Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie

Smart Tariff Unit Rates

1235720

Comments

  • Registered Users Posts: 3,165 ✭✭✭irishchris


    fair play. those unit rates i quoted like flogas were non smart meter plans



  • Registered Users Posts: 2,181 ✭✭✭SD_DRACULA




  • Registered Users Posts: 585 ✭✭✭NobodyImportant


    It seems totally bizarre what they are trying to "offer". I'm well better off staying on my normal 24hr tariff, even with an EV (I will have a solar setup soon). I would rather be charging the car and the battery from the PV setup overnight and helping out the grid which struggles at peak times.



  • Registered Users Posts: 2,363 ✭✭✭bullit_dodger


    I have a theory that there's an ulterior motive here.

    Working off the premise that these companies are "not stupid" (yes, I realize that's hard to believe at times) if they were to offer as good, if not better rates on a smart meter....then Joe Public would be clamoring en masse to get them installed. With 1+ million homes to swap over to smart meters by 2024, they simply don't have the man power to do them at the rate that the public would want. Then there would be the "public relations disaster" of why it takes 1+ year to get my meter installed. <sob>

    No, these guys are being cute whores i think. The fact that they are all at it probably backs that thinking. Still, with smart meters you can slice/dice the raw data as you see fit, they should simply offer the same tarrifs that people have today. I can't think of any reason why they couldn't give that. Then there's no massive impetus to swap (cept for the people who need/want one for good reasons like FIT)



  • Registered Users Posts: 3,817 ✭✭✭Darc19


    Why?

    Unless you have singed up to a new plan, the plan you were previously on still applies.

    As said many time, a smart meter gives you MORE choices. All the regular plans and the new smart plans.


    Rates though have gone up with most suppliers and there may be more hikes to come. Natural Gas which still produces most electricity is at 11 year highs and still moving with a near 80% increase since March.



  • Advertisement
  • Registered Users Posts: 3,817 ✭✭✭Darc19


    But you can have the same tariffs.

    For some, the smart tariffs will be better especially the one that gives you a weekend day free.

    After a few months of having a smart meter, you may get a report that will show your usage with times and days of where the peak is and they can then tell you what the best priced plan is for you.

    It may be a standard plan, or it may be one of the smart plans.



  • Registered Users Posts: 2,363 ✭✭✭bullit_dodger



    Yup....I get what your saying (and 100% agree with you). No, my comment was on the fact that so far to date no energy provider has come up with a significantly better plan for these "Smart Plans" than the existing non-smart tarrifs. This is deliberate, but probably not for the reasons I originally thought (i.e. gouging)

    You can imagine the fiasco of Joe Duffy telling all the OAP's on daytime tv "Get yourself a smart meter and save €10/month". It'd be akin to the water meter rollout disaster. People writing letters to their TD complaining why it takes a year to get a "needed" Smart meter, so they can save money.

    Course maybe I'm wrong and it's gouging after all :-)



  • Moderators, Home & Garden Moderators Posts: 5,640 Mod ✭✭✭✭graememk


    Smart meters currently don't give you more choice, you can have the smart plan or a 24 hr one.

    You can't have any of the day night ones.

    Also the free weekend day one is a con. You'd have to try and run everything on that day. Also ideally an ev, but that charge would need to last you the week. Otherwise a good night rate would be better



  • Registered Users Posts: 532 ✭✭✭idc


    Electric Ireland have something similar to day/night plan as a smart plan, it has day/night and then a cheaper night rater between 2-4am or something like that. I'd consider that if i moved off standard day/night. i think day/night portion is more expensive than their equivalent non smart plan and 2-4 is 6cent.

    Then again maybe other providers would still be cheaper.



  • Registered Users Posts: 28,006 ✭✭✭✭AndrewJRenko


    How/where/when do I get the report on usage? I've just switched to Flogas, so do I get it from Flogas or from ESB Networks who own the meter or what?



  • Advertisement
  • Registered Users Posts: 21,404 ✭✭✭✭Alun


    I don't know about Flogas, but with energia you can only get that information if you're already on a smart tariff in the first place. If you're on a flat 24hr tariff, you get nothing.



  • Registered Users Posts: 28,006 ✭✭✭✭AndrewJRenko


    It's a bit mad. If they have that information, I'm entitled to see it under GDPR. The question for me is 'who has the information'?



  • Registered Users Posts: 451 ✭✭phester28


    I got a smart meter with Electric Ireland and saw that (up until a few weeks ago) you had to switch into a smart meter plan. Cheap for a few hours and dearer for the premium demand rates. I was furious that the PR campaign said I would be able to view my usage with a smart meter fitted with no other caveats.


    Raised a complaint: Got a response that I could access the smart options if I signed up to "Home Electric Plus Smart Meter Tariff " but it was not yet on the website.....It now is available


    I read on some of the T&C that once you move to a smart plan then you can not go back to a 24 hour flat charge. But the new plan mentioned above appears to allow a flat charge (for now)



  • Registered Users Posts: 2,181 ✭✭✭SD_DRACULA


    I also gave out to BordGais today about their pathetic Smart tariffs and asked them who in their right minds would knowingly choose to pay more.

    Then I demanded to know why they can't apply the day/night tariff to the smart meter since that obviously tracks data 24 hours a day, the answer was because they would lose money and f*ck me for even asking such a question.

    Oh boy if I could only go full off grid and give them the finger, alas, wrong country and all that... rant over.



  • Registered Users Posts: 129 ✭✭4goneConclusion


    Worth noting that ESBN charges for smart meters don't currently offer a cheaper rate for night period, comparing to a traditional day/night meter.

    The good news is that this is changing from 1st October so we should see suppliers reduce the night rate for smart tariffs.


    https://www.cru.ie/document_group/the-electricity-distribution-network-allowed-revenues-2021-distribution-use-of-system-duos-tariffs-distribution-loss-adjustment-factors-dlafs-2020-2021/

    https://www.cru.ie/document_group/the-electricity-distribution-network-allowed-revenues-2021-distribution-use-of-system-duos-tariffs-distribution-loss-adjustment-factors-dlafs-2021-2022/



  • Moderators, Home & Garden Moderators Posts: 5,640 Mod ✭✭✭✭graememk


    That's what I was looking for. Couldn't find it earlier.

    Will be interesting to see if it actually changes going forward.



  • Registered Users Posts: 26,897 ✭✭✭✭Dempo1


    My smart meter has been installed almost 2 years, old cottage, rural Laois , I'm assuming they were prioritising older meters being replaced. It only went live about 4 months ago and electric Ireland plagued me to consider new smart tariffs. I've had some fun trying to get them to explain why I would pay 6 cent per unit more than I'm paying now, they mentioned the free weekend day, I mentioned the little nugget in the T&C"s re excessive usage, they've given up. I'm on a plan over 20 years, pay more in levies than I do for electricity, bit of a farce really. So just to be clear, no one is obligated to change any tariff they are on, from my perspective (low user) it would be madness to change plan.

    Its always intrigued me that any company supplying a service that costs money, wants you to believe as a customer, they want to save you money with them, it's just an illogical concept and quite bizzare 😁

    Pencils will need sharpening before I'd consider any smart tariffs on offer currently.

    Is maith an scáthán súil charad.




  • Registered Users Posts: 1,968 ✭✭✭jkforde


    haha, they're all a con. what they 'offer' in low rates they claw back and then some with obnoxious standing charges. and they think they're so smart trying this on. (then again, are we as a market stupider and more gullable than most?!)

    🌦️ 6.7kwp, 45°, SSW, mid-Galway 🌦️ | Smart Day/Night



  • Registered Users Posts: 2,363 ✭✭✭bullit_dodger


    Really do think that there's more to it than just rates. They aren't stupid. They know people won't actively pursue a smart meter if it means higher bills. However, if they were to release a tariff which has a substantially lower rate, but only available if you had a smart meter, you can imagine the clamoring that would ensue to try and get one. 100's (1000's?) of people phoning them up asking for one to be installed. Since Electric Ireland are the folks doing the swap over and they know it will take years (with the resources they have)..... I'd say they'll just match the existing tariffs until there's enough smart meters out there. They don't want the headache.

    Thing is though, is that a smart meter may allow them to generate more profit. It might be more profitable for them to sell you a unit of leccie at 3am for 4 cent than it is for them to sell you a unit at 17C at 5pm due to the fundamentals of what they need to pay themselves. They probably want people on the list, so I reckon they'll incentivize it once there's no meter supply issues.

    I'm speculating a little, but there's more to it than a bit of gouging. (though I wouldn't put it past them :-) heheh



  • Registered Users Posts: 26,897 ✭✭✭✭Dempo1


    O I agree, I'm not suggesting and fully understand the reasons for upgrading meters, my own caused fits of laughter when fitters saw it, might even end up as a museum piece.

    I suppose my point was partly my astonishment at Electric Ireland going to enormous trouble promoting new smart tariffs that are so glaringly more expensive than some customers existing tariffs. Personally I'd not objection re new meter, I don't get the conspiracy theories, big brother watching, GDPR sillyness etc.

    Is maith an scáthán súil charad.




  • Advertisement
  • Registered Users Posts: 2,200 ✭✭✭beachhead


    I signed a year's contract with ElectricIreland in March and the unit charges went up this month.I like their emails prompting me to go fully smart metering.I must sign up(can't go back)to find out what their offer is.No,thank you



  • Registered Users Posts: 3,165 ✭✭✭irishchris


    I agree that most smart plans are excessively expensive but due to fact after they installed my smart meter they wouldn't change for day night meter I changed to bord gais smart plan. Was in a contract with flogas which started at 15c and ended up few months later at 23c and that is day or night. Bord gais plan is 17c day which 9 months of the year I won't be using with solar covering and 12c night which I will use during the winter months to charge my batteries and discharge on day rate. The free Sunday suits me as it's when everyone is home so ovens washing etc will be heavily run then especially with school wears etc. I also plan to charge my batteries through the winter months on this free electric which will be used the following day. There is a cap of 25kw for each Sunday though but that's fine with me. Their 30 minute usage breakdown is helpful too and accurate billing knowledge in advance helps. I know it's not for everyone but for me this plan suits will.

    Attached a sample of Sundays electric usage which was handy as my solar was down for fitting SPD. Note their prices include the standing charge in this screenshot




  • Moderators, Home & Garden Moderators Posts: 5,640 Mod ✭✭✭✭graememk


    There's a cap of 25kwh!? I didn't even realise it's that low. I generated more today.

    Id blow past that with even a 40% charge :-)



  • Registered Users Posts: 3,165 ✭✭✭irishchris


    This is with bord gais but yep there is a 100 kWh call per month. No electric car here so 25kwh on a Sunday would be more than sufficient for me. Generated 26 the previous Sunday myself but unfortunately evenings are starting to get shorter so will be helpful through autumn/winter



  • Registered Users Posts: 45,181 ✭✭✭✭Bobeagleburger


    Sounds like smart meters are still to be avoided. Not a good story for anyone duped into getting one.



  • Registered Users Posts: 3,165 ✭✭✭irishchris


    Lol duped... Nice.

    Again personal choice. For me and some make perfect financial sense, for others maybe not.

    Post edited by irishchris on


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,181 ✭✭✭SD_DRACULA


    I asked if you can go from smart meter to day and night meters and surprise surprise you can't.

    Also anyone with day/night is living on borrowed time with those meters since by 2024 apparently all will be forced to upgrade (unless you camp by your meter with a shotgun 😂)



  • Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 18,559 Mod ✭✭✭✭slave1


    You cannot be forced to take a Smart meter (unless current one broke), this has been confirmed at Gov level via Minister Question. Do a search here, I've posted links before



  • Registered Users Posts: 532 ✭✭✭idc


    You can't be forced but i wouldn't be surprised if eventually when rollout is complete that non smart plans slowly become more expensive than smart plans.



  • Advertisement
  • Registered Users Posts: 2,181 ✭✭✭SD_DRACULA


    Exactly, there's always a legal way to force people into adoption.



Advertisement