Smart Meter - OVO

Terry98

Another interesting article in The Times yesterday about Smart Meters.

The Deputy Finance Editor had a power cut just after Smart Meters were fitted and he was left to get an electrician to sort it out.

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/money/article4455218.ece

Oldfatgrumpy

I was thinking of changing to Ovo but after reading through this I'm not so sure. We usually turn our broadband router off when we go out and at night, would doing this affect our ability to monitor our usage or is the real-time data backed up on the meter? Sorry if this has been covered but the thread is a bit technical for me today.

System

Oldfatgrumpy wrote: »

I was thinking of changing to Ovo but after reading through this I'm not so sure. We usually turn our broadband router off when we go out and at night, would doing this affect our ability to monitor our usage or is the real-time data backed up on the meter? Sorry if this has been covered but the thread is a bit technical for me today.

At the moment, smart readers communicate via a mobile connection directly to the supplier. Most suppliers provide a Household Information Display (HID) which does not require a broadband connection. Suppliers are under no obligation to replace HIDs if they fail as it would be a costly and time-consuming process.. As so much time has passed since the concept of smart meters was first mooted, the Govt has asked the body overseeing smart meter policy to look at apps for smart phones.

Edit:

This might be of some help:

http://www.ovoenergy.com/uploadedFiles/Content/Help/Energy_guides/PAYG/The%20ins%20and%20outs%20of%20IHD's%20and%20Smart%20meters.pdf

orrery

Oldfatgrumpy wrote: »

I was thinking of changing to Ovo but after reading through this I'm not so sure.

They do seem to have fallen flat on their face with smart meters. My intention was to swap to economy 7, but having told me that they could "...send a signal overnight to swap over..." when I asked them to do it, they don't know how, so having requested my economy 7 in July, it took them until December to fit them and 10 months later I still don't have E7.

My contract with them runs out in a few weeks, so I'm swapping to an environmentally responsible supplier - Ecotricity. Now, I wonder how that will go - trying to swap to a different supplier with Smart meters?

katejo

MNM2903 wrote: »

so i switched my parents over to OVO and the smart meters are free. From what i can see the issues with them are technical ones where they dont update etc. Does this actually cost anymore money or does it simply just fail to give accurate readings of what your spending?

is there a downside as using OVO shows that it will save me money and as its payg im on it means we only use what we put on?

just worried ive switched my parents to something thats going to cost them more?

Were you told that your parents had to have these Smartmeters? i am currently switching to Ovo but will cancel if this is the case. i still have time to do so.

stylus360

NO, you don't have to have smart meters.

Glad i refused mine !!!

My friend has solar panels and has two smart meters and has had nothing but problems !!!
His bills went UP with the panels !!!

He is switching back to standard digital meters so he can monitor readings/let meter reader read them as usual...

katejo

Thanks for the quick response Stylus360! Not sure it would work for me anyway as my gas meter is outside. Hoping that the move to ovo will be ok. I was reluctant to move from my current provider as their customer service is actually pretty good compared to some but the prices had gone up.

poppellerant

Has anybody had the Smart Gateway installed by OVO yet? If so, do you need to run an ethernet cable from the meters to your router?

Having seen all the benefits of the OVO's Smart Gateway, I want to replace my IHD with a Smart Gateway now.

Sterlingtimes

poppellerant wrote: »

Has anybody had the Smart Gateway installed by OVO yet? If so, do you need to run an ethernet cable from the meters to your router?

Having seen all the benefits of the OVO's Smart Gateway, I want to replace my IHD with a Smart Gateway now.

The Smart Meter communicates with the Ovo server using 3G radio.

The Smart Gateway communicates with the Smart Meter wirelessly.

It is the Smart Gateway that plugs into the router using an ethernet cable.

The computer then communicates with the My Ovo website.

In my case, the Smart Meter commissioning was not completed and I have a dumb meter. I was promised a re-visit and have heard nothing.

The Smart Gateway has failed completed (presumably because the Smart Meter doesn't work.

All my historic data was deleted from My Ovo.

My emails (unless answered today) have remained unanswered.

It is a real mess. If I get no where by Friday I will write to the CEO.

poppellerant

When was your smart meter installed? I think it takes a good month or two before OVO start using it's readings. In the meantime, you can press the number 9 on the meters if you want to take readings for your own use.

I find the advisors on the phone very helpful, try speaking to one of them.