OVO Smart meter

In message , at

So not a "fully functional" smart meter after all.

Dynamic pricing is a future thing (especially one that the consumer can set preferences for). In the short term being able to turn of deep freezes for the ten minutes people are boiling kettles during the advert break in Coronation Street, or letting people do their washing off-peak (using current "White meter" criteria) would be enough.

But it would be criminal negligence not to make the system capable of more sophisticated control later on.

How can a smart meter do that? Would require a house rewire - or RF linked sockets scattered around the place. Or the machines themselves controlled by Wi-Fi.

Just what happened to a pal in Tooting. Terraced house built in the 30s so loads and loads the same. All with their meter in a cupboard under the stairs. No mobile signal. Looks like they need a Plan B.

In message , at 17:01:45 on Wed, 1 Jul

Plan B, based on my research of USA-ian initiatives, is some sort of lower-frequency transmission to special relay-stations. Which might be affordable if there are several streets which they cover; not so much if it's one farm in the middle of the Yorkshire moors.

In message , at 16:58:25 on Wed, 1 Jul

A good question. The proponents don't often explain how it's supposed to work.

The latter is the only think likely to work in the short term. But often the sockets for kitchen/laundry appliances are hugely inaccessible, and/or if you stuck a wart in the socket behind, the appliance would stick out two inches it the room.

More likely something closer to Bluetooth, but in the absense of any such appliances at the moment, this whole Smart Meter thing sounds likek science fiction.

Up until now, I thought the meter was the property, and responsibility of the local (monopoly) electricity supplier (Electricity Board in old money). Is that no longer the case ?

mine states: property of SEEBOARD.

In message , at 17:33:38 on Wed, 1 Jul

Maybe there's still that unsmart-meter (which probably belongs to "National Grid") with the smart one the consumer's side of it?

Otherwise I can't see how you can move into a property and switch the supplier to a new one, if you have to wait for someone to replace the smart-meter. In the interim, everyone could rely upon the unsmart-meter's readings.

In article , Roland Perry scribeth thus

Ackershualy I think someone I know who runs a consultancy company said that either were or are looking at doing just that it might have been the same company who do streetlight control systems..

or their parent company..

Given the population density round Tooting, it's some crap design that doesn't work on the ground floor. Many older properties round here have the meters in the cellar. Sound like they need to investigate fitting an aerial to the unit.

Perhaps they are now cupboarded in with foil backed plaster board.

There's far too much common sense and pragmatism in that idea.

On 01/07/2015 17:48, Charles Hope wrote:> In article

Just looked at mine (that was replaced about 5 years ago) 'Prop of S+S', presumably, Southern and Scottish.

In article , "Dave Plowman (News)" writes

Or perhaps by a LAN running over the power circuits.

In article , Bill Stewart writes

OVO smart meters are not compatible with others so if you want to change suppliers you will need to have your smart meter changed.

Yes There is no universal standard and the OVO ones are known to be incompatible with the majority.

Incomer, main cutout (fuse) and MET are the network operators.

Tails from cutout and MET to and including the meter are meter operators (ie who ever you happen to be paying for electricity this week).

From the output of the meter on is the property owners responsibilty. I'm not sure who has responsibilty for the MET to CU connection I'd assume the property owner.

Donno when it split like this but it's a PITA if you want things moved. As you have to arrange the DNO and the MO to attend at the same time. Nothing common sense like the MO subs the DNO to do the work on their behalf.

Don't be daft they'll just use piggy back on the broadband that the farm has. After all Universal Access means that *every* home or business should have a *minimum* of 2 Mbps.

You better start briefing your lawyers then as I don't think the current "smart meters" are anything but usage reporting devices. ie the only difference between them and a Curentcost or Owl is that they have a mobile phone module that sends the usage to the MO.

In message , at

Every home should be capable of 2Mbps, in extremis by putting a 3G dongle in their laptop.