At last, I am supposed to be getting mine (a proper SMETS2 one) fitted on Tuesday. Assuming the mobile phone network plays ball at the moment of installation, of course. I'm on a tariff with SSE which pre-agrees that I'm OK to have a smart meter, but I held off on it because we had an old meter (this is a new house to us, we moved in during Feb) that went backwards when the newly installed solar PV was generating. It took them months to twig I wasn't lying in the meter readings I gave them, so they wanted to fit a new meter as soon as they realised what was happening. I got awkward and insisted on a smart meter, they said they didn't have any that were OK for solar PV (which I knew was bollocks) and a bloke came to install a new dumb meter 2 weeks ago. He also showed me a message on his phone saying he could now install SMETS2 compliant meters in homes with microgeneration, but he had to fit what he had been told to fit, i.e. a dumb one. A week ago I got a letter from SSE saying I could have a smart meter, so I phoned, and they're coming on Tuesday. I didn't worry them like I did the advisor when making the previous appointment, that when we have no electricity, it also means we have no water, as that got her all worried (we have a private borehole, with a pump about 40 metres down the hole).
Here's hoping they get a mobile signal, as it comes and goes randomly. Sometimes its 4G, sometimes there's nothing, but luckily the meter is outside, so it gets a slightly better chance.
I'm puzzled by the folk who are anti-smart meter. What do they think its going to do, steal their children and ravage their spouses? Even if you resolutely refuse to make use of the helpful information it gives you, and aren't interested in not getting any estimated bills, what possible harm can it do? OK, so it raises the distant possibility of demand side regulation, but if that ever comes to pass, I'd rather have my electricity supply throttled, than have it cut out because everyone was being too greedy. Energy is a precious and limited resource, we need to use it carefully and wisely. And before anyone points out that I could just have an energy monitor, OK, just tell me of one that works properly with microgeneration, because as far as I can tell, there aren't any. I have no idea, why, but none of them actually seem to be able to tell me clearly my status, whether I'm in credit or debit, on the consumption versus generation, front.