Smart meter

Consumerist

utility_csa wrote: »

Sigh, im not really going to go into this again but they already are.

Sigh, a link to where you have gone into this before might have added to the discussion.

ollski

If you would rather see your usage from a display in a convinient location than having to go to the meter to check and also get some extra consumption details then go for a smart meter. I've had one for 7 years now and can honestly say......who cares?

Consumerist

ollski wrote: »

If you would rather see your usage from a display in a convinient location . . .

That's great as far as it goes but you don't say whether all suppliers can use it to bill you. If your smart meter does not comply with the required specification, will you have to pay for the installation of a new one?

utility_csa

Consumerist wrote: »

That's great as far as it goes but you don't say whether all suppliers can use it to bill you. If your smart meter does not comply with the required specification, will you have to pay for the installation of a new one?

Well considering their all approved to the standards of normal meters I don't understand why their is need for a standardised specification.

Consumerist

utility_csa wrote: »

Well considering their all approved to the standards of normal meters I don't understand why their is need for a standardised specification.

DECC require specific minimum functionality which they have been consulting on for quite some time. I don't know whether a spec has yet been finalised, however.

Edit
You may find <DECC's Smart Metering Implementation Program> page of some interest.

It looks as though DECC has now published it's spec <here>.

Joyful

When I had my smart meter installed I was given a booklet and one of the things it said was it would not work with other suppliers so people are being told. As usual people don't read the information they are provided with.

Terrylw1

All suppliers have been trialling with different solutions.

Remember the article about Bgas fitted 250k or so they had planned using a technology not even approved? I understand this is mostly the communication devices which are known to have the capability to have 2 live suppliers communicating with it but it wasn't the type of smart meter other suppliers were trialling with.

Some customers have switched away from Bgas expecting to carry on using smart functionality in terms of supplier communication...to be told no chance, you shouldn't have left if you wanted that.

Customers don't seem to always be aware.

In terms of Consumerists point on tariff/meter support, no decision has been made on this. The elec industry has over 80k of data line combinations that make this up and last time the industry proposed rationalising them to reduce numbers, it went on for over a year just to decide what to do and in the end the industry couldn't do anything! Smart will not only force this issue, it will take it further into the meter functionality itself. There has been no decision made over how to support them and I strongly suspect they will use the opportunity to force customers off the stranger metering in favour of more standardised solutions. However, some suppliers have been misusing data in their trials which would cause customers problems in switching if the trialling supplier doesn't perform an unusual correction prior to them leaving (not "dumbing down" but a correction to make compliant as they have been dodging creating the correct solutions) and some suppliers are already adding brand new metering data into the industry ahead of any decision.

Basically, suppliers are being left to their own devices to do what they want to test this, there seems little governance. There have certainly been customer complaints generated from these programmes which isn't good news.

utility_csa

Terrylw1 wrote: »

All suppliers have Bern trialling with different solutions.

Remember the article about Bgas fitted 250k or so they had planned using a technology not even approved? I understand this is mostly the communication devices which are known to have the capability to have 2 live suppliers communicating with it but it wasn't the type of smart meter other suppliers were trialling with.

Some customers have switched away from Bgas expecting to carry on using smart functionality in terms of supplier communication...to be told no chance, you shouldn't have left if you wanted that.

Customers don't seem to always be aware.

In terms of Consumerists point on tariff/meter support, no decision has been made on this. The elec industry has over 80k of data line combinations that make this up and last time the industry proposed rationalising them to reduce numbers, it went on for over a year just to decide what to do and in the end the industry couldn't do anything! Smart will not only force this issue, it will take it further into the meter functionality itself. There has been no decision made over how to support them and I strongly suspect they will use the opportunity to force customers off the stranger metering in favour of more standardised solutions. However, some suppliers have been misusing data in their trials which would cause customers problems in switching if the trialling supplier doesn't perform an unusual correction prior to them leaving (not "dumbing down" but a correction to make compliant as they have been dodging creating the correct solutions) and some suppliers are already adding brand new metering data into the industry ahead of any decision.

Basically, suppliers are being left to their own devices to do what they want to test this, there seems little governance. There have certainly Bern customer complaints generated from these programmes which isn't good news.

Thing is HH metering has been "smart" or "remote" metering for many many years, their seems to no problems with customers changing between supplier, dc, ect.

I guess though the fact you are buying or renting the meters from the meter operator rather than a supplier makes a fair amount of difference..

Terrylw1

utility_csa wrote: »

Thing is HH metering has been "smart" or "remote" metering for many many years, their seems to no problems with customers changing between supplier, dc, ect.

I guess though the fact you are buying or renting the meters from the meter operator rather than a supplier makes a fair amount of difference..

That's why I find it so strange that the residential side is a bit of a mess, they have nit only ran trials but had time to monitor a live environment, but still it goes wrong. I can only assume its the classic case of not using the experts and setting up trials with fresh people who pass an interview!

The only real challenge beyond the norm for residential is the 2-way comms, but in a wat its always been there with PPM's and Actaris offer more remote services than residential suppliers take on.

utility_csa

Terrylw1 wrote: »

That's why I find it so strange that the residential side is a bit of a mess, they have nit only ran trials but had time to monitor a live environment, but still it goes wrong. I can only assume its the classic case of not using the experts and setting up trials with fresh people who pass an interview!

The only real challenge beyond the norm for residential is the 2-way comms, but in a wat its always been there with PPM's and Actaris offer more remote services than residential suppliers take on.

Well ill give you one reason why NHH is a mess. the D0313 flow. Half the Suppliers, DC, DR ect dont even accept it at the moment. Its made massive changes to the registration of a meter. I don't even understand how anyone other than a dedicate "smart" company would deal with it. their IT systems will literally die.

I believe totally its a case of people not being trained correctly or listening to experts.