Reply to post: Re: save how much ?@ a_mu

What a pity: Rollout of hated UK smart meters delayed again

veti Silver badge
Boffin

Re: save how much ?@ a_mu

And you haven't even mentioned the cost of storing and analysing 48 meter reads per day, instead of one every 3 months.

But there are legitimate cost savings to be made from smart meters. Easier to read means, well, lower reading costs. More reads means less billing on estimates, which means less financial risk, which is something electricity providers have to pay for currently. Easier to disconnect customers? - again, lowers the financial risk. More accurate consumption profiles? - aids enormously when the company comes to reconcile the bills they issue to customers with those they receive from the network.

There are even, potentially, benefits to the consumer. In Texas, for instance, if your credit rating is shot, you have no choice but to get a prepay electricity meter. In conjunction with "smart metering", you can get one that will send you a SMS when your credit is running low, and - and this is important - you won't be cut off until your credit actually runs out. With a conventional meter, you'd be badgered by your supplier, and you'd stand a real chance of being cut off before your credit runs out - if for instance your consumption dropped suddenly 'cuz you'd gone on holiday. (Yeah, it's a barbaric place.)

I'm not saying it's a great idea and we should all rush to embrace it. But there's a huge bandwagon that seems bent on demonizing smart meters. I just think there should be a little more balance and reason in the discussion.

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