivers switch to electric cars | Politics | The Guardian
Road pricing would appear to be the most likely solution
Cheers
Bruce
I shall not be 'empowering' myself with a smart meter anytime soon
Quite happy reading the numbers off the the meter thanks
As for electric cars - IMO they fall into the same category as driver-less cars and chocolate fireguards
Quite happy reading the numbers off the the meter thanks
As for electric cars - IMO they fall into the same category as driver-less cars and chocolate fireguards
Freeforester
Well-Known Member
Road pricing would be sensible, but can you see them abolishing fuel duty totally? Maybe road pricing for electric vehs, and more of the same for hydrocarbons, probably increasing it to nudge us over to electric, for gains later (how much per unit, post Hinckley C?)
Last edited:
Ultimately, it isn't the electricity/gas suppliers that are pushing smart meters, it's the government who are setting the guidelines on dates to have them fitted. Conspiracy theories aside, I can't see the problem with reading your meter from the box or on a screen, except the screen can give you more information. All progress isn't bad you know, or we'd still all be living in huts and hunting deer. 
nun_hunter
Well-Known Member
Hasn't the VEL already gone up from nothing to £15 a year for the lowest producing CO2 cars because of the shortfall in revenue?
Sorry, I missed a bit out, the car will tell the meter it's plugged in and for how long etc.
Defender 130
Well-Known Member
We have a dumb meter as no one can read it anymore
It was installed by first utility many years ago and worked properly until we left them and are now elsewhere for our electric, none of the other companies can read it smartly, keep getting pestered by our current supplier for a smart meter install but no longer interested.
I have heard that with smart meters the electric companies can restrict the available supply at times of heavy usage if necessary which is why I am no longer bothered about having one that actually works properly.
My sister in law had one fitted recently and they took it out again and put her old meter back in as she is in an area of very poor mobile reception and they couldn't get any of there SIM cards to work and communicate properly
It was installed by first utility many years ago and worked properly until we left them and are now elsewhere for our electric, none of the other companies can read it smartly, keep getting pestered by our current supplier for a smart meter install but no longer interested.
I have heard that with smart meters the electric companies can restrict the available supply at times of heavy usage if necessary which is why I am no longer bothered about having one that actually works properly.
My sister in law had one fitted recently and they took it out again and put her old meter back in as she is in an area of very poor mobile reception and they couldn't get any of there SIM cards to work and communicate properly
I think another reason for the fitting of smart meters is that it will effectively end theft of electricity, and bad payers. As I understand it the supplier has the ability to identify whether or not there is a customer who is known to them, in credit, or in debt. They can then load the tariff to eliminate debt to recover energy used but not paid for
Patrick
Patrick
All progress isn't bad you know, or we'd still all be living in huts and hunting deer. [/QUOTE]
Hey you, you can pack that up. I live in a hut with a straw roof, I hunt deer, and I have to have lots of guns. That's because the Big, bad, wolf might get me, like he got my three friends.
[/QUOTE]Hey you, you can pack that up. I live in a hut with a straw roof, I hunt deer, and I have to have lots of guns. That's because the Big, bad, wolf might get me, like he got my three friends.
I do live in a hut, and hunt deer. I for one won't be getting drawn into this new fad, which is just another way of trying to create an economy out of nothing. Like mobile phones the government will create licences or have some way of getting their share of the cake. They need some new gadget to help pay the bills now the dot com boom and mobile licences are old news.
Great for all the city dwellers who have alternative options to the car, or will have infrastructure to allow realistic use of electric vehicles. But how on earth am I going to charge mine up. No mains electricity, £50k for it to be installed from 300 yds away.
Sod that I'll stick with the dirty diesel.
Great for all the city dwellers who have alternative options to the car, or will have infrastructure to allow realistic use of electric vehicles. But how on earth am I going to charge mine up. No mains electricity, £50k for it to be installed from 300 yds away.
Sod that I'll stick with the dirty diesel.
Fair comment.
What I should have said is just turn the FOOCKING lights off when your'e not at home. Even if they are LED!
K
I'm right with you there - I'm always following up behind the family moaning that they have left the lights on
Odders
Well-Known Member
I was offered smart gas & electric meters.
Asked if they could resite the gas meter from where it is to a wall in the front room where I can put a cabinet to hide it.
Answer was no; you'll have to pay £1.800 to have it moved.
I emailed them back suggesting they could therefore resite their smart meters where the sun doesn't shine.
They then replied asking for clarification...
Asked if they could resite the gas meter from where it is to a wall in the front room where I can put a cabinet to hide it.
Answer was no; you'll have to pay £1.800 to have it moved.
I emailed them back suggesting they could therefore resite their smart meters where the sun doesn't shine.
They then replied asking for clarification...
SamHuntVic
Well-Known Member
You're lucky that you have a choice. Smart meters compulsory here. When the electric man comes with his new gadget that's it. Allow access or sometime soon no electricity.
Grant.
Grant.
