Should You Get a Smart Meter Installed?

Nick Saving Money 4 Comments

If you haven’t yet been offered a smart meter, it’s highly likely that in the coming months you will.

The government requires energy suppliers to offer smart meters to all homes and small businesses across Great Britain by 2020. Smart meters are coming to Northern Ireland as well, though a definite timescale hasn’t been decided yet.

There is a lot of confusion about smart meters, so today I thought I’d try to shed a bit of light on the subject. I have had a smart meter myself for nine months, so will be offering some thoughts based on my own experience too.

What Are Smart Meters?

Smart meters are a new generation of gas and electricity meters that replace the traditional meters (including prepayment meters) most of us have under the stairs or in the hallway.

Smart meters are so called because they send readings automatically to your energy supplier via a dedicated wifi network. That means you will no longer need visits from a meter reader or have to submit readings yourself.

The other aspect of smart meters is that they come with an electronic in-home display (see picture above). This reveals how much energy you’re using in near real time (they update at least every 10 seconds for electricity and every half-hour for gas). The display shows what your energy is costing you in pounds and pence (or if you prefer, kwh or CO2 emissions). It can also show how much you’ve used over the last day, week, and month.

Are You Obliged to Have One?

The short answer to this question is no. There is no obligation to accept a smart meter and you can decline the offer if you wish.

There is one caveat, however. If your existing meters have to be replaced for safety reasons or because they break down, smart meters may well be fitted in their place, as traditional “dumb” meters will no longer be made and become obsolete.

All meters have to be replaced when they reach the end of their working lives, so sooner or later you will almost certainly end up with one. Note, however, that you aren’t obliged to view the in-home display and can unplug it if you want.

What Are the Pros and Cons?

Here are some advantages of having smart meters installed:

• No more estimated bills.
• No need to arrange for meter readers to gain access (or submit readings yourself).
• Potentially there may be cheaper, smart-meter-only tariffs you can switch to (although this hasn’t happened very much yet).
• With the aid of the in-home display you can check how much energy you are using at any time, helping you to see where you can make savings.
• Getting smart meters installed is free (although of course we all pay ultimately through our energy bills).

Are there any drawbacks to having smart meters installed? Well, possibly. One is that currently if you decide to change energy suppliers, your smart meter may no longer work and you will have to revert to submitting meter readings yourself.

A new generation of smart meters (SMETS2) is coming that should work for any energy supplier – but for now, if you’re planning to switch suppliers, it may be a good idea to do this before getting a smart meter installed.

• If you have a SMETS1 meter of the type that most energy companies are currently installing, it may or may not work if you switch to a different supplier. If not, your new supplier may offer to install a new meter for you, or it is possible that your old SMETS1 meter could be upgraded to the SMETS2 standard. It’s complicated stuff, so I recommend this article (and reader comments) for an overview of the SMETS1 versus SMETS2 debate, and this one for a more technical account.

Another possible objection to smart meters is that they could encourage a miserly attitude to energy use and cause friction within couples and families. A female friend has refused point blank to have smart meters installed because (rightly or wrongly) she fears her husband would become an “energy fascist”, constantly turning down the heating and switching off the lights to save money. That is obviously an issue every couple needs to negotiate for themselves!

Getting a Smart Meter Installed

If you decide you want a smart meter, you can either wait to be contacted by your energy supplier or contact them yourself.

All the main suppliers have information on their websites about their rollout plans. There will also be a number you can phone to register your interest.

You will need to book a date and time for a fitter to install your meters. This is likely to take a couple of hours, and your gas and electricity will need to be switched off some of this time. The fitter will explain how the meters work and demonstrate how to use the in-home display unit. He/she will also offer some general advice on how to save money on your energy bills.

My Own Thoughts

As mentioned earlier, I had smart meters installed six months ago. It was pretty painless, and I have found it interesting to see how my energy consumption goes up and down. Here are a few thoughts based on my own experiences…

• Initially I found it disconcerting how the display jumped into the amber or red warning zone when using my electric kettle or toaster. However, I quickly realised that as you only use these devices for a few minutes at a time, they don’t add massively to your energy costs.
• A particular benefit has been that if I glance at the meter and see that my current consumption is higher than normal, it nudges me to investigate why. A couple of times the cause turned out to be an electric heater I’d forgotten to switch off. From a safety angle as well as a monetary one, I was glad to be alerted to this!
• The display unit has a budgeting feature, where you can set a daily target for your energy consumption. It then shows whether you are on target to achieve this or not. Initially I liked this, but as winter set in last year I realised that targets set in the summer are no longer realistic as the days get shorter and colder. I guess I could reset my budgets every month, but personally I just ignore this feature now.

All things considered, though, I do feel that having a smart meter has been beneficial to me and I am definitely saving on my energy bills (and feel reassured that they are more accurate).

Obviously it’s a decision everyone needs to make for themselves, but I think most people will benefit from having smart meters installed. And if they help reduce overall energy consumption, that has to be good for the planet as well.

That’s my view anyway, but what do you think? Please leave any comments (or questions) below.

How to Look After the Pennies…

Nick Saving Money 8 Comments

I was having a sort-out in the kitchen and came across a jar of small change. There were a few pounds’ worth, so I thought I’d change this into something more useful. It turned out to be a bit more complicated that I expected. So I thought I’d set out the options here and reveal what I did in the end, and what I plan to do with my small change from now on.

Banks

In the small town where I live there is now only one bank left (Barclays) and this is not a bank I have an account with. I went in there anyway to ask if they would accept change from me. I was told that if I didn’t have an account with them they wouldn’t be able to assist me.

So far, so disappointing. In these days of multiple bank closures, it’s a shame the banks can’t co-operate a bit more to help their local communities, but there we are.

So I had to travel a bit further to find a branch of HSBC, one of two banks I have accounts with. They kindly provided me with a supply of clear plastic coin bags. They are a standard design as far as I know and bear the following message:

£1 in 2p or 1p

£5 in 10p or 5p

£10 in 50p or 20p

£20 in £1 or £2 coin

NO MIXED COIN

I must admit I misunderstood this initially. I thought it meant you could have a £1 bag of mixed 1p and 2p coins, a £5 bag of 5p and 10p coins, and so on.

The nice lady at HSBC in Lichfield told me this wasn’t the case. The bag has to be all of the same denomination – so a £1 bag of 1p coins, a £5 bag of 10p coins, etc.

I do still think the instructions are a bit ambiguous, even if it does say NO MIXED COIN. Anyway, she kindly still accepted the bags I gave her and changed them for a note and some pound coins.

• I’ve heard it said that some banks have change machines that let you pay in coins and count them automatically, but I’ve yet to see this myself. If you have seen any with your own eyes, I’d be grateful if you could tell me where!

Coinstar Machines

This is the commercial alternative for dealing with your small change.

These machines are generally installed in supermarkets, including Tesco, Morrisons and Sainsbury. You just pour in your change and the machine automatically counts it and prints out a credit note to use in the store. You can either put this towards the cost of your shopping or redeem it for cash at the store’s customer services desk.

Of course, this service isn’t free. According to the Coinstar website, they charge a 9.9% processing fee for cash transactions “but fees may vary by location”. The fee is deducted from the amount you put in at the time of your transaction. You can also opt to donate your money to charity, in which case there is a lower 7% charge.

You can find the location of your nearest Coinstar machine by entering your postcode in the box at the top right of the Coinstar site. This doesn’t appear to be updated very often, though. It is still saying there is a machine in my local Morrisons, despite the fact that this was removed over a year ago (and didn’t work for some time before that).

Coinstar machines offer a quick and easy solution if there is one near you, but with the 10% charge (or thereabouts) you do pay a premium for the convenience.

My Advice

My advice then is to go to your bank and ask for a supply of clear plastic coin bags and fill them with coins of one denomination only. You can then either pay them into your account or change them for something more convenient.

As a result of my experiences, in my kitchen I now have a set of jars for coins of each type (pictured above) and periodically sort my small change into them. In due course I will count them and take them to the bank in coin bags (which I keep handy in the kitchen drawer).

You can, incidentally, also buy coin-sorting moneyboxes from Amazon (see below), but aside from the novelty value I’m not sure how useful or reliable these would prove!

As ever, if you have any comments or questions about this post, please leave them below. And finally, for some additional ideas on saving money and making money with apps, check out this great post by my fellow money blogger Grainne on her Wannabe Debt Free blog.

How to Save Money on Everyday Purchases by Haggling

Nick Saving Money 2 Comments

In Britain we are notoriously poor at haggling. Yet if you always pay the advertised price, you are leaving thousands of pounds on the table. That is money that could potentially be used for many better purposes 🙂

Haggling (or bargaining if you like) is definitely not something to be reserved for souks and bazaars. It can work very well on the high street too.

Money-saving expert Martin Lewis recently conducted a survey on his Moneysaving Expert website and found that hagglers enjoyed over 60% success rates in some big-name stores. His top ten list with success rates for hagglers is as follows:

1. Carphone Warehouse – 77%
2. TK Maxx – 74%
3. John Lewis – 72%
4. Homebase – 68%
5. Tesco – 62%
6. B&Q – 60%
7. Currys/PC World – 59%
8. Debenhams – 55%
9. Clarks – 47%
10. Marks & Spencer – 39%

Those surprisingly high figures show that it is well worth trying for a discount. If you can get over your natural reticence, you may surprise yourself with the deals you are offered. In any event, it costs nothing to try!

Here are some top tips to get you started.

Tips for Haggling

• Research your proposed purchase carefully beforehand. Find out as much as you can, including how much similar items are selling for at other stores and online. You can use shopping engines such as Kelkoo to compare prices on a wide range of consumer goods.
• Have a maximum target price for your purchase and approach the haggle with this in mind. Be prepared to walk away if you don’t get the price you want. You can always try elsewhere.
• Go at a quiet time rather than when a store is heaving with customers. A salesperson will be less inclined to spend time negotiating with you if they can see that there are lots of other willing buyers in the shop. Mid-morning on a weekday can be good.
• Choose the right person to haggle with. The best is a supervisor or assistant manager, as they will have more discretion. The “big boss” may not be as good, though. He or she will be pressed for time and may not be so bothered about a single sale.
• Take your time and try to build rapport. Don’t even talk about price for the first five minutes. Ask the salesperson a few questions to show you are genuinely interested in buying, and explain why you need the product in question. Tell them your name, and ask for theirs.
• Never be aggressive when haggling. This will simply put the salesperson’s back up and make getting a deal less likely. A successful haggle is a bit like a seduction. It’s best done with a twinkle in the eye!
• Look for flaws on items that may make them difficult to sell – a small dent on the side of a fridge, for example, or a mark (somewhere inconspicuous) on clothing. Even if you’re not a seasoned haggler, this is an easy opportunity to get money off.
• Keep an eye out for items with prices ending with a 1, 7 or 8 (e.g. £72.08). These prices are generally applied to end-of-range products the store wants to get rid of, to make room for new stock. You should be able to get an extra discount on them without any problem.
• Stock phrases can be useful if you’re nervous about haggling. “What’s the best price you can do on this?” is one popular option. “I like this but it’s over my budget. Can you do it for £80?” (or whatever is your target price) is another.
• Haggling can work particularly well in independent stores. In such cases you will often be dealing with the owner, who clearly has more leeway than a sales assistant. If you give the impression you may become a regular customer, he/she is much more likely to cut you a deal.
• But if you can’t get a discount, at least see if they will throw in something for free. If you’re buying a laptop, for example, ask if they will give you a wireless keyboard as well. It’s worth spending a little time beforehand looking round the store to see if there is a particular extra you would like.

Haggling Online

Although above I have referred mainly to haggling in stores, there are also opportunities to haggle on the internet.

One of the best is by using the “live chat” facility offered by many online stores. Don’t go straight in with a request for a discount, but ask a few questions first. You’re unlikely to get a massive saving this way, but you might be offered 10% off or a free bonus.

Another ploy worth trying when shopping online is the “abandoned shopping cart” trick. Put the product you want in your basket and proceed as far as the checkout, then simply close the page. The retailer will see what has happened and rather than lose the sale may get back to you with an offer or discount code.

Good luck with your haggling. Do leave a comment if you have any other tips to share or examples of successful haggles you have concluded yourself.

How to Cut Your Energy Bills

Nick Saving Money 6 Comments

For older people in particular, energy bills can be one of their biggest expenses. So today I thought I’d set out some ways you can save money on them. Following these tips could save you hundreds of pounds on your annual fuel bills, perhaps even more.

Switch Energy Supplier

This would normally be my top tip for saving money on energy. Due to soaring wholesale prices, however, deals are currently thin on the ground.

Nonetheless, it’s still a good idea to spend a few minutes checking whether you could save money by switching to a different supplier. The quick and easy way of doing this is via a price comparison website. There are a number of these available, but my personal favourite is Energy Helpline [affiliate link].

Just visit this site and enter a few details, including your current supplier and tariff and how much you spend on gas and electricity in the course of a year (it doesn’t have to be exact). The site will then show you the best deals currently open to you and how much you might be able to save by switching to them. In most cases you can also start the switching process by clicking on the relevant link. Before you do, though, it’s worth checking on cashback sites like Quidco and Top Cashback, as some energy companies pay cashback via these sites to people switching their supply to them.

Switching energy suppliers is generally quick and easy, and can save you hundreds of pounds a year at a stroke. Even in these challenging times, it should still be high on your list of potential money-saving measures.

• If you are one of the 1.1 million households who use oil for heating, you can save money by shopping around for suppliers too. Check out the oil price comparison service BoilerJuice. Type in your postcode and how many litres of heating oil you’re looking to buy, and BoilerJuice will show you quotes from suppliers covering your area.

Get Financial Help

If you’re in certain priority groups, you may be able to get cash payments to help offset your energy bills.

Winter Fuel Payment is a one-off annual payment of £100 to £300 made to everyone over a certain age. To qualify this winter, you must have been born on or before 26 September 1955. If that applies to you, this money should be paid automatically, but you can phone the Winter Fuel Payment Centre on 0800 731 0160 if you haven’t received the payment before and need to claim. More information can be found on this page of the government website.

In addition, those on certain welfare benefits (including Pension Credit, Income Support and Universal Credit) may be eligible for Cold Weather Payments. This is £25 for any period of seven consecutive days when temperatures fall below zero. More information can be found on this page of the government website.

Finally, you may be eligible for £140 off your electricity bill under the Warm Home Discount Scheme. This is run by some (not all) of the energy companies. If you get the Guaranteed Credit element of Pension Credit you will qualify automatically. But if you’re on a low income and meet the energy supplier’s other criteria, you may also qualify. See my in-depth article about the Warm Home Discount and contact your supplier directly for more information. The large energy companies such as EDF and British Gas all operate this scheme, but some of the smaller ones don’t.

More Top Tips

Here are some more ways you may be able to save money on your energy bills.

• Have your boiler serviced regularly, to ensure it is operating at peak efficiency.
• If you have an old boiler that keeps breaking down, the time may have come to replace it. The Energy Saving Trust say that you could save up to up to 40 percent on your gas bill by installing a new ‘A’ rated condensing boiler with a programmer, room thermostat and thermostatic radiator controls.
• Upgrading your insulation can also cut bills by reducing the amount of heat going to waste. Depending on your circumstances, you may be able to get a free boiler and/or insulation under the government’s ECO (Energy Company Obligation) scheme. You can apply for this via your energy company. Even if you’re not on a low income, you may be able to get a discount on home insulation, so it’s worth checking to see what’s available.
• If your radiators aren’t heating up properly at the top, you may need to bleed them to release air in the pipes. Depending on the radiator, you may need a special key to do this or a flat-bladed screwdriver.
• Turn down your thermostat by one degree ­- this can reduce your heating bill by as much as 10%.
• Replace old light-bulbs with new energy-saving bulbs. The latest LED bulbs are just as bright as old incandescent bulbs and use a tenth of the energy. They last longer too.
• Exclude draughts with heavy curtains and draught excluders by doors.
• Turn off heaters in rooms you aren’t using and close the doors.
• Don’t leave electrical appliances on standby.
• Wash clothes at 30 degrees and try to avoid using tumble driers. Hang washing outside to dry whenever possible.
• Get a smart meter installed. The energy companies are fitting these free at the moment. They are great for seeing when and where you are spending money on energy and identifying ways you could save money as a result.
• If your funds are limited and you have or develop a disability you may be able to get a Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) from your local authority to pay for adaptations such as stairlifts.

By taking these steps you should be able to cut your energy bills significantly over the course of a year.

If you have any comments or questions about this post, as always, please do leave them below.

• This is a fully updated version of my original post.
  
  
  

Mobile Phones: Should You Get a Monthly Contract or a SIM Only Deal? (Infographic)

Nick Saving Money 7 Comments

Today I am sharing an infographic about mobile phone contracts kindly provided by Handset Expert.

The graphic contains a variety of interesting information, but it focuses especially on the attractions of buying a phone with a separate SIM-only contract rather than a monthly contract that includes both.

Have a read of the infographic, and I’ll share a few thoughts of my own at the bottom.

I will lay my cards on the table and reveal that I have a SIM-only contract myself. This has always been my preference, but there are pros and cons both ways, so I’ll go through them briefly here.

On the plus side, as the infographic says, having a separate SIM-only contract is likely to work out cheaper overall. In addition, you can change phone any time just by swapping your SIM card to a new handset. And you can switch to a different network provider if you like without having to face the hassle of paying off your contract and “unlocking” your phone.

There are, though, some possible drawbacks as well. For one, you won’t be able to access technical support for your phone so easily if you buy it outright rather than on a monthly contract. In addition, you are likely to have to pay the full cost of your handset up front rather than by monthly instalments. And upgrading will involve buying a new handset rather than simply negotiating a new deal with your monthly contract provider.

Overall, though, my advice for most people would be to choose a separate SIM-only deal. This is likely to offer better value, not to mention greater flexibility. But if you prefer the simplicity of a monthly contract that covers both device and phone service and don’t mind paying a bit extra for this, you might prefer to stick with that. The same applies if you can’t afford the up-front cost of paying for the handset you want – though bear in mind that if you opt for a single monthly contact for this reason you are still likely to end up paying more money overall.

• So that’s my opinion, but what do YOU think? Do you have a separate SIM-only contract or single monthly contract for your device and phone service? I’d love to hear your views!