peteb999
Pro Member
It really is not simple for a supplier to switch off your electric supply at all with a smart meter. They have to have contacted you, visited you and even then they can't switch off vulnerable peoples electric supply. It's really not much difference to coming to your house, forcing their way in and cutting off the meter.There are a couple of issues with the smart meters for me, one is more of a threat than reality.
First is that supplier can remotely switch off supply without the need to gain physical access. Part of the process to switch off at the moment requires at least to go through the motions of the risk of harm or vulnerability of the customer, with a remote switch off a physical visit is not required and I am not sure what safeguarding process is in place. Whilst energy needs to be paid for, some consumers may need help.
Secondly, the technology in smart meters also permits the meter to switch from metering real power to apparent power. It's not really a smart meter thing, but because the meter is smart the metering the way it's measuring power consumption can also be changed remotely.
Real power is what meters traditionally meter, it's the amount of energy converted into useful work. Back in the day when loads were purely resistive like heaters and filament light bulbs most loads were in phase with the supply, the main exception might have been motors.
Apparent power takes account of whether the load demanded is in phase with the supply. With most loads now being electronic the phase of these loads usually lags the supply, and for some cheaper power supplies the lag can be significant where if you to be billed on apparent power you might be paying more than 50% more.
This is more of a theoretical risk, as we're all supposed to be metered on real power, but with the option being available to do it otherwise in modern meters you could imagine mistakes could happen....
If you are not going to communicate with electricty suppliers why should they not be able to cut you off?
Don't forget in case of national emergencys they can remotely shutoff everybodys meter in an area. Similar to the 70s, I remember where I live they would cut off power to half our city one day and then cut off power to the other half the next day. I can remember my mother cycling to my grandparents house to watch Coronation Street when ours was cut off.























