WARNING SOLAR PANELS & some Siemens S2AS-100/ Siemens S1AS-100 Meters

furndire

Today is an interesting day on my graph.

Its dull -
The check meter has very very slowly gone up, about 1/2 KW since 8:10 am, we have generated 3 KW, & the old meter has gone up by 3 KW !!!

Just to add.

Our installers have been in touch today to see if we have had a check meter in. He's told me that they are going back on their records to check out if there are any more meters like mine -

& (now I feel really pleased that I have raised this)
Quote from Installer.

Ironically the day after we spoke I was contacted by another client with a query about another matter, and seeing they also had the Siemens S2AS meter we did some investigating and found the same problem.
Once the meter trial is complete I am really keen to see how the network operator respond as this is going to be a headache for them over the next few years.

pauldreed

I got a shiny new meter fitted this morning, and since 9am it has not registered any increase, so I may be sorted.
Just need to sort out how much Scottish Power owe me now...

The meter guy, from Meter Plus, said that they were well aware of this problem and had replaced loads for the same reason.

furndire

Thanks Paulreed - I'm pleased you are almost sorted.

Just goes back to my point if they know about it, why the hell aren't they automatically saying "solar panels" need a change of meter if its one of the Siemens ones.

Do you know if Meter Plus just one company who installs meter for Scottish Power, or do they install nationwide for other suppliers? (just going to have a google)

They must by now have some sort of a list of meters which are suspect.

pauldreed

furndire wrote: »

Thanks Paulreed - I'm pleased you are almost sorted.

Just goes back to my point if they know about it, why the hell aren't they automatically saying "solar panels" need a change of meter if its one of the Siemens ones.

Do you know if Meter Plus just one company who installs meter for Scottish Power, or do they install nationwide for other suppliers? (just going to have a google)

As far as I know, they do the metering for all of the power companies and are not tied or connected with Scottish Power.
It was Meter Plus that fitted the Siemans meter when I was with EDF.
Don't know if it is a regional or national contract though.

Doc_N

furndire wrote: »

Thanks Paulreed - I'm pleased you are almost sorted.

Just goes back to my point if they know about it, why the hell aren't they automatically saying "solar panels" need a change of meter if its one of the Siemens ones.

Do you know if Meter Plus just one company who installs meter for Scottish Power, or do they install nationwide for other suppliers? (just going to have a google)

They must by now have some sort of a list of meters which are suspect.

Not all 'suspect' meters do this, though. Mine's a Siemens S2AS (like yours, I think?) but it's reading perfectly normally. Our electricity consumption's down to about where I expected it to be since the panels were installed, and the check readings I've taken indicate no problem.

Is it the way they're wired that makes a diffference, I wonder? Or when they were installed?

pauldreed

Doc_N wrote: »

Not all 'suspect' meters do this, though. Mine's a Siemens S2AS (like yours, I think?) but it's reading perfectly normally. Our electricity consumption's down to about where I expected it to be since the panels were installed, and the check readings I've taken indicate no problem.

Is it the way they're wired that makes a diffference, I wonder? Or when they were installed?

It's not just the physical meter, it's the programming software that's put into the meter at installation stage by the meter installers. The policy in my region was to programme the S2AS's to detect and count flow in either direction to combat fraud (stop people swopping the cables around to get free leccy), however the policy may be different in other supply regions.
I don't think that they anticipated the possibility that domestic homes would one day be exporting power, despite it being the norm in many other European countries for years, such as Germany.

furndire

Don't you think that as some of the meters aren't working correctly - note PRs post #153 "The meter guy, from Meter Plus, said that they were well aware of this problem and had replaced loads for the same reason" they should at least be taking notice when someone complains - as I have been doing - and consider that this is a possiblility.
Just curious Doc N, how much electric have you been using in the daytime - my check meter has shown that we are only using about 1 KW through the day, and that was a dull day like today.

pauldreed

furndire wrote: »

Don't you think that as some of the meters aren't working correctly - note PRs post #153 "The meter guy, from Meter Plus, said that they were well aware of this problem and had replaced loads for the same reason" they should at least be taking notice when someone complains - as I have been doing - and consider that this is a possiblility.

There may be financial considerations here, because Meter Plus were due to start installing Smart Meters early next year, and in my opinion may have been hoping that the Smart Meters would solve these and other problems. They would not want to replace a meter twice, once now and again to a Smart Meter in 6 months or so.
But this role-out has now been knocked back to at least 2013, with some quarters questioning if it will go ahead at all because of the cost involved.

furndire

Did you get the impression there are problems still with the smart meters - other things interfering with them?



check meter installed 10th May


16-May 13:30 0049.99 93575
10-May 13:30 0008.00 93492
41.99 83

6 days 41.01
average per day 6.835

ChrisJD

pauldreed wrote: »

It's not just the physical meter, it's the programming software that's put into the meter at installation stage by the meter installers. The policy in my region was to programme the S2AS's to detect and count flow in either direction to combat fraud (stop people swopping the cables around to get free leccy), however the policy may be different in other supply regions.

What puzzles me is that, since we have already established that it is only a matter of un-ticking a box in the software configuration, why don't they do that, instead of the more costly option of changing the meter? Could it be that they don't actually have the equipment to configure these meters?