Re: Stupid gimmick from the start
I thought it meant the utility companies didn't need to send someone to take a meter reading (Although I do admit most are done by the reseidents of the property with a check once in a blue moon), so could reduce their head count.
That is a small saving. But do the maths - guess the cost a meter reader and van, work out how many reads they can do a day allowing for the practicalities, and you'll find that the savings are about five quid a year. Even then the meter owner has to have some form of routine inspection criteria to prove they meet H&S criteria, so every few years somebody will want to come and poke the meter and check it is working and unbroken.
All of the smart meter roll out (which industry didn't ask for, and suppliers didn't want to do) is founded on the UK government's obsession with saving us from carbon emissions. Meter makers like it. The companies (often large financial investors like Maquarie) also think it is great. But for energy suppliers, the whole thing is a costly, problematic mess, imposed by government. Only because there's the prospect of huge fines are suppliers trying to force them down customers throats.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
