Smart energy meters, should I/shouldn't I?

[Levo-Lon]

Washing machines are nearly all cold fill these days tho our LG has both..

 

[I like Skol]

[QUOTE 4896848, member: 45"]I keep getting phone messages from BG to arrange a fitting date. I'm ignoring them.[/QUOTE]
But does this mean we are turning into paranoid cranky old men or are our reservations justified?

 

[Levo-Lon]

Reservations are justified..wait until next year

 

[Drago]

I'm 48, nearly 49. Never needed one before, don't need it now. I'll be dead in the cold, cold ground before I have a smart meter, smart phone, or anything else preceded by the word 'smart'.

 

[classic33]

I'm 48, nearly 49. Never needed one before, don't need it now. I'll be dead in the cold, cold ground before I have a smart meter, smart phone, or anything else preceded by the word 'smart'.

Smart Ass?

 

[Drago]

Except a smart bomb. I'd like a few of them.

 

[Dan B]

So this is interesting. The meters may be (at least temporarily) "smart", but the people organising the rollout sure aren't

http://www.nickhunn.com/the-uk-may-need-to-replace-20-million-smart-meters/

 

[Wobblers]

Try not to worry about "big brother". I've got the same situation with the Hive which controls the central heating. When it disconnected for some reason I had to call them. The operator at the other end could see exactly what the status was of my Hive box, the ambient temperature it was recording, when it was next scheduled to switch on the heating etc etc. The power companies know how much you're consuming already via the metered bills. This is a bit more sophisticated but it's the same idea

No, it isn't the same idea. A conventional meter measures consumption over a time period of months - each time it's read, in other words. A smart meter acquires this data continuously. It is trivial for the power company to tell when you get up in the morning, have a shower, when you get home, what time you take the kids to school, when you go to bed. All very useful data - with a confirmed name and identity attached - to sell to the usual data aggregator suspects such as Google. You can be quite sure that this is not to your benefit.

Worse, this is all on an antiquated protocol that's known to be insecure. Not merely can your local incompetent energy company get this stuff, so can any scriptkiddy with a laptop. Imagine being able to go down a street and be able to tell with certaincy which houses are not currently occupied. A burglar's dream!

Incidentally, your Hive thermostat has similar flaws. Like most of the Internet of Tat Things, it's a security nightmare just waiting to happen. I hope they've not done something silly like hard code administrator passwords into the firmware...

 

[Deleted member 1258]

So this is interesting. The meters may be (at least temporarily) "smart", but the people organising the rollout sure aren't

http://www.nickhunn.com/the-uk-may-need-to-replace-20-million-smart-meters/

This sounds like a typical British farce.

 

[Wobblers]

So this is interesting. The meters may be (at least temporarily) "smart", but the people organising the rollout sure aren't

http://www.nickhunn.com/the-uk-may-need-to-replace-20-million-smart-meters/

Oh dear god, it's worse than I thought: all the usage data going to Crapita. How long before it's all left on a memory stick in the back of a taxi?

 

[Drago]

Not, it isn't the same idea. A conventional meter measures consumption over a time period of months - each time it's read, in other words. A smart meter acquires this data continuously. It is trivial for the power company to tell when you get up in the morning, have a shower, when you get home, what time you take the kids to school, when you go to bed. All very useful data - with a confirmed name and identity attached - to sell to the usual data aggregator suspects such as Google. You can be quite sure that this is not to your benefit.

Worse, this is all on an antiquated protocol that's known to be insecure. Not merely can your local incompetent energy company get this stuff, so can any scriptkiddy with a laptop. Imagine being able to go down a street and be able to tell with certaincy which houses are not currently occupied. A burglar's dream!

Incidentally, your Hive thermostat has similar flaws. Like most of the Intenet of Tat Things, it's a security nightmare just waiting to happen. I hope they've not done something silly like hard code administrator passwords into the firmware...

Pretty sure it wouldn't be difficult to grab the signal on SDR# or HDSDR and analyse it. I've done doorbells and my Ford remote key, and I'm not a skilled computerist.

 

[I like Skol]

So this is interesting. The meters may be (at least temporarily) "smart", but the people organising the rollout sure aren't

http://www.nickhunn.com/the-uk-may-need-to-replace-20-million-smart-meters/

A very interesting article (if true! My paranoia makes me question everything ). A key part for me is the suggestion that energy companies will be fined, potentially 10% of turnover, if they fail to convert all customers by the deadline. That makes my earlier speculation about being paid (bribed) to switch suddenly seem less ridiculous

 

[classic33]

Families fear house fires caused by poorly installed SMART METERS

 

[classic33]

There is a roll out of new water meters in the north west. They are not "smart" but are conventional meters with a Bluetooth device fitted. The meter readings will be picked up by receivers placed on bin lorries, as they basically visit every street. Trials showed that 99%+ readings will be picked up automatically.
Given the savings this will generate as united utilities ditch meter readers, I'm wondering how much my bill will come down? Honest, I am!

Down! Chances are it'll go up.

United Utilities can't seem to agree on who's idea it was
Neil Harper, Operational Development Manager
or
Gary Dixon, United Utilities’ domestic retail director

 

[MontyVeda]

I guess i won't have much say in the matter since i'm a tenant rather than a homeowner?