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Posted to uk.d-i-y
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First Smart Meter Tarrif to Benefit Customer?
In article l.net,
says...
The current E7 fixed tarrif is about to end so have been digging
about for a new contract/supplier. Came across Ebico's Night Owl
tarrif, slightly raised peak cost, quite high standing charge but
offset by free off peak lecky. You have to have, or agree to have, a
Smart Meter fitted. If you have an E7 meter they want monthly
readings but that is only temporary until the Smart Meter is fitted.
If there is no signal to enable the Smart Meter to work I think you
can stay on monthly readings.
The meters are in a small windowless, thick stone walled room, I had
hoped that there would be no siganl in there but having waved a
mobile phone in network scan mode next to the meters, there is a
signal from all four networks. B-(
This is the first tarrif I've come across that uses the Smart Meter
technology to half give some real benefit to the customer. Of course
they, or any other supplier, could offer the same thing using the
existing dumb E7 meters, if they wanted to.
It would be a genuine £400+/year saving for us, that almost tips the
balance of having a Smart Meter for me but not for SWMBO'd (guess who
doesn't pay the bill...). So E.ON have got us for the next 12 months
on their "Go Online 1 year v8", DD and paperless tarrif(*1) which
works out the same as the about to expire Scottish Power "Online
Fixed Saver March 2018 v2". Everything else the comparison sites
spewed up(*2) involved a real annual increase of between £120 and
£440.
(*1) 15.404 p/kWHr Day, 7.004 p/kWHr night, 16.42 p/day standing
charge (inc 5% VAT).
(*2) Including the ones that the comparision site couldn't do an
online switch to.
Once you've got Smart Meter, you're stuffed with being stuck with the
supplier who installed it. Unlike mechanical meters, they are
frequently linked to one company. Sign up for a bargain now, get screwed
next year.
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