smart meter installation

long-term67

got my letter from esb last week about the upgrade, but i had my meter upgraded around 2010 because there was an issue with the old one, but the cables were a little short for the new meter so they are extended will this be an issue for esb with the install?

Why did you decide to get a smart meter ?

long-term67

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118316381#Comment_118316381

because i want to get rid of the meter reader

I wasn't being funny...just wondering if your tariff is going to go up the minute you get a smart meter...I think the day and night meter is cheaper rates ?? It does look nice but also wonder about privacy issues

Dempo1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118318334#Comment_118318334

Tariffs are not in anyway affected by the installation of a smart meter, Customers are under no obligation to change to smart tariffs. This said some might suit users who use a lot of electricity, I'm a low user and without exception all smart tariffs offered by EI are extraordinarily expensive if a low usage customer.

Re OP question, installers should be able to install and work with what's there, it's really just replacing what you have.

There's various conspiracy theory threads dealing with privacy concerns, personally I don't get any of them. If a consumer is concerned that a utility supplier is facilitating more accurate meter reading and billing or facilitating (in time) smart features so be it, but that's something I can't explain or answer.

I'm editing this comment because the saleswoman gave me wrong info...you can use a day and night meter to export to the grid ..you don't have to get a smart meter......I'm in the process of getting solar PV soon and if I want to export surplus electricity to the grid they are saying I'll have to install a smart meter..I have just got installed a day and night meter and will be getting around 9c a kw and don't want to lose that..on the smart meter is there a day and night facility on it or is it all the one tariff?

Dempo1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118318415#Comment_118318415

I was not aware you needed a smart meter to export surplus. I can't be sure if there's a specific day night facility/ tariff as such but there are night time lower rates etc. Not sure what supplier your with but EI list their 3 smart tariffs.

I suppose your situation a little more complex re exporting surplus energy and may need direct advice from supplier.

Would love to have the Solar myself albeit given I use so little it's hard for me to justify the expense but fair play to you, particularly if you can export and earn from it 😏

listermint

I don't know of anything I've lost with the install of the smart meter. Just I suppose the lack of the oul lad appearing randomly and regularly in my driveway with a grunt of a hello whilst he walked past me out the back garden.

He was a regular unsmart meter.

seamus

The smart meter can do any kind of tariff including day & night.

long-term67

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118318334#Comment_118318334

neither was and i didn't take any offence or mean any offence with my response but since we have got a new meter reader 3 yrs ago we have had numerous problems with getting correct/accurate meter reading and as im getting pv panels in a few months im really interested in getting all the necessary upgrades done before they go in, and as others have said you not under any obligation to change tarrifs when you get the new meter

maestroamado

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118318452#Comment_118318452

You have lost contact with another human being... it seems you don't like the species... perception and reality... the guy who reads my meter is a great guy... part time farmer and plays in band in pubs at weekend... good band as these bands go...

what does your guy do in real life...

Dempo1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118318452#Comment_118318452

I must have had the same personality devoid meter reader 😁

listermint

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118318512#Comment_118318512

Hes an unadulterated grump. I've tried talking to him many occasions. You know there's actually people out there who simply are grumpy. And they're happy in their grumpiness. He's one.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118318512#Comment_118318512

god forbid if I won’t get to see a random guy walk into my drive way once a month 😂

Dempo1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118318648#Comment_118318648

I can relate, grumpiness was one thing but then entering my house uninvited when I was in the garden was a step to far and was dealt with by way of a Bolloxing (I'm a dub living in rural Ireland 20 years, my best Dublin slang and expletives were dispatched with Gusto), oddly enough the Meter reader's demeanour changed positively for the last year he called 😁

Scag Mattress

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118318476#Comment_118318476

Yes you can get day/night rate but still cheaper rates on the normal D/N meter.

that is fact

tvjunki

Smart meter was put in. A good few houses on the street had their meters changed in the few days before. I did not want it at all. I told esb networks I did not want it but was told I had no choice. The engineer arrived 3 times without warning.

Guess what… usage has gone up. I know unit rates have gone up across the board but my standing charge has increased as well. Not happy at all. I would like my old meter back!

Can I ask them to replace back to standard meter?

By the way the idea of free electric on one day at the weekend does not appeal to me. I don’t use a clothes dryer and do not use the washing machine every day.

Do not know how ESB Networks picks the houses to change. Paying €130 bimonthly before. Now up by €30. More than likely they will expect us to pay monthly on new price plans.

seamus

@tvjunki wrote

Guess what… usage has gone up. I know unit rates have gone up across the board but my standing charge has increased as well. Not happy at all. I would like my old meter back!

Can I ask them to replace back to standard meter?

If costs have gone up, query that with your provider, it's nothing to do with ESB networks or the new meter.

You can ask them to put the old meter back but they can and will refuse. The meter is the property of ESB networks and they are free to alter or replace it as they see fit.

eeepaulo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118323739#Comment_118323739

Which provider are you with and what has your standard charge gone from / to? What has your unit rate changed from / to?

JimmyVik

when you change your provider after getting a smart meter you will only have a choice of smart tariffs. All of which are far more expansive than ordinary day night tariffs.

Refuse the smart meter.

eeepaulo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118325685#Comment_118325685

That's not true.

I got one early 2020, was with energia, remained on the 24 hour tariff. I switched to BG in October 2020, chose to be on the 24 hour tariff. I switched to SSE October 2021 was on the 24 hour tariff, i then chose to enabled the smart services as it will save me money based on my usage.

Oops 2020

JimmyVik

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118326350#Comment_118326350

What plan are you one and how much per unit are you paying?

eeepaulo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118330824#Comment_118330824

Im with sse 30% smart tariff, after i had the smart meter installed i remained on the energia 24 hour tariff then i switched to bord gais 24 hour tariff, then i switched to the sse 24 hour ttariff (i actually requested the smart tariff but it did not happen so i requested the smart tariff) So it is absolutely not true that you get put onto a smart tariff automatically.

mondeoman72

I had a smart meter put in and my tariff has not changed. If anything, my bills have gone DOWN.

JimmyVik

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118331539#Comment_118331539

Whats the unit cost though? Go into bonkers.ie and put in your usage and check the smart meter button.

Then go back in and put in the usage again and check the standard meter button.

You will find that the standard meter tariffs are cheaper.

eeepaulo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118336795#Comment_118336795

Thanks for the offer but im ok finding cheap tariffs thanks.

Now back to this...

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118325685#Comment_118325685

This is utter nonesense. I have switched a number of times since i had a smart meter installed.

JimmyVik

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118337474#Comment_118337474

Just trying to help you out here. No need for the abuse.

I looked up your tariff. You can get far cheaper without the smart meter. I suggest you swallow your pride and look into it before declaring it nonsense.

If you would just do as i asked and post your unit cost including the discount im sure any competent person here can look it up and see that you can get cheaper on the standard meter than the smart meter.

The issue is that smart meter tariffs are more expensive than standard or even day/night tariffs.

The point is Switching from smart to smart tariff tells is simple more expensive than if you still had the option of the standard tariffs, but you dont, since you switched.

eeepaulo

You do not get put onto a smart tariff when you have a smart meter installed, it is utter nonsense to post that you do. I'm just wondering if you can accept that?

I don't need to use national averages, or post here, I worked it out. I have the unit rates I have used in t1 t2 and t3 for the last 18 months since my smart meter was installed and while I have switched to other company's and not been put on a smart tariff.

I will save roughly 25 euro PA, that's not including me adjusting my usage in future by setting the washing machine and dishwasher to come on 11pm-7am which should be a 3-400 kWh moved to that tier.

JimmyVik

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118339097#Comment_118339097

Can you not just accept that the next time you change after you get your smart meter installed that only smart tariffs are available to you and they are more expensive than standard tariffs. Thats how simple it is.

Anyway it doesnt really matter. People should just be aware to check out the tariffs that will be available to them to change to when they change their plan going forward with a smart meter. Anyone can do the comparison then on bonkers and check what their new tariffs will compare with and without a smart meter.

I think you are just suffering from buyers remorse and an inability to admit when you are wrong, which is why you are being so vague and unwilling to post your unit rates (they are the difference when you are on the smart meter).

All ium saying is for people to look before they jump.

Scag Mattress

@eepaulo

You are wrong, JimmyVik is correct.

Sounds to me like you are trying to justify your poor decision & drag other down with you.

Old meter has better rates AT THE MOMENT, that could change in future of course.

eeepaulo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118350099#Comment_118350099

Eh? Way to just change the discussion to something else.

So let's go back and try again....

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118325685#Comment_118325685

This is not true, you stay on a 24 hour contract after you get a smart meter installed, you also can move provider without getting a smart tariff.

swoofer

Why are smart tariffs higher? And is this alllowed? Can I get my smart meter taken out?

2011

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118359677#Comment_118359677

Ring your supplier and they will tell you. The bottom line is once a smart meter is installed the unit rates are all higher.

melekalikimaka

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118369005#Comment_118369005

can you evidence this with rates on their sites differing between regular meter and smart?

eeepaulo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118369005#Comment_118369005

Why would i need to ring my supplier, well actually it's suppliers, i had one installed at the start of 2020, i stayed on a 24 hour tariff, i then switched provider last october, i stayed on a 24 hour tariff, i then switched this october, i stayed on a 24 hour tariff, i then chose to switch to a smart tariff.

2011

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118369111#Comment_118369111

Because you seem to havce come to a different conclusion than everyone else.

2011

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118369031#Comment_118369031

Yes, I went to an independent price comparison site bonkers.ie and put in identical information with only one difference. The first time I did it I put in that I had a standard meter, the next time a smart meter. As you can see the smart meter unit cost during the day is higher when using the same provider. Don't take my word for it, try this yourself.

ivg

I think it needs to be clarified that if you have smart meter installed you can keep on the 24hr rates indefinitely while switching providers etc. I have switched twice since having mine installed and just picked the cheapest non smart tariffs each time just like everyone else.

The trick however is that if you choose a smart tariff, then you can never go back to normal tariffs as they remotely reconfigure something at the meter to report in half hour intervals.

2011

Here are the standard meter dual tariff rates, as can be seen they are better value than the 2nd screen shot above (for the smart meter):

melekalikimaka

my apologies i read them wrong

melekalikimaka

eeepaulo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118369468#Comment_118369468

My conclusion is from my own lived experience, its what has actually happened over the last 2 years, where is yours drawn from?

I have the actual figures for the different tiers and a smart tariff is cheaper for me, i dont need to use estimates from a comparison site.

ted1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118369536#Comment_118369536

The annual bill for the sandy meter is cheaper. The standing charger is higher fit standard meter

1130 annually for standard meter

1067 smart

2011

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118370110#Comment_118370110

A few typos there Ted, but I get your drift. I will take the figures you posted as correct, if so the minor additional standing charge for the standard meter will be rapidly offset by the lower unit rate with the standard meter. This is particularly the case with the dual tariff standard meter.

This is why so many EV drivers want a dual tariff standard meter.

2011

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118360637#Comment_118360637

You can conclude whatever you like but the facts show you are incorrect. I demonstrated this with the screenshots in my posts above.

ted1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118370326#Comment_118370326

Yes, I was basing my post on your original post, your newer one shows the opposite.

so my post was purely on the original post you made.