British Gas Installs Smart Meters

This all sounds good and can provide the customer with significant control over their energy usage and thus costs. We have provided many industrial customers with smart meters in their water supply.

I wonder however if the temptation of the administration in the future though will then adapt this as follows.

Once all properties are connected using smart meters, then there is also capability to introduce variable pricing across the day, or even as demand changes. (The meter knows the amount of energy consumed in ever decreasing time increments.) (based on demand/load) This would be supported by statements from the energy authorities like "The customers are informed and able to modify their demand because the smart meters tell them the price."

You've obviousyl dealt with Britsh Gas, a right bunch of sharks.
All this nonsense about smart meters letting you control your usage.
NO! Its the on/off switches that let you control your usage.
I believe they've stoped their TV adverts because they were actually antagonising customers in the light of repeated price hikes!
Del

Haven't had anything specific with that mob, but typically, a good idea implemented as a customer service is soon seen by either marketing or accounts as another way into the customer's pockets and exploited to the fullest potential.

I suspect also that the organisation you mentioned are what I describe as "price setters". By that I mean that even if customer reduced usage by 50%, the utility would then revise their sell price so that they can maintain the same level of overheads and profits while selling half the amount of the commodity they are providing. (Rather than also cutting operating expenses and supporting their customers.)

I've seen the potential of our smart meters to communicate in a two directional condition and thus the potential exists to update billing rate instantaneously and as you point out, the only option for the customer is the switch.

I've heard horrible tales (from your side of the world) of people switching off power to save on heating costs and then dying of hypothermia.

Where I am, we are beng "prepared" for 18% year on year electricity costs for the next five years. Supposedly to make up for poor maintenance and aging infrastructure under the reign of previous administration. It's becoming more attractive to go "off grid", but that seems contradictory to what "civilisation" is supposed to bring.

My dad has a smart thermostat. It saves him quite a bit on his electric bill, although for the life of me I can't figure out how. One thing that does make sense is load balancing. Every so often he'll get an email asking if he would allow the power company to turn off his A/C for an hour or two. If he replies in the affirmative, just before the scheduled time his A/C comes on and cools the house a couple of degrees cooler than normal, then shuts off. This allows the power company to spread some of the peak load into non-peak times. My dad says he doesn't notice the difference.

Of course, this being Texas, it's all blamed on Obama as being a way for the government to force Americans to be uncomfortable - even though participation is completely voluntary and the program is run by a private company.