Forcing us into having Smart Meters

[Mups]

What's all this about?    Seems like they are able to force us to have electricity smart meters now,  whether we want them or not.

They are cutting off all old meters this June.

What is an RTS meter anyway?  I have never heard of it,  so how do I know if I have got one?


https://www.energy-uk.org.uk/customers/the-radio-teleswitch-service-switch-off-what-you-need-to-know/

[Ashy]

This RTS meter sounds like a radio-linked meter similar to Economy Seven. I had an E7 meter but not a RTS one. These meters record two figures for consumption at low rate and standard rate, normally installed with storage heaters. I assume that the difference between the original E7 meters and the RTS is that the clock on an E7 meter is mechanical.

"The Radio Teleswitch Service (RTS) uses a radio signal to tell some older electricity meters when to switch between peak and off-peak rates. There are just over 900,000 RTS meters in Great Britain. RTS is used for some traditional multi-rate meters and was designed to support those who use electricity for their heating and hot water."

[klondike]

Don't worry you can switch to a smart meter

Well until they stop working in some areas too


https://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2023/10/7-million-uk-smart-meters-at-risk-of-connectivity-loss-in-2g-and-3g-switch-off.html

Rearrange the following into a well known phrase or saying..

organise in couldn't they brewery up a piss

[Diasi]

What's all this about?    Seems like they are able to force us to have electricity smart meters now,  whether we want them or not.

They are cutting off all old meters this June.

What is an RTS meter anyway?  I have never heard of it,  so how do I know if I have got one?


https://www.energy-uk.org.uk/customers/the-radio-teleswitch-service-switch-off-what-you-need-to-know/

It's what most people know as off-peak electricity that storage heaters use.

[JBR]

I would never use electricity for heating.  We have a gas boiler for hot water and radiators, and if it's really cold out come the logs and firelighters.

Of course, we can't avoid the use of electricity to heat the dishwasher or washing machine unfortunately.

[Mups]

I would never use electricity for heating.  We have a gas boiler for hot water and radiators, and if it's really cold out come the logs and firelighters.

Of course, we can't avoid the use of electricity to heat the dishwasher or washing machine unfortunately.

And what about your lights?

[JBR]

And what about your lights?

Oh, of course we have some gas chandeliers and lots of candles.

No, seriously, lighting is a relatively very low consumer of electricity.

[Mups]

Oh, of course we have some gas chandeliers and lots of candles.

No, seriously, lighting is a relatively very low consumer of electricity.

Yes,  I expect it is,  but I meant if they shut down the meters,  will we have no lights?

[klondike]

You'd just lose the cheap rate I imagine and everything would be charged at the day rate.

[Diasi]

Yes,  I expect it is,  but I meant if they shut down the meters,  will we have no lights?

The meters won't be shut down, the meters will no longer switch over to cheap electricity for 7 hours at night so the cheap electricity feed to the storage heaters won't work for those 7 hours but everything else will.

[muddy]

We have a smart meter I am never quite sure of what it does .

[JBR]

Yes,  I expect it is,  but I meant if they shut down the meters,  will we have no lights?

Well yes, but we are prepared for that and, I suppose, always have been although it has never happened since my childhood.  If the lights (electric) go out, I have a working oil lamp (and I think I have a bottle of oil) and various battery operated torches... and candles of course!

[klondike]

We have a smart meter I am never quite sure of what it does .

Sends meter readings back automatically typically every half an hour. It also allows tariff settings over those half hour time slots and the controversial bits is that it allows the provider or the grid to shut down individual supplies.

They also come with pretty pointless remote displays that can show instantaneous usage. Those need not be used at all. I don't even have the one that came with my meter as it went in the bin when the meter stopped working because I changed supplier. Not that I had it connected anyway. The meter has subsequently been reactivated.

[Mups]

The meters won't be shut down, the meters will no longer switch over to cheap electricity for 7 hours at night so the cheap electricity feed to the storage heaters won't work for those 7 hours but everything else will.

I am not on one of those tariffs anyway,  so will I be alright as I am?

I also have a gas combi boiler,  although that uses some electricity too,  doesn't it?

[klondike]

The chances are that you don't have that type of meter. All central heating needs electricity even if only for the pump and the changeover valves used by some systems.