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back to article Report: UK falls behind as smart meters rolled out across Europe

The number of smart meters installed in European homes is likely to "accelerate swiftly" over the next three years, according to research published by a provider of the technology. The report (1-page / 213KB PDF), which was commissioned by Cambridge-based supplier Sentec, predicted that although few regions in Europe were yet …

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  1. squilookle

    Not in my house

    I don't trust my energy company at all. I recently got an aggressive letter saying they had been trying to get in touch with me to inspect my gas meter, and if I did not get in touch with them to arrange an appointment within 7 days they would be going to court. I contacted them and asked when and how they had tried to get in touch with me, and it transpired they hadn't: they had sent the wrong letter out.

    They try and put my direct debit up every 6 months stating I am paying under consumption, despite the fact I end each six month period in credit.

    With all the ways that smart metering could go wrong, they can forget any ideas they have of installing one at my house. I fully expect the same mistakes but with real time 'evidence' to back them up and screw me even more.

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  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    The phrase "falls behind" isn't really applicable when referring to something that ought not be done at all. It implies we should be rushing ahead doing it. Maybe, "has the sense to procrastinate" might be a better choice ?

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  3. John Smith 19 Gold badge
    Unhappy

    *Realistically* this is the flipside of the dash for wind + no nukes

    With 20-25% of the UK electricity grid nuclear powered and near its end of life (c13-15GW) and the hell for leather run at ramping up wind generation to cut UK carbon emissions from *all* energy usage by 1/3 coupled with a govt department that seems to be *incapable* of dealing with more than one "unconventional" energy source at a time it's not looking good.

    BTW Tony Blair's office stated that was *not* a misunderstanding and he did not mean to say "electricity". He wanted a *challenging* target to aim for. And of course the fact he'd be long gone when the s**t hit the fan on what looked to be Gordon Browns watch was just a fringe benefit. Any El Reg readers who have a chance to thank TB for this "generous" gift to the British people might like to do so.

    So if your chances of making up the shortfall in time are slim to nothing you're going to have manage *consumption* rather than production. Hence the DECC's interest in remote disconnection (the companies would far rather change your band as they do with card meters, where poor people pay roughly 2x as much for the same unit of electricity).

    As for "energy displays" helping users manage their use that was in the trials but is not *mandatory* and how difficult would it be to do that yourself?

    Could the UK do better? Definitely. Could it meet *all* that shortfall in time? Who knows. We know there are *lots* of options that are more *reliable* than wind (even PV runs *every* day, but what's it's real *average* power output compared to the number on the rating plate?)

    I'll suggest one high tech bone. It's been talked about for *decades* but I've not heard anyone actually do it. It's simply a really *big* superconducting solenoid that acts as a massive (but compact) energy store. Sitting on a fixed site it could be as heavy as necessary to get the job done. Simple geometry, fairly available materials but very big.

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    1. Anonymous Coward
      Reply Icon
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: *Realistically* this is the flipside of the dash for wind + no nukes

      "really *big* superconducting solenoid"

      We could site it under Westminster, and then encourage it to quench...

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    2. Ken Hagan Gold badge
      Reply Icon

      Re: a really *big* superconducting solenoid

      Er, yeah, coz the Daily Mail readers won't mind that in their back yard at all. I think you'd have more luck proposing a nuclear power station. At least their safety is a matter of public record, for better or worse. Whacking great magnets take us completely into uncharted territory.

      Oh, and really *big* quantities of superconductor aren't "fairly available" on my planet.

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  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Smart Metering

    I had my energy supplier pester me with calls about my meter being old and that they would replace them with smart metering.

    I thought it sounded a good idea let the installers arrange a visit. I mean what could go wrong!

    Nice chap turned up. Ooooh...you have an old type electrical junction box I can't install the meter as they run off the electricity supply and we are not authorised to touch the old metal junction boxes. So I can't install the meter. BTW your 1950's gas supply does not meet our new regulation standards, as the gas supply is too close to the consumer unit. I will have to turn your gas off and put a warning notice on it. Phone these electrity supply utility people to sort the junction box and we will then sort out your gas.

    Few days later nice electricty utility supply chap turns up. Ooooh....you have an old type 1950 electrical junction box that shares a loop with you neighbour. To replace that we will have to create an individual supply to your premises and dig up your 3 month old block paved drive. It will take around 12 days and you will lose access to the front of your house for that time.

    Would have been smarter never to have called them in the first place.

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    1. Anonymous Coward
      Reply Icon
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Smart Metering

      did you get the chance to tell them all to FO!!!! and restore the supplys.

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    2. TeeCee Gold badge
      Reply Icon

      Re: Smart Metering

      What you should have done: Peel off warning notice, turn gas back on. If they bother to call back, tell 'em you've changed your mind.

      You cannot win against the "elf 'n safety" arsehats, so it's best not to play.

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  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Follow the money...

    1. Who gains? Who supplies these meters? What is their lobbying relationship with Govt?

    2. With Electric I already have a cheap device that tracks my household usage already so no further benefit to me from a smart meter

    3. Don't forget smart metering can be applied to other services, gas, water

    4. If the smart meter can be read from a handheld device, the local crooks can get hold of one. They then walk down the streets and track, say, water usage. If a home isn't using water maybe the owner is on holiday - let's burgle the house. If the meter is read by powerline signal you just need a corrupt employee in the Electric Co offices to sell the "who's on holiday" data. I've heard suggestions that this already happens using airport car parking bookings to identify potential target homes.

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  6. John Smith 19 Gold badge
    Meh

    Interesting reactions.

    My simple gut reaction. 11 Up, 1 down.

    My more thought out comments. 1 down.

    Britards if you want to stop this happening you have to lobby your MP's. Force the security test issue. US meters have been shown to be *wide* open. I mean *no* encryption. Ask them why did a govt department push *so* hard for remote disconnect capability, and more importantly how secure is that. And what is the *actual* bulk price of these meters? Because in the end *you* will be paying for them through your bill.

    Ask them why (if they did) support a policy that bankrolls *hundreds* of generators IE Turbines that *might* work as little as 6% of the time? If their track record is *so* patchy what are you (Mr MP) getting energy companies to do about it?

    Tell them there *are* alternatives on your island. Scotland had invested in wave and tidal for example. Anaerobic digestion, nuclear, micro hydro, geothermal *can* run 24/7/365.

    "Alternative", "Carbon neutral" and "low carbon" do not have to be synonyms for "low efficiency" , "unreliable" and "expensive"

    I am not a utopian fantasist but I refuse to believe the world has to be like the *most* depressing elements of several 1970's end of the world TV series rolled into one.

    After all if everything else fails we can always put a few politicians on the fire. It would be "carbon neutral"......

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