[Nottingham] Smart meters

[Jason Irwin]

On 10/09/14 15:10, Martin wrote:
> The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) said that, on average, consumers
> will save just £26 a year.
By simply switching things off-off, that sounds about right.
Rant: The number of things that don't understand "Off means OFF!" does
my head in. Our new coffee maker has a clock which glows blue and a lit
water level indicator, neither of which can be switched off. I have a
clock on the wall, I don't need the damned coffee machine to tell me the
time - I need it to make coffee; clue is in the name!
Why not a few capacitors, or watch battery, to keep the clock ticking
whilst powered off?
Our cheapie microwave is with the programme. Leave it alone for 30secs
and it switches itself off. No clock. No fuss. Brill!

> MPs also warned that the technology could be out of date by the time
> the roll-out is complete.
It's already out of date. They don't link to smart phones over open
protocols, although I think you might be able to get an app from the
utility company to do something.
Pretty dreadful really.
And then there's the security (or lack thereof). Why the hell our
lords-and-masters didn't demand an open standard between companies is
beyond me.

> The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) said smart meters
> will lower bills and make switching easier.
Makes switching harder because company A can't use a meter from company
B (see comment above) which is so monumentally retarded it actually
hurts my brain trying to imagine how stupid the suit who came up with it
had to be.

> That £10.6bn could buy an awful lot of wind, solar, and tidal power...
If it costs £10bn but saves £20bn (however one works that out) then it
is a worthwhile investment.
It does strike me that this is more of a solution looking for a problem
than anything to help with climate change.
I'd rather see the £10bn dropped into retro-fitting insulation etc to
homes. A much longer, and more immediate, effect.

> Or even fund making dirty old coal into going clean...
Nah. 10 years ago we should have been building nukes. Not a perfect
answer, but good for providing base-load and bridging the gap until
something better comes along (fusion being the holy grail, but it's
always 20 years away isn't it?)

Instead EDF now has us by the collective balls and we will be throwing
money at the French who didn't squander their intellectual resources.
Hell, the French even have a working rail system!

> Politics and lobbying overruling good sense?...
Short-sighted bullcrap from the London-only, Etonian Old-boys. Again.
Is it any wonder Scotland wants shot of England?

Harrumph!

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