On 01/07/2015 19:52, Dave Liquorice wrote:
On Wed, 01 Jul 2015 17:33:38 +0100, Mark Carver wrote:

Up until now, I thought the meter was the property, and responsibility
of the local (monopoly) electricity supplier (Electricity Board in old
money). Is that no longer the case ?

Incomer, main cutout (fuse) and MET are the network operators.

You're not at the BBC now ;-) MET ? DNO ? MO ?

Tails from cutout and MET to and including the meter are meter
operators (ie who ever you happen to be paying for electricity this
week).

So, when did that change, seeing they appear to be stamped with,
'Property of local network operator' ?

--
Mark
Please replace invalid and invalid with gmx and net to reply.

On 01/07/2015 15:20, Dave Liquorice wrote:
On Wed, 1 Jul 2015 10:39:58 +0100, Andy Wade wrote:

AIUI a wi-fi connection is optional, for the LAN-side only - remote
display / on your tablet, etc. The meters phone home using
GSM/UMTS/LTE, appropriately enough.

That would make sense but still assumes there is a GSM/UMTS/LTE
signal where the meter is loacted.

If there is no signal they just attach a transmitting aerial on a 30ft
pole to the side of the house.


--
mailto: news {at} admac {dot] myzen {dot} co {dot} uk

On 01/07/2015 19:01, bert wrote:
In article , Bill Stewart
writes

I am getting one next week - complete with wi-fi connection to my router.
Does anyone have such, and any comments on it?
OVO smart meters are not compatible with others so if you want to change
suppliers you will need to have your smart meter changed.


I was under the impression the difficulty in changing was that the
company you may want to switch to wouldn't accept you as a customer
under any circumstances because of incompatible smart meters. They don't
necessarily want the hassle or expense of changing a meter for someone
who may have a 12 contract before changing supplier again.

--
mailto: news {at} admac {dot] myzen {dot} co {dot} uk

On 01/07/2015 13:22, Roland Perry wrote:
In message , at 12:24:16 on Wed,
1 Jul 2015, Theo Markettos remarked:
Since smart meters aren't
standardised and are much more complex than simply reading the numbers
off a
variably-shaped box, they don't want to take responsibility for whatever
piece of junk your past supplier fitted. That includes not wanting to
get
involved in whatever connectivity the past supplier arranged - the old
supplier contracted with some mobile network, but the new one won't
have any
arrangements set up and would have to re-make them piecewise.

Don't be daft, there are millions of meters and only a dozen or so
mobile networks (assuming you count MVNOs as well). Every energy company
having some sort of deal with every mobile network is trivial in the
grand scheme of things.


So what is your explanation as to why smart meters are linked to one
particular supplier?

--
Michael Chare

On Wednesday, 1 July 2015 22:51:25 UTC+1, Bill Stewart wrote:
On Wed, 1 Jul 2015 22:27:42 +0100, F news@nowhere wrote:

On 01/07/2015 21:34, alan_m wrote:

I was under the impression the difficulty in changing was that the
company you may want to switch to wouldn't accept you as a customer
under any circumstances because of incompatible smart meters. They don't
necessarily want the hassle or expense of changing a meter for someone
who may have a 12 contract before changing supplier again.

I've had it suggested that I change to a smart meter a few times now but
it isn't going to happen until they can provide a meter that every
supplier can work with. Until then, any swap will have to be for a
mechanical meter, something you can insist on.

I am unsure why anyone would want to insist on such; unless they were just
being bloody minded.

Just suppose company X said use our meter .... and then you found that the company X were the most expensive option and then you found that you couldn't change suppliers because of yuor special box that only your supplier X can use.

The pnly way of changing supplier would be to have yuor meter changed which you have to pay for, and return the old meter. Hopefully they won;t be any small print requireing you to pay a termination fee as 'their' engineer and ONLY their engineer could disconnect you.

In message , at 12:15:28 on Thu, 2 Jul 2015,
Michael Chare remarked:
Since smart meters aren't standardised and are much more complex
than simply reading the numbers off a variably-shaped box, they
don't want to take responsibility for whatever piece of junk your
past supplier fitted. That includes not wanting to get involved in
whatever connectivity the past supplier arranged - the old supplier
contracted with some mobile network, but the new one won't have any
arrangements set up and would have to re-make them piecewise.

Don't be daft, there are millions of meters and only a dozen or so
mobile networks (assuming you count MVNOs as well). Every energy company
having some sort of deal with every mobile network is trivial in the
grand scheme of things.

So what is your explanation as to why smart meters are linked to one
particular supplier?

Because what they send over the network differs, one from another.
--
Roland Perry

On Thu, 2 Jul 2015 04:29:19 -0700 (PDT), whisky-dave
wrote:

On Wednesday, 1 July 2015 22:51:25 UTC+1, Bill Stewart wrote:
On Wed, 1 Jul 2015 22:27:42 +0100, F news@nowhere wrote:

On 01/07/2015 21:34, alan_m wrote:

I was under the impression the difficulty in changing was that the
company you may want to switch to wouldn't accept you as a customer
under any circumstances because of incompatible smart meters. They don't
necessarily want the hassle or expense of changing a meter for someone
who may have a 12 contract before changing supplier again.

I've had it suggested that I change to a smart meter a few times now but
it isn't going to happen until they can provide a meter that every
supplier can work with. Until then, any swap will have to be for a
mechanical meter, something you can insist on.

I am unsure why anyone would want to insist on such; unless they were just
being bloody minded.

Just suppose company X said use our meter .... and then you found that the company X were the most expensive option and then you found that you couldn't change suppliers because of yuor special box that only your supplier X can use.

The pnly way of changing supplier would be to have yuor meter changed which you have to pay for, and return the old meter. Hopefully they won;t be any small print requireing you to pay a termination fee as 'their' engineer and ONLY their engineer could disconnect you.



I doubt if any electricity company is fitting meters which will not provide
basic meter reading capability which would be accepted by all other suppliers.

Do you have any evidence that this is the case?

I accept that you may get a Smart Meter - which a new supplier would not be
able to use as a Smart Meter: but I see no reason why it could not be used in
the conventional way.

In article ,
"Dave Plowman (News)" writes:
In article ,
tony sayer wrote:
Yep thats what one of them said when they came to replace a meter out in
a remote radio site "we use the mobile phone networks"..

Started off then said that the mobile phone network did Notwork so he
put the old one back in!..

Just what happened to a pal in Tooting. Terraced house built in the 30s so
loads and loads the same. All with their meter in a cupboard under the
stairs. No mobile signal. Looks like they need a Plan B.

Another problem with some existing ones is they're losing connection,
as the mobile networks shut down 2G GPRS. (I suspect all new ones
would support 3G at least nowadays.)

That's also hit some alarms and remote payment stations (such as
parking meters which are meant to take credit cards).

--
Andrew Gabriel
[email address is not usable -- followup in the newsgroup]

On Wed, 01 Jul 2015 20:44:46 +0100, Mark Carver wrote:

You're not at the BBC now ;-)

I haven't been at the BBC for 23 years...

MET ? DNO ? MO ?

But you're in uk.d-i-y, they are used fairly often in here.. B-p

MET - Main Earth Terminal that is the supply earth provided by the
DNO - Distribution Network Operator. The company that does the wires,
poles and holes power distribution in a given area from, I think, 125
kV (kilo Volts) down. Stuff above 125 kV(?) is National Grid.
MO - Meter Operator, I might have invented this one. But the company
that you pay for your electricity as metered by "their" meter.

So, when did that change, seeing they appear to be stamped with,
'Property of local network operator' ?

Donno. I don't think is was the same time as the individual
electricity boards monopolies in a given area were broken. If most
DNOs are like ours, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" there will be a
lot of legacy stuff out there. We've been here 15 years, I don't
remember any of the meters being changed, as they should be every 10
years.

--
Cheers
Dave.

On Wed, 01 Jul 2015 22:51:23 +0100, Bill Stewart wrote:

I've had it suggested that I change to a smart meter a few times
now
but it isn't going to happen until they can provide a meter that
every
supplier can work with.

+1

Until then, any swap will have to be for a mechanical meter,
something
you can insist on.

Or presumably a dumb electronic one. Have you a reference for your
statement that one can insist on a dumb meter?

I am unsure why anyone would want to insist on such; unless they were
just being bloody minded.

'Cause I don't want to have to jump through hoops or be refused by a
supplier simply beacuse a "smart" meter was foisted upon me.

--
Cheers
Dave.

On Thu, 02 Jul 2015 16:51:44 +0100, Bill Stewart wrote:

I doubt if any electricity company is fitting meters which will not
provide basic meter reading capability which would be accepted by all
other suppliers.

Do you have any evidence that this is the case?

So why do the comparison sites ask if you have a smart meter and have
help boxes saying that some supliers can't use the some smart meters
from some other suppliers.

If it didn't matter ther would be no need to ask.

--
Cheers
Dave.

In message o.uk, Dave
Liquorice writes
On Wed, 01 Jul 2015 20:44:46 +0100, Mark Carver wrote:


So, when did that change, seeing they appear to be stamped with,
'Property of local network operator' ?

Donno. I don't think is was the same time as the individual
electricity boards monopolies in a given area were broken. If most
DNOs are like ours, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" there will be a
lot of legacy stuff out there. We've been here 15 years, I don't
remember any of the meters being changed, as they should be every 10
years.

Yup.

We've been in this house 10 years, the leccy meter has a sticker saying
'Property of Eastern Electricty Board 1985' and a luggage type label
saying it was changed 18/6/85.

It was supposed to be changed a year or 2 ago, but for one reason and
another it didn't happen in the end.
--
Chris French

In article o.uk,
Dave Liquorice wrote:
So, when did that change, seeing they appear to be stamped with,
'Property of local network operator' ?

Donno. I don't think is was the same time as the individual
electricity boards monopolies in a given area were broken. If most
DNOs are like ours, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" there will be a
lot of legacy stuff out there. We've been here 15 years, I don't
remember any of the meters being changed, as they should be every 10
years.

The rather nice enamel badge beside my meter says 'Property of Battersea
Borough Council' ;-)

--
*Half the people in the world are below average.

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

On Fri, 03 Jul 2015 10:37:37 +0100, Dave Plowman (News) wrote:

The rather nice enamel badge beside my meter says 'Property of Battersea
Borough Council' ;-)

Haven't you only just removed the gas lights?

--
Cheers
Dave.

In article o.uk,
Dave Liquorice wrote:
On Fri, 03 Jul 2015 10:37:37 +0100, Dave Plowman (News) wrote:

The rather nice enamel badge beside my meter says 'Property of Battersea
Borough Council' ;-)

Haven't you only just removed the gas lights?

;-)

Some of the iron barrel pipework still exists. Too much trouble to remove.

I don't really know the history of the badge except it being there when I
bought this place. Perhaps from before nationalization?

--
*A closed mouth gathers no feet.

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

On Fri, 03 Jul 2015 00:47:29 +0100 (BST), "Dave Liquorice"
wrote:

On Thu, 02 Jul 2015 16:51:44 +0100, Bill Stewart wrote:

I doubt if any electricity company is fitting meters which will not
provide basic meter reading capability which would be accepted by all
other suppliers.

Do you have any evidence that this is the case?

So why do the comparison sites ask if you have a smart meter and have
help boxes saying that some supliers can't use the some smart meters
from some other suppliers.

If it didn't matter ther would be no need to ask.


They cannot use the Smart Meter as a Smart Meter: there is no reason at all why
they could not be used as a conventional meter and read by the occupant or the
meter reader - unless you know of one of course.

On 03/07/2015 00:44, Dave Liquorice wrote:
On Wed, 01 Jul 2015 22:51:23 +0100, Bill Stewart wrote:

I've had it suggested that I change to a smart meter a few times
now
but it isn't going to happen until they can provide a meter that
every
supplier can work with.

+1

Until then, any swap will have to be for a mechanical meter,
something
you can insist on.

Or presumably a dumb electronic one. Have you a reference for your
statement that one can insist on a dumb meter?

A letter from Siemens wanting to make an appointment to install a smart
meter. Paraphrasing: 'If you don't want a smart meter then we'll install
a mechanical one'.

--
F

www.vulcantothesky.org - 2015, the last year to see a Vulcan fly

replying to Bill Stewart, JR Bedford wrote:
Yes it doesnt show readings for more than one tarrif i.e. if you have standard
and economy 7 it wont show them separately only as a total SO YOU CANT MANAGE
YOUR CONSUMPTION AS THEY CLAIM

--
for full context, visit https://www.homeownershub.com/uk-diy...r-1058311-.htm

Yes I have still to wait for EDF to solve this problem. Apparently the newer
meters can have variable and multiple tariffs, I'm shocked that any company
would make a meter not capable of such things in today's world, sounds like
these meters were from the back of Arfur Daleys transit van.Brian

--
----- --
This newsgroup posting comes to you directly from...
The Sofa of Brian Gaff...

Blind user, so no pictures please
Note this Signature is meaningless.!
"JR Bedford" m wrote in
message ...
replying to Bill Stewart, JR Bedford wrote:
Yes it doesnt show readings for more than one tarrif i.e. if you have
standard
and economy 7 it wont show them separately only as a total SO YOU CANT
MANAGE
YOUR CONSUMPTION AS THEY CLAIM

--
for full context, visit
https://www.homeownershub.com/uk-diy...r-1058311-.htm