Meter Question BG want to change a 2 year old meter!

Takoda

We had our gas meter replaced about 2 years ago. I was pleased at the time because the old one was electronic and hard to read on the odd occasion they couldn't be bothered to read it and I had to read it myself to correct a dodgy estimation!

Anyway they keep wanting to replace the new one saying that they have noticed from their records that our meter had come to the 'end of its useful life' WHAT??????? After 2 years?

I keep changing the appointment because I can't see the point.

Has anyone else had this? BG wanting to change a nearly new meter? It is just a regular meter.

Cheers,

Takoda

Pssst

Resistance is futile..!

Just make them come when it suits you, i.e Saturday morning or whatever.

dunloadin

Were you with BG at the time of the meter change? I ask as the meter may have been changed by the DNO or the previous supplier before you moved to BG and the details on the database not updated correctly...it happens every now and again.

spiro

Check the meter serial number on your bill matches the serial number on the meter. If they dont the industry may not have been updated when the meter was exchanged. The other option is to phone BG and tell them what the serial number is, then can then check it against their records. Also if the meter has an exchange label from 2 years ago have this info handy when you phone them.

elektra

Pssst wrote: »

Resistance is futile..!

Just make them come when it suits you, i.e Saturday morning or whatever.

I did just that and completely regretted it. Months and months of incorrect bills due to problems with the serial numbers etc

Had previously tried telling them a change was not required.

BG contract out the meter maintenance to another company (Onstream in my case), and they like to replace meters with their own but it is not necessary.
So try contacting the company that sent you the appointment and go higher if they don't listen.

Takoda

Thanks for the info folks. An update -

Phoned them today to cancel the appointment they had made for me. She tried to rearrange it for a later date. I said that the meter was less than 2 years old so I didn't think it needed changing as the letter said that it had come to the end of its natural life. I said I didn't think 2 years was a natural life for anything except perhaps a hamster!
"
Anyway - she replied "It might not be that reason - that is just a generic letter"

"Oh OK " I replied " Well if you would like to send me a letter with the REAL reason you want to replace our meter on it THEN I will make another appointment". She wanted to look it up but I had to go at that point because it was time to drive to work and I don't have hands free.

My original post said BG cos we're with them but I think it might be National Grid sorting the mater out.

Still sounds fishy to me. They've probably been over or under charging or something. Will be interesting to see what happens next. I'll post it when it happens.

Thanks again for the info.

Gman0365

I'll have a go at explaining whats going on here!

Sounds like the meter you had previously was an E6 meter - a smaller meter with digital display and can be quite difficult to read at times. This meter would have been exchanged by National Grid Metering (NGM) as they have a policy meter exchange programme which involves taking out these electronic meters and replacing them with newer mechanical meters. The reason for this is that there is a battery inside the electronic one and it only lasts 10 years. NGM have decided that rather than continuing to change the battery every ten years it would be more cost effective to change the meter also if the battery dies then the reading can be lost which the gas suppliers dont like!

So everything is fine, you allow NGM to change the gas meter two years ago and you think that'll be you for x number of years. Not where British Gas are concerned! You see they also have a meter exchange programme! The reason for them wanting to change the meter is down to cost and contracts and competition. The meter you currently have installed probably states "Property of National Grid Metering". That means NGM are the Meter Assest Manager (MAM). They look after the meter installation on behalf of your gas supplier. However, over the past few years British Gas have been removing NGM meters and installing OnStream (another MAM) meters. This can often mean removing prefectly good, modern meters just so that British Gas can have all their meters looked after by OnStream.

This will be the reason that you are sent a generic letter. As you can imagine people would be quite shocked if they thought that these perfectly good meters were being removed for not a particulary good reason. No doubt OnStream charge British Gas less than NGM to look after the meter but this is where it gets better. OnStream is a wholly owned subsiduary of the National Grid group.

Can someone please explain to me why the regulator even allows this sort of shambles to continue. There are so many different MAM's now all trying to win contracts with suppliers that this will only continue to get worse. Scottish and Southern Energy have recently awarded a contract to SGN Metering to become their MAM. This means that customers of SSE will soon be being sent letters informing them that the gas meter needs to be changed. Imagine the confusion this is going to cause. I suppose the only good thing from it is that these meters that are being exchnaged are usually refurbished and fitted in other people's homes so long as they are not too old. The crazy thing is that much of this is simply not neccessary and is a direct result of Ofgem pushing for ever increasing competition within the energy market.

Rant over!

And I don't think I've ever seen a customer sent a letter giving a honest reason for the meter being exchanged!

Alan_Vickers

As you say Gman it is a shambles.

I find that the meter that was fitted here about two months ago is a 'U6' meter and it mentions 'pulse' on the dial plate so I presume that it has a battery. This was fitted by OnStream so this does not seem to fit in with your explanation of National Grid's reasons for changing meters.

As you say OnStrem is a National Grid Company but I seem to remember reading a short while ago on another thread that they are to become part of British Gas.

Alan Vickers.

Gman0365

I don't work with OnStream any longer but I wouldn't have thought that OnStream would be installing credit meters with batteries in them unless it for the purpose of powering a LCD. I have seen other meters with 12v printed on them but this is generally an R5 type meter. This type of meter allows an Automatic Meter Reader (AMR) to be plugged into the index on the meter. The AMR has a battery inside it and I would have thought this is what the 12v relates to. The AMR is then used to send the meter reading to the gas supplier via the GSM network. A bit like a text message. Its more generally used on large customer meters but I wouldnt be surprised if the meters that Onstream fits in domestic situations have this capability already on the meter. They are very keen to be at the forefront of smart metering.

I was actually under the impression that when OnStream first launched it was a joint partnership between British Gas and National Grid. It may well be that British Gas has decided that there is some value in taking over all of OnStream.

asbokid

Gman0365 wrote: »

I'll have a go at explaining whats going on here!
[...]
Rant over!

Thanks.. It's not a rant at all.. but a useful insight into the idiocies of the de-regulated UK utility market..

asbokid

Gman0365 wrote: »

I don't work with OnStream any longer but I wouldn't have thought that OnStream would be installing credit meters with batteries in them unless it for the purpose of powering a LCD. I have seen other meters with 12v printed on them but this is generally an R5 type meter. This type of meter allows an Automatic Meter Reader (AMR) to be plugged into the index on the meter. The AMR has a battery inside it and I would have thought this is what the 12v relates to. The AMR is then used to send the meter reading to the gas supplier via the GSM network. A bit like a text message. Its more generally used on large customer meters but I wouldnt be surprised if the meters that Onstream fits in domestic situations have this capability already on the meter. They are very keen to be at the forefront of smart metering.

I was actually under the impression that when OnStream first launched it was a joint partnership between British Gas and National Grid. It may well be that British Gas has decided that there is some value in taking over all of OnStream.

I think O2 run the AMR system (under its Airwave subsidiary)... If so, I think it's a 400MHz licensed TETRA band, which is shared with the cops, SCADA system users like Network Rail and Thames Water, etc..

On Ofcom's SiteFinder system. you can look up the locations, max power, frequencies etc, of all the macrocell masts that Airwave have erected.. The technology of the future for utility meters :T :T :T :T :T :T :T