smart meters

[offshoremanxman]

5 minutes ago, Hoops said:

Last rise in cost was in July, though. our meter went in in October. 

Q3 would have started 1st Sept and the above post suggests it went up again in Q3. People really need to be questioning this. Maybe write to Rob Callister he’s chairman of the MUA see what response you get. Personally I’m very wary about these sort of meters as they could technically put your bill up instantly under their T&Cs and just take the money out of your bank account. 

[Two-lane]

I still get some amusement from this reference to the £20 million cost:

"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q78YqlrOAmo"

 

Allinson @ 2:09

"There will not be a charge for this. Manx Utilities will pick up the tab"

[Omobono]

Someone in the MU getting a huge bung from a manufacturer , ?  can't absorb this kind of cost ,  and if you can't choose your provider  like you can in the UK and EU why bother , plus if its Chinese its likely to be a spy introduced into your home ,

[Happier diner]

29 minutes ago, offshoremanxman said:

Q3 would have started 1st Sept and the above post suggests it went up again in Q3. People really need to be questioning this. Maybe write to Rob Callister he’s chairman of the MUA see what response you get. Personally I’m very wary about these sort of meters as they could technically put your bill up instantly under their T&Cs and just take the money out of your bank account. 

Good advice. However Callister hasn't been chairman for some while. He went to his I'll fated recent role.

Tim Johnson is the chair of the MUA

[Happier diner]

30 minutes ago, Omobono said:

Someone in the MU getting a huge bung from a manufacturer , ?  can't absorb this kind of cost ,  and if you can't choose your provider  like you can in the UK and EU why bother , plus if its Chinese its likely to be a spy introduced into your home ,

Very unlikely. 

[CallMeCurious]

3 minutes ago, Happier diner said:

Very unlikely. 

Which part? Someone getting a bung? Not being able to absorb £20m costs? Chinese products spying on us?

[Hoops]

22 minutes ago, CallMeCurious said:

Which part? Someone getting a bung? Not being able to absorb £20m costs? Chinese products spying on us?

Chinese HQ

"that bastard at 52 is using dishwasher again"

[Twitch]

3 hours ago, 0bserver said:

Are you comparing your KWH usage?

This is the obvious question which I think hasn't been answered yet. Assuming it's pretty easy to check.

[P.K.]

3 hours ago, Asthehills said:

They are bothering because they can no longer get spares for the old ones.  They can also no longer get a supply of the old ones for new builds.  So they have no option if they want to maintain service to people than to get with the times and move to smart meters.

Probably not the conspiracy theory you wants to hear, but factual.

Usually the biggest costing is people.

Smart meters remove the need for boots on the ground reading meters. So fewer overheads so more profit.

Not exactly rocket science....

[Two-lane]

11 minutes ago, P.K. said:

Smart meters remove the need for boots on the ground reading meters. So fewer overheads so more profit

A while ago someone here commented:

"Allinson has stated that meter readers will not be made redundant. He did not state what they would be doing, and the interviewer did not ask him. "

[Hoops]

26 minutes ago, Twitch said:

This is the obvious question which I think hasn't been answered yet. Assuming it's pretty easy to check.

essentially, i used to put £20 on my key every 2 weeks, which is how I knew what i was using. Now it's every 5 days, using the same electrical items pretty much the same amount. Using the key, you don't get bills, so I wouldn't have that information. As I said initially, our neighbour is saying exactly the same thing. I was wondering about other people's experience of these meters. I'll get back on to the MEA.

[finlo]

4 minutes ago, Hoops said:

essentially, i used to put £20 on my key every 2 weeks, which is how I knew what i was using. Now it's every 5 days, using the same electrical items pretty much the same amount. Using the key, you don't get bills, so I wouldn't have that information. As I said initially, our neighbour is saying exactly the same thing. I was wondering about other people's experience of these meters. I'll get back on to the MEA.

Best get used to getting stung for using appliances when you want to, MEA's terminology for this on their website is " long term customer behavioural changes"

[code99]

It is not compulsory (UK) to have a smart meter; according to British Gas: “… you do not have to have a smart meter if you do not want one; we will remove your details from our rollout programme.”

If BG can support analog meters, why not MEA?

"The smart meter overhaul that could lead to you being charged more for putting the kettle on, watching TV, or charging an electric car at peak times":

https://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/bills/article-10494535/Smart-meters-overhail-higher-peak-electricity-prices.html

[0bserver]

14 minutes ago, Hoops said:

essentially, i used to put £20 on my key every 2 weeks, which is how I knew what i was using. Now it's every 5 days, using the same electrical items pretty much the same amount. Using the key, you don't get bills, so I wouldn't have that information. As I said initially, our neighbour is saying exactly the same thing. I was wondering about other people's experience of these meters. I'll get back on to the MEA.

When did you notice the change? 

 

Can you ask MUA for some kind of statement of what they have on record for you? 

I've noticed a big jump in my MUA bills, I checked the actual units used and it was pretty much in line with last year, it was just the increased unit cost that was pushing the bill up. 

[quilp]

4 hours ago, Asthehills said:

They are bothering because they can no longer get spares for the old ones. They can also no longer get a supply of the old ones for new builds. So they have no option if they want to maintain service to people than to get with the times and move to smart meters. 

In reality, none of the above post holds water. I could go to China, or India and a couple of other places and order/buy any number of the traditional mechanical consumption meters, and all the spares I might ever need. So "they" (whoever "they" are in this case, the decision-makers/influencers) do have an option. As @P.K. stated, introducing smart metres will reduce the need for expensive manpower, boots on the ground, etc., and probably a certain amount of office admin, so it's of financial benefit to the energy supplier and not so much the end-user. And the manufacturer of the metres, of course.