EnviroLink Forum

There are a lot of people pushing the smart meters for electricity customers as the only solution. Really, the only thing that changes is the habits of the customers and that sure is not your typical business model (unless you are in a communist country). I also hear the argument that it allows buy-back of solar power on house roofs but the old meters did that just fine with the only exception is it turned the meter back at the same rate... they want to pay you less then they charge so the only reason smart meters are needed is to cheat the solar producers. From a customer service standpoint, smart meters are cool but also a way to permit the business to slack off and not deliver the goods and blame the customers.

Pro's: awareness, behaviour change, reduced consumption

In the UK, the latter is a driver for government targets around smart meters, which the energy companies have to. . In Ireland, a country with much rain fall, water meters are being introduced, again a government initiative related to shortage concerns.

I'm not sure I agree about the solar angle. Again in the UK, smart meters are installed as part of the Microgeneration Certification Scheme - it acts as a guarantee for the feed-in tariff.

Con's: smart meters tend to be part of a move towards "smart homes," and I can't help wondering if the whole thing simply encourages more manufacturing?