An ode to the gas and electric meter

[Cardigan]

So, in other words - they're a waste of time and an immature technology.

I'll stick with phoning in my meter readings.

[AlanBeckett]

Good Man.
Many Moons ago, due to a House and Bank Branch move, we defaulted on our Mortgage. It was actually OK because the Money was still in the Bank, but .....
I asked the Building Society what was the most reliable method of paying it and they said bring the Money in once a Month and get your Book Signed.
Things have moved on a good bit since then, but clearly not in all areas.

Alan

[Murphyv310]

Yet another piece of Digital technology that we are forced into. What was so wrong with the old mechanical meters?
No doubt we will get a hike in prices to cover all of this nonsense and the loss of meter readers wont come into the equation.
Yet another loss of jobs!

[pwdrive]

They changed our whirlie whirlie meter for a digital one a while back, don't think it's a smart meter though, maybe I'm out on a limb but I think the idea of smart meters and also smart appliances is a good idea in the long term.

The old meters as I understand it could be frigged, if that's the case then I guess most of us collectively paid the difference and incurred costs.

Lawrence.

[AlanBeckett]

I've no problem with the potential of the Technology it's just that it has to work reliably. We have a Digital Electricity Meter.
Back in 1968 - yes 68 - they were experimenting at Taplow with remote reading of Gas Meters. The Readings would have been sent down 'phone Lines. It was a bit before its time and was never actually installed in anger as far as I know.

Alan

[pwdrive]

Had a call from the electrickery company today, smart meter on it's way next month.....

Lawrence.

[Terry]

What was so wrong with the old mechanical meters? 

I had an email last week asking for an electricity meter reading.

Helen finds the meter with its forward and backward rotating hands impossible to read so, when she went down to the cellar for some potatoes, she took a picture on her phone and gave me the phone so that I could read the meter!

These old mechanical meters are easily confused if a strong magnet is placed next to them. As we only see a real meter reader once in a blue moon these days, I would imagine that the level of meter fiddling has increased considerably over the years.

I don't suppose my bills will go down when they've all been replaced by anti-fiddle types, though ...

[ppppenguin]

Many rotating disc meters have cyclometer type displays rather than those wretched dials. My meter is electronic but not smart. It has a simple LCD display and a LED that flashes a certain number of times per kWh.

[colly0410]

When I rented a house in 1992 it had a card electric meter, it was very clever as it deducted the standing charge as well as electricity used cost, when we went on hols with only the fridge left on it'd gone down by a few quid, but the readout had only gone down a few KW's. (about 60 odd pence) Pay by direct debit now as the card meter drove me mad, reminded me of the shilling & 50 pence electric & gas meters when I was a kid..

[Brianc]

Those slot meters were the bane of my life when I first started work and lived in digs/bedsits. I was for ever hunting round for shillins as both meters used them and the tarrif was set way high by the landlords! What fun. As an aside, before I left my last flat in Birmingham (1961), my landlady asked me I I would mind sharing with an actor who was working at Birmingham Rep and would take on the flat after I left. There was only about 4 months to go so I said "of course". That actor was completely unknown then but is now know as Sir Derek Jakobi. About 2 months after I left the B'ham studios, he appeared in a play from there - just missed him!