Octopus and out-of-date meter

Assuming your meter is still working, just tell them you don't want a smart meter and they'll immediately lose interest in replacing your "out of certification" meter. It's something that's been discussed here more than once - it just seems to be a ploy to get you to take a smart meter.

Simply ignore them or tell them that a smart meter won't work because of poor mobile coverage, they will then go away and hassle somoene else. They've sent me the odd E-Mail like yours over the past year or so but they go quiet when I say the above (or similar).

Go back to living in a cave?

Time of day tariffs are likely to be the way it goes in the near future. I dont use elec for heating, moved to Octopus Agile tariff last year and apart from usually delaying the Dishwasher, washing machine and tumble dryer to "off peak" made no other changes to my usage. Average elec costs over 9 months are under 20p kwh , so worthwhile for me.

Tell them you already have one. Then deluge them with random serial numbers.

They also give us free electricity for a few hours a week, at variable times. I just opt in each time and then forget about it. I might remember and put the dryer on or something, but even if I don't do anything I've still got my baseline consumption for nowt. (this is currently a trial in East Anglia and Kent, but they'll probably expand it once the trial is completed)

Theo

I might be unecessary and un-wanted by you, but its getting expensive for the supply companies to fail to install one.

You can try, but as usual you are fighting stupidity of the government.

1. They set targets for companies to install smart meters.
2. They told everyone in wasn´t compulsary.
3. Then they fined the companies because they didn´t install enough to meet the TARGETS.

If I read the rules properly whilst you can´t be forced to simply swap to a smart meter, if your meter is out of calibration, and no dumb meters are available, then If I understand the rules correctly, then you cannot refuse a smart meter...

Dave.

Dave

...

I'm with E.ON. Several months ago they had an offer: have a smart meter installed and receive £50 per fuel. I took them up, £100 isn't to be sniffed at. It might be worth hanging on to see if your provider decides bribing consumers is better value than being fined by the government.

I believe that in Spain you can’t opt out. Makes a lot of sense.

I just wish that the comms were a *lot* more robust. They seem to have rushed out a shonky system that won’t work in many parts of the country at the same time as the rewards for having a working smart meter are getting better all the time.

Leads to a great deal of disgruntlement when someone who wants a smart tariff can’t access it (even when their neighbours can!).

Tim

It doesn't have to give you any benefits.

In message snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com, at 18:06:42 on Fri, 3 May 2024, Peter Johnson snipped-for-privacy@parksidewood.nospam remarked:

The most obvious benefit is not having to remember to send them meter readings once a month.

That’s now’t compared to the massive savings in energy costs it can bring. Still, happy that there are luddites subsidising my energy costs…

Tim

Bless!

I just ignore it, and get the same result.

Why is that a benefit? In the end you will pay for the electricity (and/or gas) you have consumed whether or not you send in regular readings.

Savings for some maybe. ... and anyway if we **all** get smart meters that wiil 'save us money', prices will go up to compensate. The electricity and gas have to be paid for, if you pay less then I'm paying more, when I catch up then we're quits again. So you're just cheating me out of money really.

Not “cheating”. You’re choosing not to play the game.

Tim

Not necessarily. If smart metering results in more being consumed when it is cheap to produce and less when it's expensive, then everyone can benefit.

Not zero sum.

nib

In message snipped-for-privacy@esprimo.zbmc.eu>, at 20:58:31 on Fri, 3 May

If you are happy to over-pay as a result of over-estimates being applied. And of course making sure that when rates change you aren't paying for lower-priced ones at the higher price.