[rhyds]

My problem with smart meters is they're trying to be too smart. All the metering/supply company needs to know is how much electricity you've used for billing purposes. I wouldn't mind that being relayed back via powerline networking or the meter's own mobile connection (if available). I'd grudgingly accept a connection to my broadband, but only if I was to have full control of the meter's networking settings.

The problem is that if meters are to have a remote disconnection facility then it MUST be secured (and I mean properly secured against internal and external cracking)and ONLY available to specific persons within a metering/supply company (I'm thinking names, senior persons, not Joe Bloggs in a callcentre). Also, I foresee that the meters will be capable of "demand management", or put simply, remote managed powercuts when our coal fired power stations are shut down (down to individual house levels), or you'd find the oven wouldn't power up at 6pm because everyone else in the street got there before you...