Linky Meters - last chance for a freebie

Disconnect from the internet, switch off your phone and stop driving if you are that paranoid.

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Sorry Charles systems are what I work in. Patronising comments don’t help. I’m certainly not aware of all the bits of tech but anyone who is aware of how much data can be collected, as I am, is aware of the risks.

Using the internet is at least partially voluntary but essential basic supplies such as water and electricity are not and I object to the excessive collection of data that can be personalised for these.

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I also used to work in IT and understand the amount of data collected and kept in so many aspects of our lives.
In regards to the linky data, I have no issues as its just a fixed device (the Meter) in a fixed object (the house). It has proved to be useful for us to see what our consumption was - it has enabled us to restrict our hot water heating period to three hours a night and it has also made us think more carefully about programming our electric heaters so that they drop to an overnight temperature earlier and go to their daytime temperature later.
Personally, I would be more worried about the mobile network triangulating my position, except that I am not concerned about that either as i am not a mass murderer denying my whereabouts :innocent:

Exactly how will everyone benefit?
If there are any benefits it will be to to the supplier not the user.

Smart metering opens up the possibility of the grid being able to use any storage that you might have connected at your house e.g. home battery storage &/or electric vehicles. The grid can instantly call on such capacity to smooth out spikes in demand without having to fire up idle power stations. This leads to less pollution & reduces the need for massive centralised infrastructure. As a bonus a home/car owner will be repaid for their contribution at attractive rates. If your home storage has been charging from solar PV then it’s a double bonus.

Clearly if people oppose such progress then we all suffer from the delay to the transition to clean energy. We don’t have time to waste.

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Linkys limit the supply in a very similar timescale to the old “disjoncteur d’abonnement”. I think the “hair trigger” accusations might have arisen from issues with early installation.

I have, however, come across places where the power setting on the disjonctuer d’abonnement has been illegally reset (often by a previous subscriber) & once a Linky is in place with the correct level set the client starts losing their supply, at which point they blame the Linky… :roll_eyes:

Except that a Linky meter doesn’t have that functionality.

Not sure I want the grid deciding to suck juice from my EV (when I get one). You could go to bed with a full charge and end up half charged in the morning. I nearly made the EV decision last week but the chip shortage is delaying delivery of vehicles with an option I want until 2023. Given the Ukraine situation it might all be academic by then.

I am going to install a charger though. A Wallbox Copper SB, nice and neat. I’ll use it for the hybrid until the EV arrives.

And for me 50% of fuel cost is locally sourced seasoned oak which provides all the heat I need and hot water for 7 months of the year so a Linky is of no benefit.

It shouldnt come as a surprise that you will set the level yourself, in effect lending your battery if you are not using it. Huge number of vehicles in cities and suburbs sit still midweek and are mainly used at weekends.

I can already see what my solar panels allow into the grid via the “Index injection”. However, the clever bit would be the necessary equipment to switch charging from the grid to supplying the grid, which will be additional to the meter, but the meters communication abilities will be key.

To reinforce what @Corona has already said; you will choose the level of charge that you anticipate needing, thus setting the maximum that could be extracted. If you absolutely need the vehicle to be fully charged you simply opt out that day.
This fear is almost irrelevant anyway, as we’re only talking about short grid spikes. Once there is a large fleet of EVs to cover these things the individual contributions only need to be small. 10 million EVs supplying 1kWh each is a lot of power, but losing 1kWh from your charge would barely be noticed.

But wouldn’t that in effect wear out the battery sooner. They only have so many cycles after all, and once they’re gone with the cost of replacement the car is probably kaput too. Or so this Finn decided (bit extreme I know).

Forgetting the self pleasing Finn.
Degradation is mainly from fast charging. Slower charging has only had a minimal effect where the battery management systems keep things tidy.
As other battery chem makeups come to the fore it would be even less to worry about. These can give double the cycling capacity of the earlier batteries and later versions of the same chemistry are standing up well.

Problem is how long will this take to implement in years ?

It isnt a problem.

How so, do you have a magic wand :roll_eyes::face_with_raised_eyebrow: how long before we have 10 million EV’s and chargers, a week, year, a decade…
Also the necessary equipment Badger alluded earlier on to switch charging from the grid to supplying the grid, which will be additional to the meter, I take it will have to be installed as well.

I cant be bothered to explain to someone who cant be bothered…

It was a serious question :roll_eyes:, but fine, if you insist on being a prat about things on you go.

I think telling you when you can have electricity and when you will be switched off or reduced in favour of worthy causes is all part of the grand plan John.

And using the population of EV’s plugged in as a pool of super batteries is definitely on the cards. This extra storage allowing demand to be smoothed.

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