JaseNZ 53 Report post Posted October 30, 2013 Hey guys got a ring today from a guy saying he is putting a smart meter in on friday. What can I use this for , can I access it or anything ?? , does it connect to my phone line ??. My power company is Mercury. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kingkarl 136 Report post Posted October 30, 2013 Probably all good questions to be asking Mercury mate Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
E30-323ti 66 Report post Posted October 30, 2013 I'm sure our power bill went up when ours was put in.... The old whirly-gig one probably had dry bearings and ran slow. Haven't 'used it' for anything cool. Would need some fancy smart fridge or the like to gat much out it. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
westy 614 Report post Posted October 30, 2013 Pretty sure their only use is get rid of meter readers. Gotta hold onto them mega profits... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
_ethrty-Andy_ 2132 Report post Posted October 30, 2013 I'm sure our power bill went up when ours was put in.... The old whirly-gig one probably had dry bearings and ran slow. So im not just dreaming. my bills seemed to be about 20% higher after it Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
euroriffic 609 Report post Posted October 30, 2013 It's because it's an accurate reading now.They have a cell phone receiver in them so they dial out once a month with your usage details so no more estimates. We have the contract at work to change them over. Dependng on what one you get some tell you real time usage by apart from that no different to an old meter. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
_ethrty-Andy_ 2132 Report post Posted October 30, 2013 It's because it's an accurate reading now.They have a cell phone receiver in them so they dial out once a month with your usage details so no more estimates. We have the contract at work to change them over. Dependng on what one you get some tell you real time usage by apart from that no different to an old meter. my one at last house was a smart one after the chap changed it, but meridian still overcharged from time to time so i used to provide a reading for them most of the time. strange. CBF now im in a new place temporarily, other end of the building climbing over god knows what, pretty sure its a so called smart one, checked it when i moved in will check again before i leave Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
yng_750 247 Report post Posted October 30, 2013 I'm sure our power bill went up when ours was put in.... The old whirly-gig one probably had dry bearings and ran slow. Haven't 'used it' for anything cool. Would need some fancy smart fridge or the like to gat much out it. smart fridges etc connect to these and run mostly when power is cheap. one big issue the commerce commission has is the meters being installed in nz have this capability blocked, unlike the rest of the world. so no help there. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
my_e36 43 Report post Posted October 30, 2013 Make sure you unplug your computer or other sensitive electronics when they switch the meter over. It could be a co-incidence, but when they switch over mine when I was not at home, couple of my AC adapters fried. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
euroriffic 609 Report post Posted October 30, 2013 Yes ^^^^!!! Very important to unplug Anything like that! We do the change over live so be abit of a serge as the cable is poked into the terminal. Washing mechines can also be affected so best to turn as much as you can off so I don't go blind or weld the cable to the terminal from a big arch from too much load Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JaseNZ 53 Report post Posted October 31, 2013 (edited) It just so happens that there are going to be 2 sparky's there doing a whole host of things (Having my house rebuilt) so power will be off (well main breakers) for the day anyway. If anything when the installer arrives they will all stop and have a catch up and have a cuppa , isn't that what they do Edited October 31, 2013 by M-Spec Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
euroriffic 609 Report post Posted October 31, 2013 That doesn't sound like us! We're all hard Working in the trades Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
qube 3570 Report post Posted October 31, 2013 Two reasons as stated by others: 1. No more meter readers 2. Accurate readings always instead of estimates when readers can access your meter. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jom 98 Report post Posted November 1, 2013 Re accuracy. The meter is allowed to read up to 5% under, and the older the old style meter, the slower it goes. The new meters are electronic and generally will only read to 0.5% under - forever. So your power bill could actually have gone up by 5%, solely because you are now not being undercharged. Communication in urban areas is no longer by mobile phone - most companies are using a radio net or similar to collect the data. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
