'Smart' meter installation

Simple - meter readers are NOT gas fitters.

Much of the same information is available over the net from Octopus on your computer or smart phone. If you have wi-fi reception at your meter cupboard* ask Octopus for a (free) Octopus mini. You may have to wait a short time after the meter installation before information is available over the Internet

https://octopus.energy/blog/octopus-home-mini/

Yes, the options were explained. Since I do not have a 'smart' 'phone, apps are pointless, but I will do what I need to access the information on my PC. I am not always at the flat, so the lack of an IHD is no great problem. I certainly have no intention of changing my consumption habits because of the new meters, I don't think there is much (any) scope to do that anyway.

Following the Mini link, it mentions this: "With thousands of people in line already, we can't promise any particular time frames for delivery, though it should generally be shipped within a few weeks"

Oh well, I'm not going to bother with one anyway.

Mine was shipped about 3 weeks after requesting one, but they tend to get them in batches so when a batch arrives they serve the people next in the queue.

You do need a smartphone for setup though, although you could borrow someone else's for the duration.

Theo

In message <782qe$1onca$ snipped-for-privacy@dont-email.me, at 10:27:42 on Wed, 17 Jul

I'm pretty sure the gas meter talks to the electricity meter, which then sends both sets of numbers to the energy company and IHC.

My IHD is about three feet from the electricity meter, and lost its "pairing" a year or two ago. You can't even buy one from British Gas, and third party IHDs don't work because it's a 1st generation smart meter. Six months later (or so) the smart meter lost its connection to British Gas <sigh>.

I've moved to Octopus, and they are in mega-stalling mode about fixing all this, either with a repair, an OTP software update, or even a new meter. So disappointing.

I have a Samsung tablet, I'll try with that. There is no hurry, the blurb says that it could take up to 14 days before the meter actually communicates correctly. It also says: "Our engineer might've given you a smart display screen. It's called an In-Home Display (or IHD) and it's one way to monitor your energy use.

They can be great, but they aren't manufactured by us, and they sometimes have problems connecting to your meter or showing your correct usage information. "

That seems to be exactly what I read here, that meter-to-IHD communication can have problems and inconsistencies. And what the installer found this morning.

Since my reason for getting the 'smart' meters is to avail myself of Octopus' Tracker tariff, as long as there are no weird bills, I won't NEED a display at all.

The person currently using the flat is a smartphone geek, so he might also be able to help. But he and the flat are 75 miles away at the moment.

Request an Octopus Mini. This will give you real time electrical data in the app and half hourly gas data.

Tim

More useful than you might think. Without my mini I’m not sure that I would have spotted that my boiler’s gas valve was bypassing small amounts of gas.

Tim

So 4 million and 1, or so, duff such 'smart' meters in the UK

You can be resting by the pool on holiday and worry whether you left the iron on?

That is if it communicates at all.

Get the smoke/fire alarm to dial out to your mobile number. :)

At installation, you are offered either. But, if you opt for the large display, you can request a mini later and have both.

I must admit, I use mini more for ‘novelty’ value, I can’t be asked to watch every Watt etc. That said, it has been interesting to see how much ‘background’ electricity we use even when on holiday- just fridges/ freezers, security lights etc, internet for cameras and a few other things. I turn off everything else.

I log my electricity meter reading every morning when I get up, and put it into a spreadsheet. That way, I can monitor the daily background usage, I can see what a laundry run uses, I can see the amount of energy that leaving the oven powered up overnight uses. No 'smart' meter involved. The idea of switching my washing machine on at night is rather pointless, I always follow it up with an extra rinse, and then move the washing to the dryer. Unless there is a robot supplied that will do these things instead of me, then it is a non-starter. As for the dishwasher, that is already run at night, but that's because it is more convenient for me.

Surprisingly little, as I found on Monday morning after dozing-off on Sunday evening with the thought that I might want a second helping ... about 25% higher than a normal day.

Mine uses far more than I expected, so I try to remember to turn it off every night. On the other hand, using it on 'Pyro', self-cleaning mode, uses less than I expected. Swings and roundabouts.