Dynamic pricing for electricity

[cromwell]

It never fails to amaze me how some people can come up with a super whizzo "nice" phrase to cover up something which is far from nice.

So we come to "dynamic" electricity pricing, when at peak times your smart meter will enable the electricity companies to charge you more for your electric.
All the main political parties are for it, all part of "net zero".

Because it's more expensive, people will use less. So fewer emissions. Win win for the government. Less demand at peak times so less chance of power failures / blackouts. Win again for the politicians.
Dearer electric means even bigger profits for our foreign owned power compainies. Big win for them.

Not so much for us though.
Stand by for smiling MP's telling us how to better manage our use of electricity.
Honestly, if I were younger I would emigrate.

[Workingman]

When the price cap is about to change I get an avalanche of emails pestering me about direct debits and smart meters. This time it was also phone calls about smart meters - three in three days.

On the last one I politely explained that I have the best smart meter in the Universe - a brain. It tells me when I NEED to use electricity and it knows that I have to pay when I boil a kettle or take a shower... It frees me from the annoyance of a counter top display telling me when I CAN or SHOULD use electricity. Thank you. Goodbye.

The direct debit emails are a joke. I am told that I can save £36 per year by changing and they have the numbers to prove it. Unfortunately, their numbers are an estimate and it seems to be based on the made up Ofgem "typical" usage figure. It is way more than my actual usage and I have the bills and spreadsheets going back years to prove it.

I have given up and just bin everything.

[Workingman]

Well, that idea slipped off the front pages faster than a greased weasel.

I wonder if it is anything to do with the news from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (Desnez) that four million of them are not working properly? That's 25% of the 16 million domestic meters currently installed.

[cromwell]

It will be back.
In 2018 the government denied that smart meters would lead to an increase in the price of energy; please note their dead silence at the moment.

[cruiser2]

I kepgeeting emails to say that appointments to fit smart meters are going fast.

But I am not going to have one. I send my readings in at the end of each month. Like WM, I know when I am using gas and electricity. I do not need a gadget whichmay not work
tryingto tell me what i already know.

What happens to those who have wood burning stoves. Does a smart meter register when they put another piece of wood on the stove?

[Workingman]

It will be back.

It is now called "surge pricing" and airlines, hotels, holiday companies and theme parks are using it to the max. Actually, they have been doing it for years. Did I mention trains?

Prices are now "flexible". Visit when it is busy you pay more. Visit on a cold and wet Tuesday in November and you pay less - but not much less.

"Join Bullcarp Energy: Prices 'from' 10p kWh for electricity and 'from' 3p kWh for gas.

Note: Pricescanchangeupasdemanddictates. Thank you for joining Bullcarp.

[cromwell]

What happens to those who have wood burning stoves. Does a smart meter register when they put another piece of wood on the stove?

Woodburners might get banned?

[Workingman]

Woodburners might get banned?

And rightly so.

They are hundreds of times more toxic than gas boilers, and not much better than coal fires. Smog! Remember that?

We cut down mature trees to burn them at home then plant saplings to replace them and pretend it's all carbon neutral, same as we do with biomass at Drax. It's Bollox!

It takes about 40 - 50 years for the saplings to soak up the CO2 we release today, then we chop them down and burn them again. Circular nonsense.

[Suff]

I'm still working on Mrs S about our solar. She keeps telling me, from a point of zero knowledge or research, just exactly how she is going to allow me to put in solar.

Ergo no solar.

[Workingman]

What's she like on windmills?

The average UK home uses about 3,500 kWh/year - call it 10 kWh/day. Yes, they are rated higher but only for the system.

A 24v marine generator of 620mm swept diameter and operating at wind speeds over 2.5 m/s - light breeze - will give almost half the daily usage if only operating for 16 hours. Two will easily keep a house going and stepping-up from 24v to 240v is a doddle.

Combine them with an electric combi boiler for hot water and CH (they do exist) and fossil fuels are not needed.

Much cheaper than solar and heat pumps but not a "cause célèbre" with net-zero enthusiasts. Same as small scale hydro.