[RonS1]

It's a shame that the main two people contributing possible answers to my questions appear to not have smart meters and are sceptical of them. Thank you to them however for attempting answers.

I feel I'm pretty well informed on green energy sources/systems having run solar PV since 2011. I'm using solar and batteries in conjunction with an half hourly agile smart meter tariff and automation using Home Assistant with Predbat, to achieve an average daily cost of 9 to 10 p/kWh for my electricity import.
I am optimistic that these techniques will eventually help with driving smoother greener energy generation. However the energy supply companies need to get better with providing knowledgeable staff for support and education. I'm talking to you EON Next.

[retrotecchie]

@RonS1

I started my solar journey in 2005 and completely agree that the energy companies in conjunction with OFGEM and several flavours of government just haven't got their joined up thinking hats on.

The Metering Equipment Regulations and the SMETS standards were designed by committee with no regard for either the end user and with little or no forward planning for including microgeneration in the energy mix. The communications were handed to a very expensive quango (the DCC) and were mostly based on a now obsolete technology (3g cellular) which is already being switched off way ahead of the government's 'sunset' of 2032.

It is my opinion that any smart meter being installed should be the correct model with the correct feature set for any given installation, but the current industry practice seems to be 'fit whatever is rolling around in the back of the van and hope for the best'.

[geoffers]

Originally Posted by RonS1

.
I am optimistic that these techniques will eventually help with driving smoother greener energy generation. However the energy supply companies need to get better with providing knowledgeable staff for support and education. I'm talking to you EON Next.

Having heard Greg Jackson (founder of Octopus Energy) interviewed on Desert-Island-Discs it strikes me that Octopus is probably one of the few companies with the vision and understanding to fully exploit the future green energy requirements - the company having been built on this foundation

Many of the other legacy energy companies such as EOn, BG etc are attempting to jump on the band-wagon, but having come from old (analogue) supply infrastructure probably don't currently have the capability, systems or trained staff to satisfy these future development needs

Greg Jackson is the founder of Octopus Energy Group, the global energy and technology company driving the affordable, green energy system of the future. Launched in 2016, the Group now serves 7.2 million customers across 18 countries, and operates a £6bn portfolio of renewable energy assets across Europe.

Octopus drives the tech-enabled green energy transition, innovating relentlessly to make energy better for consumers and the planet. Kraken, Octopus’s proprietary green tech platform, is at the heart of the Group’s growth and is now contracted to serve over 40 million accounts across the globe, with further 10 million to follow soon.

Octopus has attracted over $2.3 billion worth of funding from international energy companies, large pension funds and global investors, and has valued the company at around $8 billion.

Greg is a serial tech entrepreneur and has built and sold a number of successful businesses before starting Octopus. He is an angel investor in a wide range of start-ups, and is a key thought leader in the UK on issues related to energy transition, energy costs and innovation..