Is There An Electric Meter Fitter Here?

[barry1010]

If so, have you been working through lockdown?

[Old_Geezer]

The companies keep sending out mail etc. saying it's due to be replaced, so I guess anyone daft enough to bite will have had a visit from the fitter. Maybe it's seen as potential human contact by those for whom isolation is the norm.

[Bazile]

//The companies keep sending out mail etc. saying it's due to be replaced//

I think that means been replaced with a smart meter

[Old_Geezer]

Yes. Isn't that all the replacing they want to do these days ?

[10ClarionSt]

The meter reader called here on Wed but I was out. He put a card through the door. So in answer to the OP, meter readers are working through lockdown. As should everyone else, actually.

[margarettom]

My meters are outside, as are many where it is possible. So there would be no conflict with people who are isolating. Most utilities are working normally. If they have to come in your house, they wear a mask and you keep your distance.

[barry1010]

I reported a faulty meter in April and they haven't been out to inspect it or replace it because of lockdown. My meters are outside. I don't care if they replace it with a smart or old fashioned meter. They are telling me no engineers have been working since the beginning of the first lockdown

[Old_Geezer]

Maybe that's your particular electricity supply company ?

[barry1010]

Scottish Power but don't they all use one company for these jobs?

[bobbinwales]

EDF fitted are smart meter in October altho that was before the firebrake lockdown.
The smart meter is pretty useful to us oldgeezer- we hadnt realised are dyson fanheater cost nearly £1 an hour to run, it was much cheaper just to put the central heating on. Saves having to climb into a dark cuboard with a torch and move out all my tools to read my meter each quarter

[barry1010]

Good heavens! £1 an hour for a fan heater? I had no idea either.

[bobbinwales]

This is one of those expensive Dyson ones so may be more expensive to run than your average fan heaters but there all fairly expensive to run . A suppose tho once youve payed out for a dyson you might as well use it tho whatever the cost

[Bazile]

I didn't know a smart meter can give you that sort of info

How does it give you ?

[bhg481]

Fan heater must be max 3Kw, therefore 3KwH in one hour. I pay about 12p per KwH, so 36p per hour. If your smart meter says almost £1 it's not very accurate.

[barry1010]

Bazile, a smart meter shows you the real cost in £ and P of your usage in real time so it should be easy to work out the cost of running an appliance for one hour if you turn nothing extra on in that hour.
So, it costs £10 for an hour to run your constants (fridge, freezer, router etc) and watch tv. Put the fan heater on and the next hour costs £11.

[bobbinwales]

Theres a button which shows the current cost per hour for electric or gas or both. Electric is normally 2p-3p an hour just for basics like fridgefreezer and a few lights. The kettle or microwave pushes it to 30p-40p. Tumble dryer cost less than expected so maybe its not worth hanging things out on the line anymore on cold days when rains around. Dyson fan heaters actually 86p an hour plus 5% vat so 90p?

[alavahalf]

Look at the alliance tag plate and find the Kwh.
A fan heater is usually about 2kwh. A Kwh in a domestic situation costs approximately 15p.
To work it out.. 2 x 15 =30p

[bhg481]

Bob - if you're paying 85p for 3 units of electricity it's time you changed to a cheaper tariff.

[bobbinwales]

Thanks. I'm actually on less that 15p a unit (14.1p inc vat).
Its actually dual heater and an oscillating fan, seems to be 2.3 +2.3 so 4.6kw so, agreed, shouldnt be close to 85p. Am going to check next time later what else my missus is plugging in at the same time!

Anyway ignoring the technicalitys my point was that we find the smart meters useful for showing what uses a lot and what dosn't cost much - you can see usage shooting up and its comforting to know that leaving things on standbyand soft night lights on cost's next to nothing.

[bhg481]

Bob - if the fan heater plugs into a normal socket it CANNOT use more than 3Kw or it would blow the fuse. If it's hard-wired with its own circuit, like a cooker, that's different.