I’m Hearing Mixed Things on Smart Meter Installations, What Do I Need to Know?

Naturally whenever the general population are confronted with change there are naysayers and people acting against the interests of the movement in question, which poses many questions to those currently undergoing a green energy apprenticeships.

As people we have this amazing quality of loving to learn new things but when it comes to change being implemented, we lean towards more fear of it. Today’s current topic is smart meter installation over the course of the next year.

It’s a common reaction that has been tacked on to everything you can think of over time, but the meat of the opposition comes from people feeling they are having it forced on them or that it shares information. The people who make these complaints probably share much more about themselves on social media than a smart meter ever could, and no one in their right minds would complain about not having to argue over their usage when disputing a bill or having to provide meter readings.

The Smart Lowdown

First off let’s talk about what it is instead of what it isn’t.

Smart meters are designed to aid consumers in managing their energy consumption and get a transparent reading on their bills. They do this by including real-time monitoring of energy use and communication with your energy supplier via wireless communication.

By collecting information about your home’s energy consumption, your supplier knows how much gas and energy is used in the home over an hourly, weekly and monthly period. This showcases an exact number of pounds spent in those periods which is updated regularly every 30 minutes.

This in turn helps you set goals by setting some budget parameters to reduce the consumption levels when not needed and is fully transparent by providing a display for you to see anytime and understand how much you spend and, more importantly, how much you are wasting.

This in turn eliminates the need for you to read your meter and the energy provider having to send an agent out to take the readings manually.

The Concerns

With the rollout of this smart technology, some people are quick to look for fault before they even are implemented.

Consumers are citing cyber security concerns, cost and an overall doubt over the devices ability to accurately save them on energy bills. This results in an initial reluctance to have the device installed.

Here’s the facts; smart meters do not cost upfront but the cost is absorbed into your bills. The data protection concern is a major vocal point which is founded in good reason as any online technology is vulnerable to attacks from outside forces, which is why the UK Government has set rules about the data collected by the meters.

However, those are rules which you can choose from by opting for your data to be collected monthly or daily or even every half hour, as well as choosing whether you want the energy supplier to share data with partners and other organizations. You also have the choice of opting out of allowing your provider to present you with special offers or any marketing communication.

For those completing a smart meter apprenticeships, these are areas of concern that you can have the answers to smooth the transition.

This is a collaborative post.