Smart Meters - Ask me anything!

marsden_rock · 2 February 2017 at 10:18AM

I am with nPower using water and storage heaters supplied on their Super Tariff through a three phase supply utilising two mpans. This is a double whammy as other providers refuse to take on the billing requirements which involve manual intervention and decline any other tariff due to the type of metering. There are currently no suitable smart meters for this installation and I have been unable to get nPower to define what type of meter they would instal to facilitate a tariff change.
Two questions, therefore, in your view:
Will there ever be a suitable smart meter for this configuration?
Will OFGEM authorise providers to simply impose alternative metering and tariffs to achieve targets for the roll out of smart meters?

darren72 · 2 February 2017 at 11:09AM

My friend is with EON and has a smart meter installed. She is transferring over to Scottishpower.

Does anyone know whether the smart meter installed will continue to operate ?

Thanks

lstar337 · 2 February 2017 at 11:30AM

marsden_rock wrote: »

I am with nPower using water and storage heaters supplied on their Super Tariff through a three phase supply utilising two mpans. This is a double whammy as other providers refuse to take on the billing requirements which involve manual intervention and decline any other tariff due to the type of metering. There are currently no suitable smart meters for this installation and I have been unable to get nPower to define what type of meter they would instal to facilitate a tariff change.
Two questions, therefore, in your view:
Will there ever be a suitable smart meter for this configuration?
Will OFGEM authorise providers to simply impose alternative metering and tariffs to achieve targets for the roll out of smart meters?

Can't you just ask for 1 supply to be disconnected and for a new meter to be fitted to the other?

Getting rid of that metering system is going to benefit you in the future.

System · 2 February 2017 at 12:33PM

darren72 wrote: »

My friend is with EON and has a smart meter installed. She is transferring over to Scottishpower.

Does anyone know whether the smart meter installed will continue to operate ?

Thanks

I suggest a call to the Smart Meter team at Scottish Power. They may ask for smart meter details.

In most cases, foundation stage (SMETS1) meters only communicate with the supplier that provided the meter. The meter will still work as a meter but your friend will have to read the meter if accurate billing is required. Following an Ofgem change last year, meters now have to be read by the supplier at least once every year.

The Government has asked suppliers to come up with proposals to upgrade foundation stage meters to what is known as SMETS2 compliance by 2020. Once the upgrade has been carried out, the meter will communicate with a central hub which is not supplier dependent.

SS_178 · 20 April 2017 at 10:46AM

Can you please explain whats happening here?
Also if a PC / Smartphone can be connected to HAN, does that leaves a scope for a potential security breach?

SS_178 · 20 April 2017 at 10:50AM

Hi,

I am utterly confused with whether the DCC is fully live or not? DCC's website claims they're live nationally, if so why none of the suppliers are able to rollout SMETS2 so far? What's happening? Can you please clarify?
Many thanks,
SS

SS_178 · 20 April 2017 at 10:52AM

UK’s GPRS networks are scheduled to be turned off by 2026 and as per The Royal Academy of Engineering report the GPRS will be replaced by 3G/4G/5G from 2023 itself, as Hutchinson’s taking over of O2 may trigger this earlier.

This could mean that all communication hubs will need to be replaced before the end of 2025, meaning 30 million reinstallation visits between 2020 and 2026 at a total additional cost of over £2 billion.

Is this true?

SS_178 · 20 April 2017 at 10:54AM

They say, ZigBee is not compatible with PCs and smart phones. Therefore, to get data to a PC or smartphone a consumer will have to buy a Consumer Access Device; and arguably the Zigbee standard has been made obsolete by the more recent Thread standards. The Future Power System Architecture project funded by DECC includes the conclusion “There is a discrepancy between the SMETS 2 functionality and the expected functionality required from a smart meter.”

What's your take on the radio protocols please?

SS_178 · 20 April 2017 at 11:11AM

It's not binding even if the UK stays in EU.

DIRECTIVE 2009/72/EC says -

"Where roll-out of smart meters is assessed positively, at least 80 % of consumers shall be equipped with intelligent metering systems by 2020".

Germany have gone against national roll out as it doesn't stacks up for them, but Italy, UK etc assessed that benefits are positive hence went for it.

System · 20 April 2017 at 11:53AM

SS_178 wrote: »

Hi,

I am utterly confused with whether the DCC is fully live or not? DCC's website claims they're live nationally, if so why none of the suppliers are able to rollout SMETS2 so far? What's happening? Can you please clarify?
Many thanks,
SS

DCC is live. However, suppliers are permitted to count SMETS 1 meters against their SMETS2 roll out target until the Autumn of this year. If you were a supplier, with a warehouse full of SMETS 1 meters what would you do?

There are no plans to upgrade these meters to the SMETS2 standard. Govt has directed that the DCC and suppliers are to find a way of 'orphaning' these meters on to the DCC infrastructure by 2020.

Smart Meters - Ask me anything!

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