Drive by water meter readings.

UKworkshop.co.uk

Help Support UKworkshop.co.uk:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
I saw the meter reader outside as I was going out and asked him if he wanted to read our meter, he asked who I was with and told me that he was only doing EoN and SEB that day, it seems that the reading is already contracted out round here.
I find all this new technology wonderful and fascinating and wonder what the future holds, but these are all jobs that are disappearing,,train drivers must surely be on someone's list, esp the underground?
Steve.
 
We live in an area where there is no, to almost non existent mobile signal, common to many parts of the rural Uk. We cannot have a smart meter, not that I want one. BT say they are not prepared to improve our service. New masts are going up locally but they are directed to new estates. We are on a flood warning and need mobile phones.
 
I saw the meter reader outside as I was going out and asked him if he wanted to read our meter, he asked who I was with and told me that he was only dojng EoN and SEB that day, it seems that the reading is already contracted out round here.
I find all this new technology wonderful and fascinating and wonder what the future holds, but these are all jobs that are disappearing,,train drivers must surely be on someone's list, esp the underground?
Steve.
 
Second gen electric smart meters also read your smart gas meter which has a 10yr battery inside and short bursts the data to the electric meter. If it were close enough I guess the water meter too could be read by the electric meter and all 3 read by the secure smart network DCC.
 
I saw the meter reader outside as I was going out and asked him if he wanted to read our meter, he asked who I was with and told me that he was only doing EoN and SEB that day, it seems that the reading is already contracted out round here.
I find all this new technology wonderful and fascinating and wonder what the future holds, but these are all jobs that are disappearing,,train drivers must surely be on someone's list, esp the underground?
Steve.
They already are, and RC switchers in US yards for example.
 
Second gen electric smart meters also read your smart gas meter which has a 10yr battery inside and short bursts the data to the electric meter. If it were close enough I guess the water meter too could be read by the electric meter and all 3 read by the secure smart network DCC.
Interesting. Thanks.
 
They already are, and RC switchers in US yards for example.
Many thanks for that info, I will check it out. I know that the Docklands light railway is completely driverless and we went on a driverless train abroad, seems that railways would lend themselves to automation more readily than road transport, and I think that planes are quite capable of both taking off and landing automaticallly already, maybe its concerns about moving too quickly for people to adapt to a new more workless lifestyle thats holding it back?
 
Second gen electric smart meters also read your smart gas meter which has a 10yr battery inside and short bursts the data to the electric meter. If it were close enough I guess the water meter too could be read by the electric meter and all 3 read by the secure smart network DCC.
In theory yes; in practice, sadly no.

The "server" in a smart metering system is the Comms Hub (usually next to, or on top of, your electricity meter). They have limited range; such that "seeing" the water meter (generally underground somewhere on your driveway) isn't feasible.

There are dual band smart meter systems being rolled out; which can use a lower frequency signal designed to penetrate further through buildings (e.g. blocks of flats where meters may be in a corridor), but I don't know if they'd "cut it" for being able to speak to the water meter.
 
You can switch that job role to the Tesco delivery driver now.
I hope I don't have to rely on either as I don't think I've ever seen the water meter person in the last 7 years, Energy i think i've seen once and we haven't had a tesco delivery in years.
 
All 3 of our meters are of the smart variety, clearly not that smart as we still have to give readings for the gas & electric 🤷‍♂️
 
Back
Top