"Amateur" Tarby, not "amature "
(armature is a part of an electric motor, or similar)
Status report Page 6,000
An armature is easily excited.
Quote: Definitely Tarby @ 24th February 2018, 7:06 PMMy mate is an MMA fighter and has a bout tonight in Weston but sods law I had to work this weekend so can't go. Instead of a manly, lager filled night out I have to settle for brie, a glass of shiraz and the snooker.
Do "Manly" and "Lager" fit in the same sentence?
Quote: Chappers @ 25th February 2018, 9:27 PMDo "Manly" and "Lager" fit in the same sentence?
Ooooh, just cos he's not drinking a pint of Old Bishop's Arse Stout.
Quote: Chappers @ 18th February 2018, 8:12 PMMaybe you should try to get your rage back again!
Quote: Briosaid @ 18th February 2018, 8:26 PM
OK you got me there!
But just remember, I got my eye on you two.. 
My electricity meter keyfob has broken and it's almost run out. There's emergency credit I can use but I need to put the key in the meter and if it's not being recognised I don't know if that will activate the emergency credit. I couldn't contact British Gas by phone or online chat because of the bad weather they are trouser fillingly busy. What joy. If I didn't have a bottle of Jack Daniels I would be in a real crisis.
I've had to turn off heaters and light a load of candles to prevent it running out tonight and I can contact them tomorrow to arrange collecting a new keyfob but I'm worried no-where will have any because of the cold weather. This could take up a largh chunk of the day to sort out and I blame the woman at Asda for slamming it in to the PayPoint machine several times when putting credit on it earlier today.
Quote: Definitely Tarby @ 1st March 2018, 8:08 PMMy electricity meter keyfob has broken and it's almost run out. There's emergency credit I can use but I need to put the key in the meter and if it's not being recognised I don't know if that will activate the emergency credit.
The UK's way of dealing with electricity always baffles me. Our meters are outside and there's no such thing as credits. The meter is read (electronically) from afar and they send us a bill for the month's usage.
It blew my mind when I stayed at Pontin's in Camber Sands about 15 years ago and we had to buy little tickets to put credits on the meter. It took me a long time to locate the device that was hidden away in a strange location.
Currently brewing 10 gallons of an American IPA. I grew the yeast from a bottle of the commercial brew that I'm trying to replicate. It's warm outside and even warmer in the garage with a propane burner fired up. Sweaty business.
Quote: DaButt @ 1st March 2018, 8:16 PMThe UK's way of dealing with electricity always baffles me. Our meters are outside and there's no such thing as credits. The meter is read (electronically) from afar and they send us a bill for the month's usage.
It blew my mind when I stayed at Pontin's in Camber Sands about 15 years ago and we had to buy little tickets to put credits on the meter. It took me a long time to locate the device that was hidden away in a strange location.
Being sent a monthly or quarterly bill is common and usually cheaper but credit meters are also common in rented accomodation or for tenents with poor credit history. I've been meaning to get a smart meter so I can top up online since I moved in but never got around to it. It's typical I get in this situation when most of the UK has been hit by snow. I'm not moaning about it though and I know there are people worse off and more vunerable than me. When I called British Gas there was a recorded messags saying to only stay on the line if it's an emergency otherwise call back next week and there was an avarage 25 minute wait.
I'm surprised there were meters at Pontins but that was probably a way for the business to save costs on electricity. Guests are less likely to waste energy when they are topping up a meter instead of it being built in to the price of the room.
Quote: Definitely Tarby @ 1st March 2018, 8:28 PMI'm not moaning about it though and I know there are people worse off and more vunerable than me. When I called British Gas there was a recorded messags saying to only stay on the line if it's an emergency otherwise call back next week and there was an avarage 25 minute wait.
Hopefully people who run out of credit won't have their heat shut off in the middle of a blizzard? That would be dangerous.
Quote: DaButt @ 1st March 2018, 8:42 PMHopefully people who run out of credit won't have their heat shut off in the middle of a blizzard? That would be dangerous.
That's the biggest issue with prepaid meters because when any emergency credit has been used they will cut off the supply automatically until the meter is topped up with credit and I don't think the utility companies can stop this from happening even if they wanted to. When all credit has been used up the modern meters wont cut off the supply between the hours of 7pm to 9am but the older ones will. Energy companies offer a lot of ways to upgrade and get cheaper bills but a lot of people, like myself always put it off until tomorrow.
Quote: Definitely Tarby @ 1st March 2018, 9:24 PMThat's the biggest issue with prepaid meters because when any emergency credit has been used they will cut off the supply automatically until the meter is topped up with credit and I don't think the utility companies can stop this from happening even if they wanted to. When all credit has been used up the modern meters wont cut off the supply between the hours of 7pm to 9am but the older ones will.
Typically poor design, I guess. This country is so diverse that people could freeze to death at night in some areas while dying of heatstroke during the daytime in others, so maybe that's why our stuff is always turned on (until they shut it off for nonpayment.)
My house is my own, not rented, and I have the so called Smart-meters for both Gas & Electricity. They are indeed read remotely (with a rare manual check). Also I put such bills on direct debit so the bank & utility company computers do the payments. All I have to do is make sure my bank balance doesn't run out.
Quote: billwill @ 2nd March 2018, 12:59 AMAll I have to do is make sure my bank balance doesn't run out.
Can you let me know how you manage to do that!
I know, you make more than you spend..
<sighs and wishes he could start all over again on another planet>
>I know, you make more than you spend..
Exactly, and I don't spend much on frivolities.
But in fact for the last 15 or so years before I retired I was mostly supporting small charity organizations and made very little income, probably less than doing regular work at minimum wage level. But in earlier good time I put quite a high portion of my income into pension funds.
I made one catastrophic decision when I put £7000 in a cash ISA based on technology, which crashed and I lost £5000 of that before I pulled the remaining value out before it sank to near zero.
That's damn good, Bill.
I need to start making more money and do the same.
