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

Doc_N

furndire wrote: »

Does it make a difference if the suppliers knew that the type of meter I have is not fit to be used with Solar panels.

I'm not sure that's right, though, since you and I have (I think) the same Siemens S2AS meter, and mine's not apparently behaving in the same way as yours.

You asked about daytime consumption, and I checked - it's zero on a sunny day. It used to be around 7-10 units daytime before the panels went on, so the meter's clearly reading correctly.

When was your meter installed? Mine went in around 2005 - I wonder if there were any modifications to these meters?

furndire

Its been in about 10 years I think - so there could have been modifications made.


I wonder if they use these meters the continent, or some had the same problem in Germany when they had a surge in Solar Panel installations - I presume they will use Siemens meters.

pauldreed

Doc_N wrote: »

I'm not sure that's right, though, since you and I have (I think) the same Siemens S2AS meter, and mine's not apparently behaving in the same way as yours.

You asked about daytime consumption, and I checked - it's zero on a sunny day. It used to be around 7-10 units daytime before the panels went on, so the meter's clearly reading correctly.

When was your meter installed? Mine went in around 2005 - I wonder if there were any modifications to these meters?

It's not the meter itself, it's the way that it was programmed by the installer.
There will be many that will work just fine, but if some have been programmed to read and add reverse energy - they will do just that!

Doc_N

furndire wrote: »

Its been in about 10 years I think

Could be that there are 'older' and 'newer' versions of the meter perhaps? Or perhaps the equivalent of a firmware update?

espresso

pauldreed wrote: »

It's not the meter itself, it's the way that it was programmed by the installer.

Installers don't program meters, they simply fit them as per the job sheet, as dunloadin will confirm.

pauldreed wrote: »

There will be many that will work just fine, but if some have been programmed to read and add reverse energy - they will do just that!

Agreed.

pauldreed

espresso wrote: »

Installers don't program meters, they simply fit them as per the job sheet, as dunloadin will confirm.

But it's the installation company (in my case MeterPlus) who program and fit the meters. Usually for convenience and time they fit a meter that was programmed back in their workshop, but for example my fitter had a laptop which enabled him to reprogram on site. He considered re programming my Siemans meter, but said it was much quicker just to swop it, and the old meter to be reprogrammed back at base, to be refitted elsewhere.

Who do you think programs them??

espresso

pauldreed wrote: »

But it's the installation company (in my case MeterPlus) who program and fit the meters. Usually for convenience and time they fit a meter that was programmed back in their workshop, but for example my fitter had a laptop which enabled him to reprogram on site. He considered re programming my Siemans meter, but said it was much quicker just to swop it, and the old meter to be reprogrammed back at base, to be refitted elsewhere.

Who do you think programs them??

There are eight independent network distribution operators and twenty odd energy supply companies and their procedures obviously vary. Meters are not normally programmed on site but in the OP's case it would certainly be a good idea for the import/export registers to be read by a technician with the necessary optical probe, in her presence before it is replaced and taken away.

furndire

I think it could just have been SSE who put check meter in - they were in an SSE van. Maybe keeping "in house" - they certainly hadn't a clue about reprogramming - in fact (back to the patronising bit) wouldn't even entertain the idea they could be programmed - even when I showed him the part of manual I had printed out for them.
This was just the sort of thing I have had to contend with for the past nine months (it will be a year at the end of June).

espresso

furndire wrote: »

I think it could just have been SSE who put check meter in - they were in an SSE van. Maybe keeping "in house" - they certainly hadn't a clue about reprogramming - in fact (back to the patronising bit) wouldn't even entertain the idea they could be programmed - even when I showed him the part of manual I had printed out for them.
This was just the sort of thing I have had to contend with for the past nine months (it will be a year at the end of June).

When my supplier was SSE and my meter needed to be changed, Siemens Metering Services did the work but they did not fit a Siemens meter.

dunloadin

There is no way installers can reprog meters, they will normally go back to be sorted at the manufacturers....highly unlikely this will happen as the cost of doing so probably outweighs the unit cost of a new meter. If the meter is faulty it will be labelled up and sent back for someone to have a look, in the case of the siemens meter furndire has it will probably be found to be working as expected (or programmed).

Millions of meters are made, so the cost per unit of a new one is pretty small, the check meter fitted sounds like its an Ampy type, these are pretty much the most common type being fitted at the moment (Landys & Gyr use the same ones as well). The meters fitted will be the ones that the DNO (or outside MOP) happen to be using at that time, ten years ago they had a better deal with siemens, now its another manufacturers turn.

There are some huge grey areas in this case, as Cardew points out who is ultimately responsible for refunding any monies? The supplier only sees the readings on the meter, and bills accordingly…..the PV installer has not done his homework and has fitted a system without ensuring the existing meter is compatible….and as for communication, forget it, no-one seems to be interested in anything that is outside their own little bubble.

As the suppliers only employ sales and billing staff and subby out all the technical stuff there are few people about who will understand meter problems, I can voutch for this at the amount of times I’ve been banging my head against a wall trying to get folk to understand some of the issues I’ve had to sort out….and they are pretty simple compared to the problem furndire and others have here.

So the supplier may say ‘we have our money, claim it back from the third party’, though I would expect them to realise that they owe you a few bob after the results of the check meter fit are known.

As for all the siemens meters being programmed the same, I would expect it all depends on the spec required by the supplier or DNO for the area. They are a rarity in the area I work in, but it just so happens that I have one in the van from a job I did this week. Out of interest I'll wire it up in reverse and see what it does. Pity that the smart meters are yet to be rolled out for domestic, the ones I fit to business premises are good bits of kit and detect reverse flow (and lots more besides!).