General Chat

i had a message saying you have a new message "withdrawal".... read/close
it wouldn't do either..
.. any ideas?

Probably part of the reason why I won’t have one ;-)

Well in my opinion smart meters aren't smart at all.

Bob, is the message on the" in house display unit "or the actual meter itself?

indoor readout unit

I would maybe switch it on & off and see if that clears it. Otherwise, I wouldnt worry too much as long as your readings are connecting through the meter.

I had one of the display units but it stopped working and I got another one but they couldnt get that to connect with my meter so now I have an App on my phone and each day, it tells me the day before how many units i have used etc.
Im with Utilita, who are you with?

I DID reboot it Florence and the message "went away" I was unaware of the various messages these machines come up with..

There you go, glad it sorted in the end.

You haven't recently switched supplier by any chance?

We had a smart meter fitted a few years ago. The in room display was a novelty which we ignored, when we went to move it after a month or so it had stopped working anyway.

Call me a cynic if you like, but my opinion of Smart Meters is that they are purely for the benefit of the utility companies, the questionable benefits to account holders was used to sell the idea and get as many in place as possible.

Every few months we have a meter reader knock on the door. I always refuse to let him in on the grounds that we have a smart meter and were told there is no need for meter readings, but he always says they still have to take a reading. I still don't let him in, so far I have had no comeback about it.

Smart meters were simply installed to cut the need to pay a man to come and read the meters. Up here in Scotland, they hasn't been anyone reading the meters for a few years now.

The display unit only shows you how many units you are using, it wont save you money. Most people are savvy enough to know if you have the tumble drier on, iron and washing machine etc all on at the same time it will be eating up your electric. Turning of lights in rooms you are not using isn't anything new as been doing that for years.

Halfway through the month, I take a screen shot of the reading just in case for any reason the meter stopped working and then at least i would have a recent reading .

Duncan, cannot understand why a man would still be coming to read your meter??? The readings are sent daily to your supplier! Heard it all now lol

Florence in the hebrides

We were with Scottish Power and, like Joan, were pestered with calls to make an appointment to get a smart meter. Eventually I got fed up and rang the number given, only to be told that they were very busy and to ring again in 3 months.

I changed suppliers! :-|

I've not seen a single remark saying anything positive about them. Not having to have your meter read is an advantage I suppose, but it's a much bigger advantage for the suppliers. And the display unit, which is permanently on, runs off the electric! I don't know what it costs per year, but they tell you to switch off the tv instead of having it on standby to save electricity. All the display units probably compensates them for the loss of revenue from people who do turn their tv off properly. And of course it means they can disconnect you remotely instead of coming in to your house, so anybody struggling financially is under even more pressure.

Florence ours send a meter reading every half an hour!!! Very clever I agree, but what is the point of that?

There was an interesting bit in the local news programme yesterday. There are millions of smart meters not working, might have been many thousands. One couple had one that didn’t show the gas reading and the gas meter was at the top of the garage wall under the ceiling. Neither of them were fit enough to climb ladders. They were too afraid to use their gas as they couldn’t seethe castings.

We don't and won't have a smart metre, we read our normal metre and e Mail the results to them. :-D

There have been a few positive comments on here on previous threads, but not many.

I asked my new supplier about them and was told that there was no need for one unless my current meter stopped working and then I would have to get one as they no longer install the old type.

I read the meter each month and send them the figures. If I don't I get an estimated bill. It has only happened once and was pretty accurate as my monthly usage doesn't change much.

Personally, if they offer me a free upgrade, I would accept it. Would only take minutes to replace and you would have peace of mind. if your old one did break down, the cost to replace it is pretty expensive!

Andy's mum, in my previous house, I was with SSE for over 25 years and like you as soon as the bill came, I read the meter and sent in the readings to keep the account up to date.

When I moved in here in may 2021, a new build, all the properties had smart meters which to begin with, I was wondering how I can check our usage but eventually, I downloaded the app on my smart phone and now can see each day how many units i'm using.

I try not to exceed 10 units when the heating is on and that way, it's within my monthly budget. That's not to say if its really cold, I won't have the heating on longer, its just a guide.

I pay the same amount every month and during the summer months, the £30 I have been saving with not having heating on has built me some credit so when I have the heating on, I know I can afford it.

Florence in the hebrides