Semantic Werks

“Open Secrets” is a UK-based blog about openness in government, access to information and so on. It is quite interesting in its own right, but one post seems to have struck a nerve. It was regarding the responsibility of energy companies to publish their meter accuracy data.  The meters record gas/water/electricity usage and then bill you accordingly. Obviously, if there is a faulty meter, it could be costly.

At any rate,  the post got a lot of comments from people who have had terrible run-ins with the various entities that make up the British energy system. Just from reading the comments, it seems clear that the system in Britain is the usual half-baked privatization scheme, with all the disadvantages of private delivery — like confusing options, secretive contracts, etc. — and all the disadvantages of a public system, namely high prices and a very paternalistic attitude towards the client. Even accounting for the fact that the people who post comments are often there because they have tried to pull a fast one — forgot to read the bill, signed a contract they didn’t read, etc., there still seem to be some funny and horrible tales.

Though the original post was regarding the specific problem of getting access to meter failure rates (which isn’t possible), the comments have turned into a mini-community for people seeking help with their specific problems. It’s either an illustration of the social nature of the web or the horrible state of British energy (or both).

This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 23rd, 2008 at 21:49 and is filed under General.You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.