Can I refuse to have my ESB Meter replaced with a Smart Meter?

The issue I have with Smart Meters is if a provider knows my exact usage per day/hour what is to stop them from penalising me at those times and why is the standing charge more expensive on smart plans - surely it should be cheaper when there is no manual reading required.....
 
Exactly and there was talk last year about increasing the unit charges for evening peak time usage. This can only be implemented when the user has a smart meter.
 



 
Thanks for that. Some interesting potential negatives there for sure
 
I don't have a problem with a charge for reading your old-style meter or to put it another way, a discount if you have a smart meter

if you want to continue with an old meter, then you should have to shoulder the cost of having them read
In the last place I lived the meter was permanently stuck in night mode, so I was in no rush to have it changed. It took about a year from the time I got a letter explaining my meter was broken and the time someone just showed up at the door to replace it. I was working from home so they left a phone number, which I never bothered ringing. Apparently if you are stuck in day mode and being overcharged they will refund you (not sure how they work that out) but if its the other way around they take the hit. I moved out a few months later anyway, so its someone else's problem now.

If you hate reading meters yourself and dont see a meter reader very often, or your meter is banjaxed or not being read properly, its probably good to get it replaced, if not, there's no rush, but they may introduce charges later on for refusniks.
 
I don't have a problem with a charge for reading your old-style meter or to put it another way, a discount if you have a smart meter

if you want to continue with an old meter, then you should have to shoulder the cost of having them read
they already do, in the form of pesky estimated bills
 
No, I just found it weird that you consider it almost an act of charity that you supply them readings without charge. They're more than happy to use ESBN readings or estimates as they do for the majority of customers.

If it's weird to want to receive accurate electricity bills every two months instead of ludicrous estimates which appear to be based on last week's lottery numbers, then yep, I'm 100% weird!
 
If it's weird to want to receive accurate electricity bills every two months instead of ludicrous estimates which appear to be based on last week's lottery numbers, then yep, I'm 100% weird!
No, that isn't the weird part, some 48% of domestic customers submit a reading at least once a year. The weird part is thinking that submitting readings in order to get more accurate billing is providing some kind of service to an energy supplier who plays no part in reading meters.

Oh, and I'm one of the ones who doesn't submit readings (apart from a couple of strategic ones prior to rate changes) and my estimated use isn't that far off the mark and gets corrected once ESBN supply an actual reading to my supplier.
 
He was told similar by an electrician. I couldn’t believe they existed!
Yeah, obviously they weren't designed with that in mind but it's a neat side effect for anyone who has one & is generating their own electricity. The eventual roll-out of smart meters to all will eliminate this, so enjoy it while you have it.
 
My parents want a smart meter to get the feed in tariff from their solar - as we will be exporting some in the summer. Energia refuse you any FIT if you don't have a smart meter and won't pay a nominal rate.

We're on a day/night meter at the moment and we do use the night rate to charge PV batteries. So I'm in no hurry to get rid of the current meter as you can't get day/night tariffs on the new ones. In fact ESB replaced the ancient one recently enough with a non-smart meter.
 

Lighten up, Leo - your irony detector appears to be badly in need of recalibration.
 
see my post above, there is a tangible benefit if you are on a day night rate and charging an ev for example.



Here is a few reasons.
 
I hope they wait to cremate you until after your death and leave you at least with that choice not being "smart" you are gas