Electric Meter replacement

it hasn't

it doesn't

or not reply

If you choose to get a new meter installed you can opt out of smart functionality

The calibration may be out. Even before smart meters there was a target (always missed) for replacing meters every 10 years. I had one non-smart meter replaced as part of this ongoing calibration process.

Why are some so paranoid about smart meters?

So did I, 20+ years after I moved in, and who knows how long before that it was last replaced?

See:

Data breach

UK organizations lost billions in data breaches between 2019 and 2022, with hundreds of millions of their customers suffering compromise of their personal information, according to a new analysis from Imperva.

The security vendor studied 99,490 breaches reported to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) between April 2019 and December 2022, as well as the “most notable breaches” identified by Chartered Institute of Information Security (CIISec) members in its annual report.

It found that data on over 200 million Brits was compromised during the period; the equivalent of every citizen’s data being stolen at least three times.

Interestingly, the analysis also revealed that malicious attacks such as malware, phishing and ransomware accounted for just a third (33%) of breaches reported to the ICO, versus 40% of incidents caused by insider threats.

In my case, because a tenant in one of my factories had one installed. After they left, it decided that an empty factory unit, with the electrics turned off at the main switch, was consuming enough electricity to land me with a £4,000 bill that took two years to sort out. When another tenant moved in, they couldn't get the supplier of their choice, because the meter was not compatible with their systems.

So none of the utility companies that you use have any data on you and therefore none of your current data can be stolen?

And if there was a non-smart meter couldn't the same mistake have been made?

Worth keeping in mind that even customers with dumb meters will still have all their information held in the suppliers database waiting to be breached anyway.

(although at least the supplier can't remotely disconnect your dumb meter!)

The only difference being a breach from a smart meter will reveal your meter readings, and hence your electricity bill. Although it's possible to find out anyone's annual electricity consumption anyway (put in an address into switching sites[1], some of them tell you the current supplier and the annual consumption). With a smart meter, you can set it to only report monthly readings so there's not much more information revealed.

Mavis and Ethel heard about the furore in the papers about remote cutoff, loose terminal fires, spying and radiation, smart sounded complicated and the in-home display scared them that they would have to learn something?

Also they like meeting the meter reader.

Agreed.

Agreed.

I have told them that I don't want a 'Smart' meter, but they are welcome to replace it with a meter similar to what is there now. But the idea of having a dumbed-down 'Smart' meter is interesting, if they insist on installing one. Would wrapping one in tin-foil spoil the signal?

Out of interest, I log my reading every morning when I get up, and have managed to drastically reduce my background useage, and with no 'Smart' meter involved. Just a spreadsheet.

Well you are correct but should the electricity be making this information publically available?

Apparently most of the non smart ones being supplied are currently refurbished ones, because there is little call for them these days. That is what the EDF man told me, but this was only because I enquired what happens to those who live in basement flats. Brian

Or by bad actors. I bet Putin's codesmiths already have a way in, like the Israelis with stuxnet targetting Iranian Philips PLCs controlling centifuges. My utility meter is read-only. The only problem is when Putin orders the shutdown of the Uk, the whole supply system will loose load at exactly the same time and blow up all the generators, so my supply will go out at the same time, thanks a lot.

ISTR I get electricity bills just fine with a dumb meter. So that must be stored on their systems already.

They may lack the granularity they would have from smart meter data, but all the basics are there.

Only if the meter reader entered the same false readings that the meter sent.

I believe that even before smart meters the replacements were likely to have been refurbished and re-calibrated (or calibration checked).

! assume that these days old type meters are unlikely to be required for re-use so most would be scrapped.

Not that; but the fear that the powers that be will be able to turn on and off some of of your electricity powered things remotely.

And also the knowledge that they could turn your meter into a pre-pay meter without you even knowing about it. It doesn't matter that it is unlikely to happen, it's knowing that it can be done that is the problem. People are very unlikely to be hit by lightning, but they are, I knew one guy who had been hit twice. He sort-of deserved it, though.