Smart Meters and Tariffs

[downquark1]

It is confusing and it is faff. Depends how much faff you want. If you can faff around with load shifting you can save money though.

[SnoopZ]

Originally Posted by downquark1

It is confusing and it is faff. Depends how much faff you want. If you can faff around with load shifting you can save money though.

You don't need to faff around load shifting I never did when on the Tracker tariff.

[joglynne]

I've been on the octopus Tracker for a few years and never faffed yet.

Originally Posted by nashville

I was reading about the number of meters that stop working after awhile and some do not work with gas meters, it is so confusing

You can read about any device failing. Meters are no different, so yes, some can fail, so can "non smart" meters.

Originally Posted by downquark1

It is confusing and it is faff. Depends how much faff you want. If you can faff around with load shifting you can save money though.

No "faffing" here, and still saving. Load shifting is over rated and generally just not worth the effort, or even possible - for example no one in my family is going to wait 3 hours for dinner just to save a few pence.

[SnoopZ]

I should have left my Gas on Tracker as it is seems to be atleast 1p/kWh cheaper most of the time compared to my Fixed rate.

I chat to someone on HotUKDeals and their April 2024 Tracker ended in May 2025 and when they renewed it they got put on the December 2024 Tracker instead of the current April 2025 V2, has this happened to anyone else?

[Taf]

There has been a radio ad for British Gas here recently. It says we CAN save money by changing to one of their Fixed Rate tariffs.

I checked online, and their Fixed Rate tariffs are all a lot more expensive compared with their Standard Rate one.

So does the CAN refer to future costs?

Originally Posted by Taf

I checked online, and their Fixed Rate tariffs are all a lot more expensive compared with their Standard Rate one.

Are you sure about that ?

I just checked and got this ;

Standard Gas / Electric = 6.852p / 26.369p

Fixed Tariff v58 Gas / Electric = 6.126p / 23.654p [to September 2026].

The Longer Fix v32 Gas / Electric = 6.169p / 24.395p [to May 2027].

Neither is particularly cheap, but both are cheaper than the standard rate.

[nashville]

Can we refuse a smart meter,

[SnoopZ]

Originally Posted by nashville

Can we refuse a smart meter,

If your meters are EOL then likely not and if you have an RTS meter then that must be replaced as they will stop working on June 30th 2025 so if you have had a letter you must get it swapped out.

There really is no reason to not eventually get a smart meter.

Eventually you'll have no choice, but atm, you can still choose not to have one.

The hype around RTS meters is a little misleading.
They will not stop working, they will stop switching between their day/night registers, and log all your units on the same one (probably daytime).

So you must at the very least make sure you move to a single rate tariff, which charges day and night at the same rate.

Additionally, some of these meters actually controlled heating/hot water circuits, so they were only powered up on the night rate.
In those cases you will need to (must) get your meter changed, otherwise you'll be stuck with them either always on or more likely, always off.

[TheDaddy]

34000 people are getting money back.and compensation, it's something to do with paying multiple standing charges and the rates being to high, you don't need to fo anything apparently, just wait for the cheque

It was to do with having "multiple meter points" in a property, something the vast majority of people do not have.
They were getting multiple standing charges (allowed) but this took many of them over the price cap (not allowed).

Octopus had the largest number of affected accounts, but it also affected Utility Warehouse, Ovo Energy, So Energy, Outfox The Market, Ecotricity, E.On Next, Tru Energy, Rebel Energy and EDF Energy. As best I can tell, all should already have got their payments by now.

[downquark1]

Biggest negativie period I've seen tomorrow

Yep, even the peak prices are lower than SVT.

[Sirius]

Originally Posted by downquark1

Biggest negativie period I've seen tomorrow

I will make full use of it, i have a car to charge, there is washing and drying and finally a drive and patio to power wash.

It is nice to know they are paying me to use all that electricity