Smart meter - "Your electric meter has reached the end of its life"

There is another reason which doesn’t apply for me, but the communication device they have to install, emits microwave radiation, which may be a concern to some.[/QUOTE]

All electrical items emit microwaves... mobile phone own one of them ?? WiFI ? Go outside and get exposed to that huge microwave emitter in the sky, that big firey ball thing we sometimes see.

 

No, of course they're not, but we don't have oil fields all over the country, and we don't extract natural gas, so there are none of those facilities. In contrast, the plan is to have 1000s of wind turbines all over the country and of course they'll be located on high ground so will be highly visible.
This visual intrusion might just be tolerable if these turbines produced a steady supply of electricity, but they do not. Instead their output is intermittent and always way below their quoted "capacity" which is only achieved at the most advantageous wind speeds. So the electricity grid needs 100% backup from gas fired power stations, but intermittent running of these only when the turbines aren't producing sufficient electricity is very inefficient. So we'll end up with two electricity generating systems - no wonder our electricity bills are so expensive!

 

No they don't, the radio spectrum is divided into bands. SW, LW, MW, etc. Not sure if 70 cm is considered as microwave, but 2 meter is not.
As to @ChrisJP the problem is not as to if generating or not, it is they use inverters, so we lose the benefit of rotating mass. A steam or gas or combined power turbine has a load of rotating mass, so a sudden load it absorbed by that rotating mass.

The efforts to use power when there is surplus does not help, 1 am every day I start using 2 kW of power to charge my batteries, in the days of using the radio 4 LW time signal, the signal could be altered to start early or late, and so control when economy 7 systems started to heat radiators, but the new system we as the used are told when we will have cheap electric and we the users set battery chargers, washing machines, tumble drier, dishwashers, etc to run during the off-peak time. EV charging is the only one now where the supplier can select the time.

To use the new forms of power, we would need multi supplies to the home, so the smart meter could switch off one consumer unit but leave others running. But the problem is then the design of the heavy power users in the home, the washing machines, tumble drier, and dishwashers, will not restart, without human intervention once the supply is removed, so even if the home was wired with essential and non-essential consumer units, it could not be used, as the equipment is not designed in a way to allow it.

So the move would need to be gradual, as it involved the re-wiring of homes, so to start with only new homes. And it would need a change in the way washing machines, tumble drier, dishwashers, are manufactured, to use power when available. Any problems like washing machine fires would set the system back decades, what would seem the most likely scenario would be smart sockets, which could be switched on/off by the DNO, I use smart sockets now, my heat pump to cool the house and one of the fans are on smart sockets, but not the washing machines, tumble drier, dishwashers, the problem with the washing machines, and tumble drier, is the delay time, still tumbles the clothes from time to time, so one can't use the ball with detergent in them, and two they are using power on stand-by while waiting for the time to start.

 

Er microwaves are in the range of 300 MHz to 300 GHz, 30cm to 1mm. All electrical items emit microwaves as they simply have to... the question would be to what extent do the emit, There are some really good primers out there on EMF - try https://www.britannica.com/science/electromagnetic-radiation/Properties-and-behaviour

 

My tumble drier is an Electical item ... it does not emit microwaves as far as I know. Light and heat yes, microwaves - unlikey.

 

There are many devices which use microwaves, probably more than most of us are aware.
I’m not particularly bothered, except when I’m working on a roof and have to wear a monitor.
I was just mentioning as an option for refusing the installation of a smart meter.

 

I remember one site, where only women were allowed to work at height, as it seems they are not affected the same as men, but since a mobile phone emits microwaves, yes a smart meter must also emit them.

I remember also a problem with 100 Hz flashing of fluorescent tubes, and needing to either spread across phases, or use HF types, the problem today is we simply don't know, does a bulb flash or has it got a built-in capacitor to stop it, we simply don't know. And it is the same with smart meters, we really have no idea what is inside them, I do wonder how well they will work in a part faraday cage, metal framed, metal clad building must be a problem.

Do I need a baking foil hat on to read a smart meter? To be frank, I did try loads of info, not a clue what it all means, have I really used 3p today? If I look at power used until 5 am where it charged my battery at 2 kW, I do not really believe I have only used 3p of electric, OK at 8.95p per kWh will not be a huge amount, but 3p I don't think so.

 

is what the solar software says, so more like 44p to 3p.

 

They aren't isolating meters - they remotely convert it to a pre-pay meter where you have to top-up your account on the web-site before you can get any electricity out of your meter - and of course it's on the worst tariff availeble - because if you can't afford to pay your bills then you deserve to be punished with higher bills didn't you know.

 

That is a problem, but if I ask the Milkman to deliver milk, I can't see it being fair to then say sorry I can't pay you, or if the oil supplier fills up my oil tank for central heating, again can't really say to them sorry I can't pay.

I did at one point have a problem, industrial injury resulted in not being able to work, and the compensation took years to sort out. I was left in a position of not knowing the best route forward, I could sell the house and move into a mobile home, and this would have removed the immediate problem, but it would be sorted at some point, so that did seem like jumping the gun. I was not short of wealth, the house was mine, but I was short of cash, but never short enough to not pay bills, only short enough to have to select cheap food, etc.

However, the point is yes I can see the problem when one is cash short, but can't really expect energy providers to give you energy for free, if you can't pay for energy in arrears, then neither can you pre-pay for it. So yes, pre-pay meters will never be the answer when you truly can't afford the bills. However, since many people do seem to be able to find the money once they go pre-pay, it seems clear they could afford the power, they simply chose not to pay. Not all, of course.

My biggest gripe is not being paid for electric exported, British Gas promised payment, but then used excuse after excuse not to pay it. And with a £75 exit fee, seems stuck with them until the 4th April 2025. Others will buy the power, but the best deals are when you buy and sell to the same company. Also, I have an EV tariff with British Gas, but to get an EV tariff with some providers, one has to actually have an EV. Seems two e-bikes and a mobility scooter don't count.

There are so many tariffs, once you have a smart meter, it is sometimes just pot luck finding a good one. But at £1.18 spent yesterday on electric, is the cost really worth worrying about? The worry is not cost, it is the getting the supply when required.

I had a freezer go bang, it happened when I was in the room, so knew when it failed, an auto defrost upright, lucky I had a freezer in the garage used to brew beer with, so removed the beer and turned on to pre-cool it, been told how as long as door not opened on a freezer, food will remain frozen for hours, so waiting 1/2 hour for other freezer to cool was not thought to be a problem.

However, it seems it had failed as it went from defrost to freeze, so found stuff at top had defrosted, 9 inches down and all was fine, just very top had defrosted, so most was saved, but the point is when a freezer loses power, only freezers which are not frost free, can be considered as being safe. As to the hottest temperature display, one hopes it is accurate, but clearly we still don't want to lose power to freezers. It is not the money to re-stock, but the risk of not realising something has defrosted. Ice lollies in the top of the freezer is the best option, if they miss form, than likely there has been a power cut.

So the worry with a smart meter is being turned off in error, there have been one or two cases reported, but it does seem a rare event at the moment, also even if not an error, without warning, we can lose power even without a smart meter, but I think the day of the shilling in the meter is well gone.

 

300MHz to 300GHz is 1m to 1mm.

30cm is 1GHz.