The great electricity smart meter scam.

You only have to see the adverts on TV enticing you to contact your electricity supplier to get your smart meter NOW, to know it's not on the straight and narrow. All that gob about saving enough energy to light a whole city.

You do not save electricity, you merely become aware of how much the fucking stuff costs you.

If you mooch about online, there's plenty of evidence that the public aren't all as stupid as the big electricity outfits would wish them to be.

FIrstly, we have the letters they send out (I've not had one yet). These run from the misleading to the positively disgraceful. "We need to change your meter". " Your meter is out of date"

Having researched the subject, there is no law or regulation that states you must have a smart meter installed. The big supply companies just pressure you with misleading words to con you into thinking this is an upgrade in your favour.

Actually, it's all in theirs. It means they don't have to employ meter readers. Not good for meter readers then. Also, if you don't pay your bill, they can disconnect you remotely, without all that fuss of gaining the right to enter your home.

I did see something about higher standing charges, but on further investigation, the sixteen pounds a month I'd read about, was for dual fuel. I've no evidence to offer on the standing charge being higher.

Returning to the advert, they claim that the meter is free. It isn;t, you'll continue to pay via your daily standing charge. On that point, if you're looking online to change supplier, do take the precaution of checking the standing charge vs your allegedly cheaper energy rates.

I recently had a letter from N Power saying they'd good news, my rates had been recalculated. Yes, they'd reduced my day rate, you know, the one when I'm not at home and they increased the night rate when my water and one storage radiator are in use.

Yet they write to you like they are doing you a favour.

I for one will be impolitely refusing the offer of a smart meter. I don;' require an instantaneous readout to know I'm being fucked by N Power.