I was a bit of a cynic until we changed electrical providers in preparing for going solar. We are now on a tariff of three different rates, and this is the type of data I can access via their app, which pulls the data from the smart meter.
By being on the internet if you don’t opt-out of cookies or carrying a mobile phone around in your pocket, you are already giving others a shed load of personal information.
Without consent and if it contains personally identifiable information, absolutely.
Mostly they will claim “legitimate interest” but that cannot be used to over rule your data protection rights, but many try.
1 Like
That may be, but doesn’t mean you don’t have rights you can exercise.
Italian hospital just been fined and their tech provider because the whistleblower system they put in tracked those using it, not good, firewalls were storing the IP addresses.
1 Like
We have a smart meter and after a few connection hiccups it’s been working fine for a good while. The IHD is in a box in the garage. I see no use for it, and as others have said it’s using power. The last thing I want is a display cluttering up the worktop and telling me that usage goes up when we boil a kettle. Not needing to remember to send readings is really good and hopefully the power used to send the readings is more than outweighed by the saving in fuel from having the meter read less frequently.
People can get worked up about being forced into a smart meter but it’s hardly a big deal. There are far more important things to get exercised about.
4 Likes
You might like to read this thread
Our issue has been solved but I know lots of areas have Smart Meter connection issues. I would definitely check with neighbours (especially if you live in a rural area) whether they’ve had any problems.
Barring that I think the benefits may well be that future more flexible and 'creative’Tariffs (such as our EV one) will require a Smart Meter.
Bruce
1 Like
Hi Adam,
Honestly, this is a minor storm in a small tea cup.
We were concerned about switching to smart meters for gas & electric, so held off for a few years because there was no upside for us in doing so.
Then we decided that we’d like an electric car & some solar PV on the roof, so would need a smart meter to access the more flexible tariffs on offer.
We made the switch. It was straight forward. They gave us a little remote display which shows our consumption history etc and it’s rubbish. The smart phone apps from the likes of Octopus Energy are far better. We stopped looking at the remote display and have disconnected it, as others have done with theirs.
In summary, if you want access to smarter or more flexible tariffs, or you want to stop taking any manual meter readings, then get a smart meter. If not, then ignore the letters and carry on as you are.
Hope this helps, BF
Hi @Hanumike
The meters are certified acurate only for a period of time. My house is the same age as yours and my electric meter was changed for a new one under the same circumstnces.
You do not have to have a smart meter if you do not want one, they cannot force you.
I have worked in the electrical contracting industery for 43 years and all I can say is do not believe all the hype around smart meters, that is why I refuse to have one.
5 Likes
Hi BF,
I not fussed on whatever choice someone makes or why, totally individual opinion, but it is the false narrative of actually being beneficial from an environmental stand point that I think there is a complete mis-sell being performed here.
I work in the data & tech industry, and just pointing out the significant amount of data that is generated by these IOT devices needs to be stored somewhere (bit like the whole bitcoin footprint) yet most of the actual data generated is next to useless in the big scheme of things but will sit there in a huge data lake burning huge amounts of energy, bit ironic really.
3 Likes
Surely as the meter is theirs, they can change it to any type they like, provided that if it collects personal data they would need your permission for any non-essential purpose, and if refused they would have to not collect that data (which does not necessarily mean they can’t install and use a smart meter, just only take the essential data). For data deemed to be essential for their effective supply of electricity to you all they have to do (I think) is tell you what it is, what for, and how long they will keep it. If you refuse then they can refuse to provide a service!
The data collection bit is a bit more nuanced than that, just telling you what they are doing doesn’t mean its actually passed the judgement of the legal bases for data collection (which there is a set list of criteria).
So a company could clearly lay that all out in their privacy policy but still be in contravention of the regulations, equally there are then other considerations about not making the use of a service conditional on getting consent to do what they want with the data.
ICO provides guidance on avoiding making consent a condition of using a service.
Its all actually more dull than even I’m making it sound but many organisations have little real grasp of the day to day intricacies of data collection.
1 Like
Its a surveillance device, amongst other things. I’d never have one.
4 Likes
We are regularly informed by our supplier that they are ready to fit a smart meter and invited to book an appointment.
A while ago I had a conversation with an agent at the supplier about how the meter would send info and was informed that it worked over the 3/4g mobile network. Since we live in a hole half way up a mountain with no phone network signal they agreed that it would not work.
So I can’t have one even if I wanted one - which I don’t.
1 Like
Luxury!
We used to live in a cardboard box in’t middle of t’ motorway. 
8 Likes
Surely you call it a sett.
5 Likes
You were lucky!
3 Likes
I used to have to get up in the morning half an hour before I went to bed!
2 Likes
Here we go, here we go, here we go. 
… … … … “Our Mam” etc. 
1 Like
Oh God, what have I started 
Sorry!
1 Like
You calls it what you like. I calls it an 'ole.
3 Likes