In article ,
Chris K writes:
On 19/04/2013 14:19, Andrew Gabriel wrote:
In article o.uk,
"Dave Liquorice" writes:
Smart meters to save power customers £64 each across Wales, report says -
19 April 2013
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-22205299

Smart metering, as currently proposed, is entirely for the benefit
of the suppliers, not you.

With an effective industry regulator, it could have been the other
way around.


Agreed, however 'smart' the meter is it is not on your side.

Couldn't a really smart meter be on the customers' side and be empowered
to negotiate on behalf of the customer the best tariff on an hour by
hour basis. No obscure 'confusion marketing' deals, just give me your
price for the next hour/day/week? (with a regulated obligation to supply).

Yes indeed.
Also things like:
"I need to run my washing machine sometime in the next 48 hours.
Who's going to give me the best price, and at what time?"

So you might try and buy something like your base load (at 500W, say)
for a low fixed price, and then you can choose to buy a peak load
(like a morning shower) from someone else who is more competitive
(and more able) to handle that sort of short burst, but probably at
a higher price.

Instead, all it's likely to bring you is the ability of the supplier
to remotely cut off your supply, or more likely a hacker who gets in
to the supply's computers doing it, possibly as part of switching off
millions of the supplier's customers. I would like to see the disconnect
rights passed over to an independant process that requires court action
first, so the suppliers can get their hands on that switch.

--
Andrew Gabriel
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