Shocker: UK smart meter rollout is crap, late and £500m over budget Parliamentarians are set to haul civil servants in for a grilling after the National Audit Office (NAO) confirmed the UK will miss its 2020 smart meter rollout target, piling an extra £500m onto the cost of the £11bn project. The NAO said in a report issued this morning: “The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial …
@Chemist "superheated liquid"
Sheeee-it,... I've done that sketch. Microwaved some coffee, put a spoonful of brown sugar in it, ,,, and WHOOSH, it went off like angry Coca Cola. Totally emptied the mug, ended up all over the counter, and I copped a bit of spatter. I'm now much more careful with the timing.
"Microwaved some coffee, put a spoonful of brown sugar in it, ,,, and WHOOSH"
It's essentially an example of kinetic v thermodynamic effect. Thermodynamically the water has enough ( more than ) energy to boil but no initiating pathway. In the lab we used little fragments of glass or wooden sticks ( added before reaching boiling I might add) to promote smooth boiling. Your sugar just trigger very rapid boiling. Almost like a mild explosion in fact. Cryogenic liquid gases added to room-temp water can sometimes behave in a similar manner - the initial turbulence promoting more and more rapid mixing until the evolution of gas become very violent.
" Thus you should be better off using a kettle."
I tried the modern kettles with a flat element - they didn't last very long. In our hard water area limescale build up soon reduces the efficiency of electric elements in kettles.
The superheated "volcano" effect isn't a problem unless you microwave it for too long. I have heard that making tea in a microwave can spoil the taste due to the hots spots in the water. Works ok for individual ground coffee bags.
Hence the Toyota Pious
I have a Toyota C-HR (uses the same Hybrid mechanism as the Prius). It's cut my petrol usage down to less than 1/3 of what it used to be..
(Yes, I'm aware that there's an argument that says the resources used to make a car are sufficiently enormous so as to make it a bad idea.. But since the expected replacement time for a car in my possession is 10-15 years[1] I reckon that I'll get my moneys-worth)
[1] Apart from the Morris Minor (made in 1966) - we've had it almost 25 years. If they did a hybrid system upgrade for it, we'd get that done too)
>Apart from the Morris Minor (made in 1966) - we've had it almost 25 years. If they did a hybrid system upgrade for it, we'd get that done too.
You can do better than that - your Morris Minor can go fully electric !
Have to admit, I've had my Gen 2 Pious for 9 years now, replacing a Rover 100 series... I've always had better mpg from the Pious than the Rover for a car much bigger and heavier. For a car that was right at the forefront of hybrid technology, I reckon it's doing pretty darned well even against today's cars. Lifetime mpg is 50, and on one of my infrequent motorway trips, I'm getting 79/80, all verified by the spreadsheet/database where I enter all my fuel receipts (yeah, I'm a bit anal like that; I get the receipt from the petrol station and write the trip computer reading on it before resetting it).
"The theory is that by seeing how much energy you're using, you'll realize how much energy each appliance uses and will either minimize its use or buy a more energy efficient model."
Except we do this already, in the form of a monthly bill :)
If your power use is high, you can poke around and work out why. If you don't care, then a smart meter won't change that.
Buying every household a kill-a-watt or equivalent would do more. Since then you can actually see the load a device is drawing, and multiply that up to kWh per day/month/year.
"The theory is that by seeing how much energy you're using, you'll realize how much energy each appliance uses and will either minimize its use or buy a more energy efficient model."
That would be great. If only the radio signal from the meter cupboard were strong enough to be able to use the monitor somewhere other than the loo (which doesn't have a wall socket to power it from).
"Also you are unlikely to run a washing machine/tumble dryer overnight (to take advantage of cheaper tariffs) since fire safety advice is generally not to do so."
And in most average sized houses, you probably don't want the washing machine starting up at 2am, least of all the spin cycle, especially those times when the load balance isn't quite right. Or for the clothes to be left for hours wet in the machine. Combined washer/dryers are generally less efficient and you lose both if one bit breaks,
Also you are unlikely to run a washing machine/tumble dryer overnight ... since fire safety advice ...
Not just fire safety, but safety from having your brains bashed out by the neighbours kept awake by the vibrations. The icon suggests my feelings if I were unlucky enough to live in a flat with a neighbours (above or at the side) running such a machine in the early hours.
The only conceivable way I can see that they could ave money is indirectly. Meter readers get laid off, usage stats get sold = more money for energy companies that can be passed on as saving to the customer.
Yeah right! Big bonuses for the top execs more like.
So you're a refusenik, huh? You don't want to have the Sunday roast at 2am and do the washing and tumble drying at 3am?
You need to be re-educated. No more flights or high speed rail travel for you !
As an EU directive, I wonder how it is going in the other 27 countries? I have seen some very dodgy wiring over the years (looking at you Greece and also your attachment to cash with no paper trail).
I imagine it will be just as difficult to get folks to accept these in many other places.
"As an EU directive, I wonder how it is going in the other 27 countries?"
France is having fun with their Linky devices. A friend of mine is a translator and asked all sorts of questions about transducers, so I found out just how well their rollout isn't going. I remember El Reg doing a story about it at some point.
Edit: for example, Linky smart meters in France do not apparently allow you to actually monitor real-time electricity usage.
I haven't looked at this case, but Britain has a long and proud tradition of "gold plating" European directives. So I suspect, if I bothered to follow the link in the article, I'd find we were doing way more than was required. It's a habit which has fed our distrust of the EU and yet it originates in Whitehall.
"It's a habit which has fed our distrust of the EU and yet it originates in Whitehall."
An MP asked a farmer in her constituency why he voted for Brexit. He said because of the way the EU body DEFRA had been regularly late with his subsidy payments.
He was rather nonplussed to be told that DEFRA was a UK department - and it had been fined by the EU for making late payments to farmers. After Brexit DEFRA will still have responsibility for subsidy payments - if there are any under the new arrangements.
Correct. Living in the Netherlands, they are not required and if you want one they are installed just once. When you change suppliers you do not have to re-install the meter. And you can choose how often they report back, including turning it off. And also they do not allow power to be turned off.
" but this is an EU driven order and those espousing Brexit might have a point when using this as an example of EU stupidity, waste and political dogma."
No, this is (yet another) example of the UK using an EU directive to do what it wants anyway, and when they fuck up the implementation they can blame it on the EU. It's not unique to the UK, it's quite common for countries to put unpopular legislation as optional parts in an EU agreement, then opting to use it and saying "not us guv".
Here's a couple of the relevant parts. Yes, I do read a lot of EU legal documents. Yes, it is exactly as dull as it sounds :)
"(55) It should be possible to base the introduction of intelligent metering systems on an economic assessment. Should that assessment conclude that the introduction of such metering systems is economically reasonable and cost-effective only for consumers with a certain amount of electricity consumption, Member States should be able to take this into account when implementing intelligent metering systems."
"2. Member States shall ensure the implementation of intelligent metering systems that shall assist the active participation of consumers in the electricity supply market. The implementation of those metering systems may be subject to an economic assessment of all the long-term costs and benefits to the market and the individual consumer or which form of intelligent metering is economically reasonable and cost-effective and which timeframe is feasible for their distribution."
Notice some key points. Economically reasonable and cost effective for consumers. Only useful for certain classes of consumers. Economic assessment of benefit to market. Economic assessment of benefit to consumers.
Now, it's pretty fucking clear to me (and those who actually know about this) that these studies were clearly bullshit. Thus an honest study would have said don't rollout to domestic users unless they request it. So if the UK followed the EU directive honestly (LOL) then no rollout. But it turns out the surveillance state would very much like smartmeters, thanks.
So, like almost everything fucked up in the UK, it's all Whitehall, all the time. They decide how to interpret EU directives, they fuck it up, and it's they who have managed to dodge accountability.
There are plenty of issues with the EU. But almost all the ones that the brexiters are shouting about are, in fact, British issues. Immigration is under UK control. How directives are implemented and enforced are under UK control.
Can't speak for anyone else but I've found a couple of occasions they've been useful.
One time I noticed the electric usage was quite high, it turned out to be an outside light left on running a 100w bulb that the previous owner put in.
And more than once I've left the oven on after cooking.
And more than once I've left the oven on after cooking
Repeat after me - your incompetence does not constitute my emergency..
(Harsh - maybe a bit. But forgetting to turn off the oven after cooking has an easy fix - a small poster tacked/bluetacked above saying "Have you turned off the oven?" might help..)
>And more than once I've left the oven on after cooking.
I'm reminded of the old David Beckham joke:
David Beckham goes to the hairdressers wearing a set of headphones and sits in a chair.The stylist walks over and asks him what he wants. Explaining that he'll need to take his headphones off. "No, no,I cant" says David, "I must leave them on." The stylist looks confused,but does his best to wash & cut his hair,around them.David leaves a happy chap.
A week later the same thing happens again.The same stylist does his best to get David to remove his headphones,but again with no luck.Once more he washes shaves & colours around them,as best as possible.David is pleased with his new look.
Another week later,David comes back yet again.This time,he falls asleep whilst his hair is being cut.So the stylist carefully removes the headphones,& carries on with his cut.When he has finished he realises that David is DEAD."Oh my god," he shouts."I have killed David Beckham." Suddenly, remembering what David had said about the headphones.He picks them up and puts them on to hear what is being played through them...........
.............."Breath in,breath out, breath in, breath out........."
Learn to think for yourself and don't rely on something else to do it for you.
David Beckham’s at a press conference, fielding questions. In response to one request for his opinion, he pauses for a while, then says “Well, they taste nice and make my breath fresher”
There’s a stunned silence, then the journalist wearily says “No, I asked about TAC-TICS”
(But then, as my mum - and someone above, I see - likes to point out, considering he has a net worth of £lots, and those mocking him don’t, which of us is the thickie?)
'Smart meters' are only glorified automated meter readers and don't achieve energy savings, as this would require the smart meter to do more than report on energy usage and actually control devices. A case for the Advertising Standards Authority.
If it is about awareness, then watching an 'old money' electricity meter spin at top speed when you put the kettle or electric shower on provides some straightforward education.
Seriously, all the potential positives of smart meters (I can think of only one for the consumer - not having estimated bills anymore) are quickly offset by the very real negatives that are now a reality - spiralling costs (borne by the consumer), device failures and incompatibilities (barrier to switching if you want the smart meter continue being 'smart' in the very limited meaning it currently has), spiralling costs (did I mention that already?)...
"[...] then watching an 'old money' electricity meter spin at top speed when you put the kettle or electric shower on provides some straightforward education."
You then need to extrapolate the total energy used for the device's typical running period. Many people do not seem to be able to do basic arithmetic when shopping - so I doubt they can evaluate electric devices' consumption. A high consumption device for short period can be less of a concern than a medium one that's on much of the time.
In my house the fridge/freezer motors make up a big part of the daily load. I keep the freezer fully packed to minimise cold air losses when the door is opened.
"Advertising Standards Authority"
I've wondered about whether there'd be a case to answer on that score too...
"not having estimated bills anymore"
I get an email once a month from my (non-big-6) supplier, asking for a reading ... takes 2 minutes to reply with the numbers (might as well use advert breaks usefully after all...), so why install a gadget to do it for me?
Re ASA
I have written twice to the ASA complaining about the darn right misleading adverts on radio and TV about smart meters. To date nothing heard, probably because the ASA remit does not cover political advertising and they don't want to upset their Downing Street paymasters.
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