I’ll try and find the article again @N26throwaway
Internet rumours 
I got mine during lockdown (summer) from E.ON. I got the power distributor to come out 1st to replace the cutout then booked with E.ON to come out, all happened in the space of 2 weeks. It’s part of the reason I stayed with a larger well known utility company, as I knew they were still begging people to have meters fitted during lockdown.
What you might of seen is maybe the SMETS1 meters, which go dumb when you switch suppliers. The new version don’t do this, the older version are getting a fix (eventually) put in place to stop this happening
Yeah it was in like <2015 the article was bout them giving out wrong readings and saying you’re using more than you’re actually are to get more money and that’s why they had stockpiles. Could have been false unless it was because of it being new technology at that time
There were some issues back then about readings, also was a lot of internet gossip about how bad they are.
SMETS2 are currently been rolled out, the upgraded version talks to any supplier when you switch. I had to double check I was signing up for one of them, luckily E.ON had used up the old supply.
Even Martin Lewis was dead against them when they 1st came out, due to too many issues. He’s since changed his stance and openly encourages people to get them.
I’m using no more electricity then what I was pre smart reader. I used to look at the hub all the time to see what was going off. That novelty has worn off, as I know pretty much what I’m using now during each part of the day.
1 Like
That’s eons ago in technology time
2 Likes
They put one in my dad’s place but the meter is in the basement where there’s no signal so they estimate his monthly bill, I don’t know where they come up with their figures but they are insane and just pull by direct debit, and he just gets a big refund every year.
Found this whilst looking at different things to do with smart meters
Has anybody used Sainsbury’s energy? I know they don’t offer quotes at the moment as they are getting a redesign but what is your experience with them?
I’ve just switched today to 
agile, got an email to say the smart meter is communicating to them following my recent switch.
Now on half hourly billing, I need to have a look at different apps to see which is best at showing the cost of each half hourly slot.
Octopus Watch is the best. It shows you what is upcoming and your historical use (also compared with the fixed-rate tariff) It can also show you the cheapest timeslot in which to run a power-hungry appliance.
It’s a great app, with a good 
widget too.
Not the best time to switch to Agile though - prices for the last few days have been sky-high with the capped 35p limit per kWh being reached multiple times daily this week so far… Here are today’s rates - still very high! (I’m in region ‘G’)
There’s also the Octopus re-imagined dashboard too, which works as a historical reporter - https://octopus.energy/dashboard/new/#/accounts/[Your Account number]/consumption/home
1 Like
Thanks I’ll check that out, not too bothered about the high prices at the moment given it averages out over the course of a year.
I’ve seen today’s pricing on the dashboard provide.
1 Like
I was very interested in Agile but found that Go worked out a fair bit cheaper for my use.
Switching between Agile & Go is possible for periods of 30+ days. It may make sense for example to switch to Go in heavy cost (winter) months and Agile for lower cost (warmer) months.
I’ve stuck with Agile just so I have some history build up I can analyse later. I also joined Agile at a dubious time - early January 
So far, I’ve saved 0% and spent 0% extra in the last 91 days when compared to the cheapest fixed-rate tariff, so in hindsight switching to Go may have saved a few £££’s.
But roll-on summer with Agile 
1 Like
Hi all,
This is the lazy approach, so shoot me 
I’ve not been active in these forums for in excess of a year, however always saw highly rated, and still seeing some comments above.
I move house in a matter of weeks, pregnant wife in tow, and super super busy at work. I do aim to research, but could someone give me a quick TLDR on:
-
Are
still good (the best even?) I see things like Which recommendations, all green energy etc… -
Why
and not say Bulb/SSE. Techy stuff is interesting. A year or so ago, I saw you could get different rates at different times of day and (IFTTT integration with Hue - am I making this up?). Can’t think of a use case for this right now but I think I could at the time and, once we have settled in, would no doubt explore all the available witchcraft and wizardry.
I will check ALL of this online, but can’t fault first hand reviews. Thanks in advance! 
have a nifty API and developers have used this to create all sorts of apps and services.
Agile is the plan which charges for electricity in half-hour chunks throughout each day and the API allows actions to be taken depending on the prices. For example, a smart plug on my dishwasher switches on at the cheapest 2-hour slot during the night and the washing machine is only active between 1:30pm and 4pm (the cheapest day slots)
You can make IFTTT applets which utilise this API (or use existing IFTTT applets) which do things too. For a laugh, I placed a Hue bulb on top of the large plushy and had IFTTT turn it Green (OK to use kitchen appliances) or Red (don’t bother doing anything in the kitchen) - depending on the prices at the time. There are also external apps which log your consumption and can warn of upcoming good/bad periods up to 48 hours in advance with further predictions in some cases.
There are alternatives, but I’ve found to be very good so far. I’ve been with them for 2+ years and tried various plans. I’m now using Agile and still liking their services. They are pushing the boundries of the normally boring, but expensive and strangely mysterious utilities sector.
1 Like
I downloaded watch and subscribed. I quite like the data available. This screenshot is yesterday my 1st day on Agile.
Prices for today not looking as bad as yesterday either
2 Likes
Thanks both. Curious how smart switches on white goods work in practice. On our washer/dishwasher I would need to press a button to start the cycle. Is the smart switch a preventative measure to stop you using it at the wrong times? And what might the payback look like to cover the cost of a switch in the first place.
I do have several Alexa and Hue devices…
Smart switches are pretty much pennies to run per year so that shouldn’t really be a worry as such.
I know my washer has a hold function. Tell it what program I need and then how many hours until I want it to start. Not sure what happens if I put the dryer on and then kill the power to resume it later. I suspect it doesn’t just pick up where it left off.
I have a Kasa KP115 smart plug (with energy monitoring) into which the dishwasher is plugged.
Load the dishwasher, set the cycle, press ‘go’ and shut the door. The dishwasher then starts as normal, but as soon as the KP115 detects and reports load, the linked reactive.energy service shuts off the smart plug and waits until the next cheapest timeslot(s) Once the timeslots arrive, it activates the smart plug and the dishwasher then has power and so continues as if nothing has happened. It’s great!
I can also switch the dishwasher on/off via voice using Google Home, but the reactive.energy service takes priority over any others.
I would also put the washer/dryer on the same connection, but MrsW has expressed a huge need for manual override here, so because the washer/dryer has a delay-start feature, we’re loading it up and then delaying it until the optimal daytime 2 hour slot as reported by the Octopus Watch app.
EDIT: To test if your white-goods appliance is happy with being de-powered and powered, set it going and then switch it off or unplug it at the mains. Wait a minute, the switch on/re-plug. If it comes back to life and starts washing, it’s all good. If it sits there in an ‘off’ state, it won’t be happy with a smart-plug set-up.
1 Like