N Power and Smart meters Not compatible

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Comments

  • Terrylw1
    Terrylw1 Posts: 7,038 Forumite
    neilcr wrote: »
    I was talking to the Scottish Power Call centre today and asked about Smart meters and was told the goverment have given them till 2020 to roll them out.

    Yes, the Tories stated they would bring forward the date as Labour were allowing were time. So, Suppliers wouldn't have been happy with the election result since they have now got to bring everything forwward.
    :rotfl: It's better to live 1 year as a tiger than a lifetime as a worm...but then, whoever heard of a wormskin rug!!!:rotfl:
  • Terrylw1
    Terrylw1 Posts: 7,038 Forumite
    eebai wrote: »
    this is very confusing as i just expected all suppliers to have same services with these meters. Read the small print i hear people say.

    looks like away for B Gas to keep customers???

    Sadly so.

    The issue is not really the meters, it's the communication of data itself.

    Suppliers have got to develop new systems to handle the information flow. There are various outsource companies supplying software to do it but it's all very experimental right now.

    If you want to switch, your meter can be "dumbed down" which is just industry speak for converting to a standard type of meter. This is really only needed if you have things like 4 different switching register patterns. Some smart meters stick to the standard 1 or 2 rates so have no impact on your switching at all.

    It's the new informatioin feedback types that are the ones you can't switch with. The standard (and largely pointless!) types are easy to move around.
    :rotfl: It's better to live 1 year as a tiger than a lifetime as a worm...but then, whoever heard of a wormskin rug!!!:rotfl:
  • Terrylw1
    Terrylw1 Posts: 7,038 Forumite
    eebai wrote: »
    the issue with this view is that smart meters give other benefits such as Accurate bills - not estimated, Smart meters stream accurate information to a small in-home display monitor, so you can see your energy usage, its cost. That way, you can gauge the impact of different appliances & better budgeting Since you'll always know how much your bill is likely to be, it's easier to budget.

    I'm not a smart meter sales person just someone that wants to reduce the crazy increases in energy bills. Also N Power have no idea how to handle these questions and did nothing to try and keep me when I said i was going to leave.

    The most they could do it "dumb down" the meter (which Bgas should have done for you) hence losing all benefit of smart metering.

    Or, if the meter is compatible with Npower's own trials, they might be able to add you to it. This is something that Suppliers had to do with import/export years ago as Bgas caused all this then by running trials earlier than others and not telling customers the risks with switching.

    If you want to try the latter, I would suggest trying the Npower rep on this board direct or someone higher up in Npower. The call centres are unlikely to have a clue what to do, they won't get told anything.

    Alternatively, do some googled or contact Ofgem and ask for a name of a smart trial management rep at Npower. They will know exactly what you are talking about.
    :rotfl: It's better to live 1 year as a tiger than a lifetime as a worm...but then, whoever heard of a wormskin rug!!!:rotfl:
  • Joyful
    Joyful Posts: 2,426
    First Anniversary Combo Breaker First Post
    Forumite
    As has been said already British Gas and other suppliers are all trialling the smart meters. British gas now have many Smart Credit meters installed. I got mine yesterday. In the next few weeks I will be trialling it as a Prepayment meter before reverting it back to a Credit one. This will be one of the bonuses of the meters.

    British gas currently have a specific number for a smart metering team which anyone who has had one installed will have been given so the general call centre would not be able to advise on them. I would expect that anyone who has one installed as part of the trial would have been asked to agree not to move suppliers for 12 months while the trials are in progress.
    Self Employed, Running my Dream Jobs
  • Terrylw1
    Terrylw1 Posts: 7,038 Forumite
    They would prefer you don't switch but they can't prevent you. It's a voluntary trial. The process is to "dumb down" the meters and let you go. Sadly though, if you have one of these information flow ones, yhou lose out on the extras that smart will introduce.

    Remote switching of PP to Crd and vice versa is already possible however due to black holes in industry policies, Suppliers have (or should have!) stopped doing it. Smart will bring a good process in for this.
    :rotfl: It's better to live 1 year as a tiger than a lifetime as a worm...but then, whoever heard of a wormskin rug!!!:rotfl:
  • Terrylw1
    Terrylw1 Posts: 7,038 Forumite
    also have you tried asking to be put through to a smart metering team or spoken to a manager at npowers call centre?.

    It's a trial so the OP needs to get through to the trial manager who will be the only one that help. This customer is not on an agreed trial the trial manager will have to decide whether they can map to it, installl one of their own (very unlikely), get them "dumbed down" and advise them to go back to Bgas.

    The most likely way will be the "dumb down" route which Suppliers are supposed to take.

    This might have already been done though by Bgas. It might have been nice if they made a retention call to iron this out for the OP.

    In terms is project managers, call centres won't be allowed to give their names out to customers. I would suggest the OP contacts via a directors office or executive complaints dept, who will be able to find out who the right people are.
    :rotfl: It's better to live 1 year as a tiger than a lifetime as a worm...but then, whoever heard of a wormskin rug!!!:rotfl:
  • I am slightly confused as to what supposed problem Smart Meters are trying to solve. We consumers are going to pick up a bill for these ridiculous devices which is going to be billions.

    What can they achieve that looking at your meter on a regular basis can't, and then by writing down the readings with a pencil and paper or putting them in a spreadsheet.

    As far as I can see this is yet another stupid EU ruling that UK sheep MP's are following.

    If people have gigantic bills based on estimated readings surely it is their fault if they don't check meter readings we don't need wholescale installation of useless little boxes to solve the problem .

    Do they measure water as well ?
  • Yup just use a spreadsheet to monitor units used as the nPower online website is so basic I don't know why they bother... I could knock something up better at lunchtime...
  • I am slightly confused as to what supposed problem Smart Meters are trying to solve. We consumers are going to pick up a bill for these ridiculous devices which is going to be billions.

    What can they achieve that looking at your meter on a regular basis can't, and then by writing down the readings with a pencil and paper or putting them in a spreadsheet.

    As far as I can see this is yet another stupid EU ruling that UK sheep MP's are following.

    If people have gigantic bills based on estimated readings surely it is their fault if they don't check meter readings we don't need wholescale installation of useless little boxes to solve the problem .

    Do they measure water as well ?

    Acurate billing day to day. ( really major benefit in commercial sites )

    Ability to reprogram your meter to a different tariff in minutes if the customer wishes.

    ability to change from a credit meter to pre-pay meter within minutes rather than a whole meter exchange.

    remote disconnection for people refusing to pay debt.
    Working within the gas and electric industry since 2008'
  • Can you programme it to take account of the first so many units at one rate and then a different rate for the subsequent untis in any one quarter ?

    Do they do gas ? If so the same question applies .

    Do they do water, you didn't amswer.
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