Smart meters

[Harrison]

Do you have a smart meter?

Have you fallen into the trap of checking what things are using and how much it's costing?

We kept delaying getting one installed after all the horror stories about them. But most friends were getting on ok with them, and our energy company offered us £50 off our bill of we had one installed. We were getting fed up with having to read and submit the meter readings every month so agreed to the deal.

It's been installed for about 2 months now, but it was only showing the gas usage until last week when they finally fixed it and its now showing both.

One interesting feature is it showing the current electrical usage in real-time in Watts. My house with just the always plugged in items on it using about 120W which wasn't too bad. This includes such things as American Fringe, upright freezer in Garage, 200w electric heater in log cabin set to frost protection, things like TVs on standby and mobile phone chargers. So I'm happy with that amount.

But you do find yourself looking at it when you switch things on in the Kitchen. The Kettle obviously raises it to I've 3kW, whereas the expresso machine is 1.2kW so is less expensive to have a coffee then a tea! :-)

It is a bit annoying because when it considered the current usage is higher a light changes from green to orage, and of really high red. As soon as you switch the kettle on or the own if good orange.

Currently I've doing a load of washing, have the tumbledryer on, my wife has the electrich heater on 18 degrees in the cabin, the gas central heating is on and it's still showing 4.58kW and orange. Byr we will soon light the log burner so the heating will go off, and the washing went be in much longer.

It did make you a bit paranoid about what you are using, but equality that is kind of the point of it.

[J T]

I think these are a good idea. They aren't so widespread out here in Aus yet though. I saw one in the father-in-laws house when we visited last year, it also showed cost estimations.

I try not to waste too much power, but without being overly anal about it. I care a bit about the environment, and yet I also want to know what's the highest consumption you could get the thing to go up to? Like if you switched EVERYTHING on all at once.

[Kin Hell]

No, no & no.....

Just so glad we recently got rid of Plasma screen #21.