Smart meter fault, energy company things its been tampered with?

friendly90

Just wondered reasons for this as only had it installed a few weeks ago then moved home, but got messages telling me to contact energy comapny as theres a fault, when I contacted them they just said it looks like its been tampered with but didn't give me any reasons why.

I know the flat is still empty as landlord is doing work to it, so barring him tampering with it what exactly does it mean? By that I mean what do they mean by tampering such as damage? Not reporting usage? do smart meters assume no usage as dodgy? Reason I ask is when I left I switched off everything at trip switches but meter was still on so it may report no usage so I worry this will be assumed to be bypassed, also they have been sending messages to me because I am the last person on the account even though I told them I moved.

lstar337

I would expect it is the 'no usage' flagging up as a tamper. Just tell them you are no longer a customer so the responsibility of the meter no longer falls with you.

The landlord should have opened up an account for themselves to cover the gap between tenants, so it is now their responsibility.

chanz4

or the work men have bypassed, as they do so often

lstar337

chanz4 wrote: »

or the work men have bypassed, as they do so often

Do they really?

That's interesting, I wouldn't have thought that.

matelodave

Assuming that you informed the supplier when you moved out and gave them a final meter reading then it's not your problem.

chanz4

lstar337 wrote: »

Do they really?

That's interesting, I wouldn't have thought that.

yes and I have detected seveal over the years

[Deleted User]

OP, was the seal on the lower cover intact ? thats the cover just above where the cables enter at the bottom.so far in the 6 or 7 years I ve been checking BG smart electric I have only found one seal missing, but smart prepays are coming on now so I expect to start finding them missing more often. If they truly suspected the meter tampered they would be sending someone round, probably just one of us from G4S in the first instance.BG revenue protection unit concentrate on gas meters.
No usage would nt be at all suspicious and would nt be flagging up the same error code as the lower cover entered.

friendly90

sacsquacco wrote: »

OP, was the seal on the lower cover intact ? thats the cover just above where the cables enter at the bottom.so far in the 6 or 7 years I ve been checking BG smart electric I have only found one seal missing, but smart prepays are coming on now so I expect to start finding them missing more often. If they truly suspected the meter tampered they would be sending someone round, probably just one of us from G4S in the first instance.BG revenue protection unit concentrate on gas meters.
No usage would nt be at all suspicious and would nt be flagging up the same error code as the lower cover entered.

As far as I know yes, and the actual cables themselves had cable ties put on when the meter was installed.

How exactly does each work then? how would the meter know the cover was removed? The cover was on and I never touched it when I lived there, the only thing I did was unplug the IHD the day I moved unless that flags it.

[Deleted User]

I dont mean a cable tie, I mean a metal seal which is around the screw which holds the lower cover in place. Someone tampering with the meter cables entering through the bottom of the meter would have to snip the wire seal with wire cutters to get at the screw to take off the lower cover . On smart electric meter the lower cover is protected better than on normal meters and (in theory I have been told ) an error code is sent back when its undone. Whether there is anyone out there to monitor this is another question. The 4 cables entering the meter have anti tamper plastic/rubber seals protecting the copper cables at the bottom. Most meters have these anyway, some don t tho and they re vulnerable to a bypass link being added to stop energy going thro the meter itself

friendly90

Yes I knew that sorry, just thought I would mention it.

I had a thought this morning that the installer had a slight issue crimping the wire at the front and even when it was on, it wasnt fit into the little gap in the plastic for it, it was hanging forward and when I moved I just pushed it into its correct position, and it was 2 days after house move we got the message.

leeroy2009

it would be very easy to detect tampering on these smart meters.


same as a tamper on a house alarm etc, you release the cover which, is pushing a "switch" down, cover comes off switch is released, meter phones home with a distress signal, simple electronics.