I've had another communication from our current electricity supplier (EDF) saying that they are legally obliged to change our meters are they are at the end of their lifespan. This may well be true as we've had the same meters for a very long time. I think it is only the electricity meter is actually past its use-by date, but they want to change the gas meter as well "free of charge" - as if that is a bonus.

I last heard from them a few months ago but at the time I said that if this involved disconnecting the gas and electricity for any time at all, which it did, then I would refuse to have it done during cold weather. That excuse clearly worked, but probably can't be used again.

It seems that we do have a choice of smart meter or not - except that as far as I can gather if you opt for a non-smart meter what you get is a smart meter with its smart functionality disabled. How much of this is disabled I haven't yet been able to find out. Like many others on this group, I suspect, I have been refusing regular blandishments from the company to get a smart meter, as there seem to be no advantages to the customer and many potential drawbacks.

But what I don't know is whether having smart meters which is dumbed-down would be better or worse than having a genuine smart meter. Does anyone else have any experience of this?

--
Clive Page

On 13/04/2023 17:37, Clive Page wrote:

> group, I suspect, I have been refusing regular blandishments from the
> company to get a smart meter, as there seem to be no advantages to the
> customer and many potential drawbacks.

And the drawback are what?

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

alan_m <junk@admac.myzen.co.uk> wrote:
> On 13/04/2023 17:37, Clive Page wrote:
>
>> group, I suspect, I have been refusing regular blandishments from the
>> company to get a smart meter, as there seem to be no advantages to the
>> customer and many potential drawbacks.
>
>
> And the drawback are what?
>

I’m kinda amazed that it’s still optional. Compulsory in Spain (and no
doubt other countries) I believe.

Tim

--
Please don't feed the trolls

alan_m <junk@admac.myzen.co.uk> wrote:
> On 13/04/2023 17:37, Clive Page wrote:
>
> > group, I suspect, I have been refusing regular blandishments from the
> > company to get a smart meter, as there seem to be no advantages to the
> > customer and many potential drawbacks.
>
> And the drawback are what?
>
'They' can disconnect you.

--
Chris Green
·

On 13/04/2023 20:42, Chris Green wrote:
> alan_m <junk@admac.myzen.co.uk> wrote:
>> On 13/04/2023 17:37, Clive Page wrote:
>>
>>> group, I suspect, I have been refusing regular blandishments from the
>>> company to get a smart meter, as there seem to be no advantages to the
>>> customer and many potential drawbacks.
>>
>> And the drawback are what?
>>
> 'They' can disconnect you.
>

and they can do that with a dumb meter.

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

Chris Green wrote:

> alan_m wrote:
>
>> the drawback are what?
>>
> 'They' can disconnect you.

If you have a smart meter installed, but in dumb mode, are you sure they
still can't remotely disconnect? It'd only require a SIM card to allow
that.

On Thursday, 13 April 2023 at 17:37:25 UTC+1, Clive Page wrote:
> I've had another communication from our current electricity supplier (EDF) saying that they are legally obliged to change our meters are they are at the end of their lifespan. This may well be true

it isn't, it's just a sales pitch

> as we've had the same meters for a very long time. I think it is only the electricity meter is actually past its use-by date, but they want to change the gas meter as well "free of charge" - as if that is a bonus.

they get paid, you get screwed

> I last heard from them a few months ago but at the time I said that if this involved disconnecting the gas and electricity for any time at all, which it did, then I would refuse to have it done during cold weather. That excuse clearly worked, but probably can't be used again.

you don't need an excuse. Just don't arrange a replacement. If they get pushy say no.

> It seems that we do have a choice of smart meter or not - except that as far as I can gather if you opt for a non-smart meter what you get is a smart meter with its smart functionality disabled. How much of this is disabled I haven't yet been able to find out. Like many others on this group, I suspect, I have been refusing regular blandishments from the company to get a smart meter, as there seem to be no advantages to the customer and many potential drawbacks.

correct

> But what I don't know is whether having smart meters which is dumbed-down would be better or worse than having a genuine smart meter. Does anyone else have any experience of this?

refusal to permit it to have any smart functionality is a bit better for you. Not getting one fitted is even better, as you won't get wildly overcharged for reactive current, and won't have an unfused fire hazard aka surge absorber.

On 13/04/2023 17:37, Clive Page wrote:
> I've had another communication from our current electricity supplier
> (EDF) saying that they are legally obliged to change our meters are they
> are at the end of their lifespan.  This may well be true as we've had
> the same meters for a very long time.  I think it is only the
> electricity meter is actually past its use-by date, but they want to
> change the gas meter as well "free of charge" - as if that is a bonus.
>
> I last heard from them a few months ago but at the time I said that if
> this involved disconnecting the gas and electricity for any time at all,
> which it did, then I would refuse to have it done during cold weather.
> That excuse clearly worked, but probably can't be used again.
>
> It seems that we do have a choice of smart meter or not - except that as
> far as I can gather if you opt for a non-smart meter what you get is a
> smart meter with its smart functionality disabled.  How much of this is
> disabled I haven't yet been able to find out.  Like many others on this
> group, I suspect, I have been refusing regular blandishments from the
> company to get a smart meter, as there seem to be no advantages to the
> customer and many potential drawbacks.

I chose to get smart meters at the end of last year, hoping that
suitable EV tariffs will become available again soon, but around 18
months ago both my gas and electricity meters were changed and I
requested not to have smart meters ... both replacements were pure dumb
meters, not smart meters with facilities disabled. It is worth finding
out for certain what they would fit if you declined smart meters.

On 13/04/2023 20:54, alan_m wrote:
> On 13/04/2023 20:42, Chris Green wrote:
>> alan_m <junk@admac.myzen.co.uk> wrote:
>>> On 13/04/2023 17:37, Clive Page wrote:
>>>
>>>> group, I suspect, I have been refusing regular blandishments from the
>>>> company to get a smart meter, as there seem to be no advantages to the
>>>> customer and many potential drawbacks.
>>>
>>> And the drawback are what?
>>>
>> 'They' can disconnect you.
>>
>
> and they can do that with a dumb meter.

Not without an order to enter the premises.

They can also remotely switch smart meters to pre-payment mode.

It will be a lot easier to shed load by switching off premises, where
smart meters are present and they don't have to switch off a whole area,
possibly including a hospital.

Animal wrote:

> Not getting one fitted is even better, as you won't get wildly overcharged for reactive current

All UK domestic electricity supplies are billed for real power, not
apparent power (a smart meter can probably measure the latter, but it
isn't used for billing)

On 13/04/2023 22:01, Animal wrote:
> On Thursday, 13 April 2023 at 17:37:25 UTC+1, Clive Page wrote:
>> I've had another communication from our current electricity supplier (EDF) saying that they are legally obliged to change our meters are they are at the end of their lifespan. This may well be true
>
> it isn't, it's just a sales pitch

Meter calibrations do expire and they are obliged to change the meters
for freshly calibrated ones.

>> as we've had the same meters for a very long time. I think it is only the electricity meter is actually past its use-by date, but they want to change the gas meter as well "free of charge" - as if that is a bonus.
>
> they get paid, you get screwed
>
>> I last heard from them a few months ago but at the time I said that if this involved disconnecting the gas and electricity for any time at all, which it did, then I would refuse to have it done during cold weather. That excuse clearly worked, but probably can't be used again.
>
> you don't need an excuse. Just don't arrange a replacement. If they get pushy say no.

If the meter calibration period has expired, they can force a change.

>> It seems that we do have a choice of smart meter or not - except that as far as I can gather if you opt for a non-smart meter what you get is a smart meter with its smart functionality disabled. How much of this is disabled I haven't yet been able to find out. Like many others on this group, I suspect, I have been refusing regular blandishments from the company to get a smart meter, as there seem to be no advantages to the customer and many potential drawbacks.
>
> correct
>
>> But what I don't know is whether having smart meters which is dumbed-down would be better or worse than having a genuine smart meter. Does anyone else have any experience of this?
>
> refusal to permit it to have any smart functionality is a bit better for you. Not getting one fitted is even better, as you won't get wildly overcharged for reactive current

While smart meters may be able to measure reactive load, the currently
are only set to produce the same readings as the old disk meters.

> and won't have an unfused fire hazard aka surge absorber.

???

My CU has an SPD. That is before any MCBs, is there a problem with that?

On 13/04/2023 19:00, alan_m wrote:
> And the drawback are what?
I can think of several:

With a smart meter the customer is sharing a lot of data, e.g. about whether you are at home or on holiday, what your regular habits are in terms of arriving home at the end of the day. Many burglars would give a lot to get their hands on such data, and I've no idea how well protected it is. Since the power company has no particular incentive to keep the information private, I expect it isn't at all well protected.

You can reduce your bills only if you make use of the information - and I can anyway read me meter at any time I want to to see how much power I am using by going to the meter cupboard. The smart meter just saves a few footsteps.

It's still not clear whether smart meters are truly portable between power companies, so you might go to all the trouble of getting them installed and then lost the functionality quite soon.

There are claims that your electricity can be cut off remotely if they think you are seriously in debt. Even if not, can you be sure that nobody will ever make a mistake and cut off the wrong customer? Energy companies seem to make lots of mistakes in metering as it is - just look at the consumer complains columns of any weekend newspaper.

Although I gather that the smart electricity meter is self-powered, the gas meter in most meter cupboards (including ours) has no mains supply so it must rely on a battery. What happens when this runs out and needs to be replaced? I'll bet that is done at the expense of the customer. The remote unit that they tout shows you your instant consumption also needs a battery - who pays for that?

I've already been told that the gas and electricity will be disconnected for a time while they are installing the smart meter - maybe only half-an-hour if all goes well, but when did you last come across an electrical or gas job which didn't encounter problems?

Regards

--
Clive Page

Clive Page wrote:

> It's still not clear whether smart meters are truly portable between
> power companies

if it's SMETS2, then the meter isn't read by any your supplier, it's
read by DCC, from where the data can be passed to any supplier, to you,
or (with your permission) to a 3rd party.

On 13/04/2023 22:20, Clive Page wrote:
> On 13/04/2023 19:00, alan_m wrote:
>> And the drawback are what?
> I can think of several:
>
> With a smart meter the customer is sharing a lot of data, e.g. about
> whether you are at home or on holiday, what your regular habits are in
> terms of arriving home at the end of the day.  Many burglars would give
> a lot to get their hands on such data, and I've no idea how well
> protected it is.   Since the power company has no particular incentive
> to keep the information private, I expect it isn't at all well protected.

Clutching at straws here. How ever did burglars rob so many houses
prior to smart meters?

> You can reduce your bills only if you make use of the information - and
> I can anyway read me meter at any time I want to to see how much power I
> am using by going to the meter cupboard.   The smart meter just saves a
> few footsteps.

Is that a drawback? Without too much effort you can also see your
daily/monthly/yearly consumption. You can see your current spend without
having to get out a calculator or spread sheet.

>
> It's still not clear whether smart meters are truly portable between
> power companies, so you might go to all the trouble of getting them
> installed and then lost the functionality quite soon.

It was only the first generation that seemed to be non-portable.
>
> There are claims that your electricity can be cut off remotely if they
> think you are seriously in debt.

Yes, but they can also cut you off with a dumb meter - it just takes a
bit longer.

Debt doesn't go a away if you choose to have a dumb meter.

  Even if not, can you be sure that
> nobody will ever make a mistake and cut off the wrong customer?   Energy
> companies seem to make lots of mistakes in metering as it is - just look
> at the consumer complains columns of any weekend newspaper.

Yes and look at the number of complaints made when everyone had a dumb meter

>
> Although I gather that the smart electricity meter is self-powered, the
> gas meter in most meter cupboards (including ours) has no mains supply
> so it must rely on a battery.   What happens when this runs out and
> needs to be replaced?   I'll bet that is done at the expense of the
> customer.

Have you any evidence for this statement? Replacement batteries are the
responsibility of the supply company and they have said "free", but you
are already paying for this service in your standing charges.

The remote unit that they tout shows you your instant
> consumption also needs a battery - who pays for that?

Mine plugs into the mains. Wouldn't you just throw yours away as you
would still be manually reading the meters? Having no remote display
with a smart meter is no different to having no remote display with dumb
meter so where is the drawback?

>
> I've already been told that the gas and electricity will be disconnected
> for a time while they are installing the smart meter - maybe only
> half-an-hour if all goes well, but when did you last come across an
> electrical or gas job which didn't encounter problems?

Clutching at straws again. Both my meters were replaced within an hour.
The gas was off for around 10 minutes and the electricity a bit longer
because the tails were replaced as well as having an isolation switch
installed. There is also the gas safety check for leaks, to make sure
the lines are purged afterwards and to check that gas appliances are
working. In general it's a like for like swap, just with a different
meter. If there is a problem the same problem must exist with the old
meters.

The OP was suggesting that his replacements may not be smart meters and
the replacements are required because the calibration has expired.
Wouldn't the risk of having a problem with a replacement dumb meter be
the same as a replacement with a smart meter?

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

On 13/04/2023 22:10, SteveW wrote:
> On 13/04/2023 20:54, alan_m wrote:
>> On 13/04/2023 20:42, Chris Green wrote:
>>> alan_m <junk@admac.myzen.co.uk> wrote:
>>>> On 13/04/2023 17:37, Clive Page wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> group, I suspect, I have been refusing regular blandishments from the
>>>>> company to get a smart meter, as there seem to be no advantages to the
>>>>> customer and many potential drawbacks.
>>>>
>>>> And the drawback are what?
>>>>
>>> 'They' can disconnect you.
>>>
>>
>> and they can do that with a dumb meter.
>
> Not without an order to enter the premises.
>
> They can also remotely switch smart meters to pre-payment mode.

For those people serious in debt or do you think the debt goes away if
you stick with a dumb meter.

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

On 13/04/2023 23:45, alan_m wrote:
> On 13/04/2023 22:10, SteveW wrote:
>> On 13/04/2023 20:54, alan_m wrote:
>>> On 13/04/2023 20:42, Chris Green wrote:
>>>> alan_m <junk@admac.myzen.co.uk> wrote:
>>>>> On 13/04/2023 17:37, Clive Page wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> group, I suspect, I have been refusing regular blandishments from the
>>>>>> company to get a smart meter, as there seem to be no advantages to
>>>>>> the
>>>>>> customer and many potential drawbacks.
>>>>>
>>>>> And the drawback are what?
>>>>>
>>>> 'They' can disconnect you.
>>>>
>>>
>>> and they can do that with a dumb meter.
>>
>> Not without an order to enter the premises.
>>
>> They can also remotely switch smart meters to pre-payment mode.
>
> For those people serious in debt or do you think the debt goes away if
> you stick with a dumb meter.

Except, of course, that those on a standard credit meter can spread the
winter peak across the year, while those on a prepayment meter may not
be able to afford what they need at the time of that peak.

On 14/04/2023 00:23, SteveW wrote:

> Except, of course, that those on a standard credit meter can spread the
> winter peak across the year, while those on a prepayment meter may not
> be able to afford what they need at the time of that peak.
>

One of my satellite channels is set to the Southern Irish region because
all the adverts are for things like Irish supermarkets* or discounters
and the prices are in Euros. One of the fairly regular adverts is for an
Irish utility company promoting all the benefits of prepayment tariffs :)

https://www.prepaypower.ie/

*UK adverts for Lidl pronounce it Lid el
Irish adverts pronounce it Lee del

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

On 13/04/2023 23:42, alan_m wrote:
> On 13/04/2023 22:20, Clive Page wrote:
>> On 13/04/2023 19:00, alan_m wrote:
>>> And the drawback are what?
>> I can think of several:

(snip)

>> consumption also needs a battery - who pays for that?

We do - and then some... See below

> Mine plugs into the mains. Wouldn't you just throw yours away as you
> would still be manually reading the meters? Having no remote display
> with a smart meter is no different to having no remote display with dumb
> meter so where is the drawback?

The drawback is paying for something we don't want, don't use, and don't
need. You seem to forget that the smart meter installation programme
across the country is costing £11 billion. Well, that's the original
figure; does anyone know what the figure is so far, and what the final
figure will be? You can now add to that the cost of replacing all the
meters in south and central England that use 3G for their
communications. Do you really think that smart meters and their
installation costs grow on trees, or that the utility companies will pay
for it? Let's assume there are 25 million properties in the UK. The
approximate cost to each is £440 (£11 billion / 25 million). So the
"smart meter" programme is costing every household £440. I've no
objection to those who want a smart meter paying £440 to have one
installed; I just don't want to pay it. The smart meter programme is
almost entirely something for the benefit of the utility companies.

--

Jeff

alan_m <junk@admac.myzen.co.uk> wrote:
> On 13/04/2023 20:42, Chris Green wrote:
> > alan_m <junk@admac.myzen.co.uk> wrote:
> >> On 13/04/2023 17:37, Clive Page wrote:
> >>
> >>> group, I suspect, I have been refusing regular blandishments from the
> >>> company to get a smart meter, as there seem to be no advantages to the
> >>> customer and many potential drawbacks.
> >>
> >> And the drawback are what?
> >>
> > 'They' can disconnect you.
> >
>
> and they can do that with a dumb meter.
>
Only by breaking into your property and pulling the main fuse, they
can't do it remotely.

--
Chris Green
·

On 14/04/2023 08:14, Chris Green wrote:
> alan_m <junk@admac.myzen.co.uk> wrote:
>> On 13/04/2023 20:42, Chris Green wrote:
>>> alan_m <junk@admac.myzen.co.uk> wrote:
>>>> On 13/04/2023 17:37, Clive Page wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> group, I suspect, I have been refusing regular blandishments from the
>>>>> company to get a smart meter, as there seem to be no advantages to the
>>>>> customer and many potential drawbacks.
>>>> And the drawback are what?
>>>>
>>> 'They' can disconnect you.
>>>
>> and they can do that with a dumb meter.
>>
> Only by breaking into your property and pulling the main fuse, they
> can't do it remotely.
>
My main fuse (and millions of others) is external to the house.

On 14/04/2023 08:05, Jeff Layman wrote:
> On 13/04/2023 23:42, alan_m wrote:
>> On 13/04/2023 22:20, Clive Page wrote:
>>> On 13/04/2023 19:00, alan_m wrote:
>>>> And the drawback are what?
>>> I can think of several:
>
> (snip)
>
>>> consumption also needs a battery - who pays for that?
>
> We do - and then some... See below
>
>> Mine plugs into the mains.  Wouldn't you just throw yours away as you
>> would still be manually reading the meters? Having no remote display
>> with a smart meter is no different to having no remote display with dumb
>> meter so where is the drawback?
>
> The drawback is paying for something we don't want, don't use, and don't
> need. You seem to forget that the smart meter installation programme
> across the country is costing £11 billion. Well, that's the original
> figure; does anyone know what the figure is so far, and what the final
> figure will be? You can now add to that the cost of replacing all the
> meters in south and central England that use 3G for their
> communications. Do you really think that smart meters and their
> installation costs grow on trees, or that the utility companies will pay
> for it? Let's assume there are 25 million properties in the UK. The
> approximate cost to each is £440 (£11 billion / 25 million). So the
> "smart meter" programme is costing every household £440. I've no
> objection to those who want a smart meter paying £440 to have one
> installed; I just don't want to pay it. The smart meter programme is
> almost entirely something for the benefit of the utility companies.
>

So, don't have a smart meter and the utility company will charge you less.

Long before smart meters there was a meter replacement scheme with a
target of 10 years.

I agree that we are paying a lot but smart meters are not going away and
there is currently no £440 cost saving for rejecting one.

The choice for the OP is to have a smart or dumb meter as a replacement.

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

On 13/04/2023 22:15, SteveW wrote:
> On 13/04/2023 22:01, Animal wrote:
>> On Thursday, 13 April 2023 at 17:37:25 UTC+1, Clive Page wrote:
>>> I've had another communication from our current electricity supplier
>>> (EDF) saying that they are legally obliged to change our meters are
>>> they are at the end of their lifespan. This may well be true
>>
>> it isn't, it's just a sales pitch
>
> Meter calibrations do expire and they are obliged to change the meters
> for freshly calibrated ones.
>
>>> as we've had the same meters for a very long time. I think it is only
>>> the electricity meter is actually past its use-by date, but they want
>>> to change the gas meter as well "free of charge" - as if that is a
>>> bonus.
>>
>> they get paid, you get screwed
>>
>>> I last heard from them a few months ago but at the time I said that
>>> if this involved disconnecting the gas and electricity for any time
>>> at all, which it did, then I would refuse to have it done during cold
>>> weather. That excuse clearly worked, but probably can't be used again.
>>
>> you don't need an excuse. Just don't arrange a replacement. If they
>> get pushy say no.
>
> If the meter calibration period has expired, they can force a change.
>
>>> It seems that we do have a choice of smart meter or not - except that
>>> as far as I can gather if you opt for a non-smart meter what you get
>>> is a smart meter with its smart functionality disabled. How much of
>>> this is disabled I haven't yet been able to find out. Like many
>>> others on this group, I suspect, I have been refusing regular
>>> blandishments from the company to get a smart meter, as there seem to
>>> be no advantages to the customer and many potential drawbacks.
>>
>> correct
>>
>>> But what I don't know is whether having smart meters which is
>>> dumbed-down would be better or worse than having a genuine smart
>>> meter. Does anyone else have any experience of this?
>>
>> refusal to permit it to have any smart functionality is a bit better
>> for you. Not getting one fitted is even better, as you won't get
>> wildly overcharged for reactive current
>
> While smart meters may be able to measure reactive load, the currently
> are only set to produce the same readings as the old disk meters.
>
>> and won't have an unfused fire hazard aka surge absorber.
>
> ???
>
> My CU has an SPD. That is before any MCBs, is there a problem with that?
>

OK my really really smart meter (It told me I had an old PVR on standby
, to avoid manually resetting its clock each month or so of sole use,
was wasting 0.2 units of electricity a day as a vampire device).
OK its not calibrated but I will try this.
Monitor one rotation of the proper old house supply meter disc on all
the stand by devices only, fridge disconnected , for the base load, and
then plug in a TV or something with my smarter meter in line, for an
hour, and compare the 2 readings.

--
Global sea level rise to 2100 from curve-fitted existing altimetry data
<http://diverse.4mg.com/slr.htm>

On 14/04/2023 08:36, Mark Carver wrote:
> On 14/04/2023 08:14, Chris Green wrote:
>> alan_m <junk@admac.myzen.co.uk> wrote:
>>> On 13/04/2023 20:42, Chris Green wrote:
>>>> alan_m <junk@admac.myzen.co.uk> wrote:
>>>>> On 13/04/2023 17:37, Clive Page wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> group, I suspect, I have been refusing regular blandishments from the
>>>>>> company to get a smart meter, as there seem to be no advantages to
>>>>>> the
>>>>>> customer and many potential drawbacks.
>>>>> And the drawback are what?
>>>>>
>>>> 'They' can disconnect you.
>>>>
>>> and they can do that with a dumb meter.
>>>
>> Only by breaking into your property and pulling the main fuse, they
>> can't do it remotely.
>>
> My main fuse (and millions of others) is external to the house.

The majority probably aren't though, as they only started fitting
external meter boxes in recent decades.

It does seem a very poor idea. Someone passing sees you loading your car
for a holiday or one of your household puts too much on social media and
anyone who wants to burgle you can cut your power off, leave immediately
and come back a few days later, when the alarm batteries are flat.

On 14/04/2023 08:05, Jeff Layman wrote:
> On 13/04/2023 23:42, alan_m wrote:
>> On 13/04/2023 22:20, Clive Page wrote:
>>> On 13/04/2023 19:00, alan_m wrote:
>>>> And the drawback are what?
>>> I can think of several:
>
> (snip)
>
>>> consumption also needs a battery - who pays for that?
>
> We do - and then some... See below
>
>> Mine plugs into the mains.  Wouldn't you just throw yours away as you
>> would still be manually reading the meters? Having no remote display
>> with a smart meter is no different to having no remote display with dumb
>> meter so where is the drawback?
>
> The drawback is paying for something we don't want, don't use, and don't
> need. You seem to forget that the smart meter installation programme
> across the country is costing £11 billion.

But by using them to push people (through timed tariffs) to use energy
away from the peaks, they can save more than that by not building an
extra nuclear power station.

It is the wrong solution, but I can see why they've chosen it.

On 14/04/2023 10:20, SteveW wrote:
> On 14/04/2023 08:36, Mark Carver wrote:
>> On 14/04/2023 08:14, Chris Green wrote:
>>> alan_m <junk@admac.myzen.co.uk> wrote:
>>>> On 13/04/2023 20:42, Chris Green wrote:
>>>>> alan_m <junk@admac.myzen.co.uk> wrote:
>>>>>> On 13/04/2023 17:37, Clive Page wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> group, I suspect, I have been refusing regular blandishments
>>>>>>> from the
>>>>>>> company to get a smart meter, as there seem to be no advantages
>>>>>>> to the
>>>>>>> customer and many potential drawbacks.
>>>>>> And the drawback are what?
>>>>>>
>>>>> 'They' can disconnect you.
>>>>>
>>>> and they can do that with a dumb meter.
>>>>
>>> Only by breaking into your property and pulling the main fuse, they
>>> can't do it remotely.
>>>
>> My main fuse (and millions of others) is external to the house.
>
> The majority probably aren't though, as they only started fitting
> external meter boxes in recent decades.
>
> It does seem a very poor idea. Someone passing sees you loading your
> car for a holiday or one of your household puts too much on social
> media and anyone who wants to burgle you can cut your power off, leave
> immediately and come back a few days later, when the alarm batteries
> are flat.
>
Has there ever been a documented case of that actually happening, or is
this yet more Usenet style overthinking and paranoia    ?