Question >>> home energy monitors

EricMears

1961Nick wrote: »

The generation & import figures are 100% accurate. The only time it's slightly inaccurate is when it uses the clamp sensor to calculate the solar use during export.

I've been rather disappointed with the flash counter I built myself. It seems to be counting flashes correctly but it also appears that my particular meter flashes when the current flowing is in a net generation state. However, even though I'm recording those spurious pulses, the official meter doesn't seem to be using them to charge me for exporting.

1961Nick

EricMears wrote: »

I've been rather disappointed with the flash counter I built myself. It seems to be counting flashes correctly but it also appears that my particular meter flashes when the current flowing is in a net generation state. However, even though I'm recording those spurious pulses, the official meter doesn't seem to be using them to charge me for exporting.

Some of the Siemens meters pulse during export as well as import. Your electricity supplier will change the meter FOC.

Some meters that pulse in both situations actually record exported power as an import! Mine did that but fortunately the Chorus monitor alerted me to the problem at an early stage.

Andy_WSM

My import meter flashes in both directions, it's an Ampy. I've been suspicious that it's counted export as import before, but i've monitored it several times and can't catch it in the act.

I have asked to have it changed, but as it's only 4 years old they won't hear of it.

1961Nick

Andy_WSM wrote: »

My import meter flashes in both directions, it's an Ampy. I've been suspicious that it's counted export as import before, but i've monitored it several times and can't catch it in the act.

I have asked to have it changed, but as it's only 4 years old they won't hear of it.

Just tell them that you think it's recording export as import so they're obliged to change it.

Meters display import/export differently depending on how they were initially programmed. Your electricity supplier won't have any idea what the settings are.

EricMears

1961Nick wrote: »

Some of the Siemens meters pulse during export as well as import. Your electricity supplier will change the meter FOC.

Some meters that pulse in both situations actually record exported power as an import! Mine did that but fortunately the Chorus monitor alerted me to the problem at an early stage

Mine is indeed a Siemens meter - and the same model (A2S?) that was widely publicised as having an anti-tamper mechanism that sometimes recorded exports as chargeable imports. However, We knew this before the SPs were installed and checked it very carefully to ensure that it wasn't robbing us.


So it's not actually recording generation as usage although it is still a tad annoying that my beautifully designed flash counter only works in the dark !

Sterlingtimes

1961Nick wrote: »

The Geo Chorus II was expensive but I've been pleased with it's performance. It uses sensors to count the import & export meter pulses in addition to a clamp on the meter tail.

Thank you, Nick.

This has helped me. I looked at the Geo video to learn about the pulse sensors. My meter is of the older mechanical type. I feel that asking for a replacement could bring forward the time when I will lose my right to claim for 50% deemed export. But the device looks very nice.

Regards, Sterling.

zeupater

1961Nick wrote: »

Just tell them that you think it's recording export as import so they're obliged to change it.

Meters display import/export differently depending on how they were initially programmed. Your electricity supplier won't have any idea what the settings are.

Hi

Is that really the case ? ...

My understanding is that the meter is supplied for one reason, that being to record the usage of electricity to a degree of accuracy which is approved by Ofgem for the sole purpose of billing the customer. Whether the meter is analogue or digital or has a pulse light which flashes correctly or not makes no difference as long as the meter is performing the job of measuring consumption correctly as per the approval certificate ... this would mean that as long as it's only imported power which is being metered on an import meter it is working correctly.

Now, Ofgem's official information regarding meters (https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/ofgem-publications/42361/5875-factsheetmeteraccuracy-and-billingdisputes.pdf) states that if tested and found to be metering accurately, the supplier is within their rights to charge the customer for the replacement meter and all costs incurred ....

If it was me, I'd do some checking to see what's actually happening and being metered before I asked the supplier to change the meter because I "thought" it wasn't working and assumed that they were 'obliged to change it' ....

HTH
Z

1961Nick

zeupater wrote: »

Hi

Is that really the case ? ...

My understanding is that the meter is supplied for one reason, that being to record the usage of electricity to a degree of accuracy which is approved by Ofgem for the sole purpose of billing the customer. Whether the meter is analogue or digital or has a pulse light which flashes correctly or not makes no difference as long as the meter is performing the job of measuring consumption correctly as per the approval certificate ... this would mean that as long as it's only imported power which is being metered on an import meter it is working correctly.

Now, Ofgem's official information regarding meters states that if tested and found to be metering accurately, the supplier is within their rights to charge the customer for the replacement meter and all costs incurred ....

If it was me, I'd do some checking to see what's actually happening and being metered before I asked the supplier to change the meter because I "thought" it wasn't working and assumed that they were 'obliged to change it' ....

HTH
Z

Internally the meter records import & export separately. The display can be set to show import, export or both totals combined. Having a meter that displayed the cumulative total of import & export wouldn't matter until you installed a mgs. Many were initially set that way to act as an anti tamper.

My point is that if the meter is potentially displaying export units as imports then it's not accurately recording (externally) consumption. My meter was changed within a week of reporting the problem without any additional checks.

zeupater

1961Nick wrote: »

Internally the meter records import & export separately. The display can be set to show import, export or both totals combined. Having a meter that displayed the cumulative total of import & export wouldn't matter until you installed a mgs. Many were initially set that way to act as an anti tamper.

My point is that if the meter is potentially displaying export units as imports then it's not accurately recording (externally) consumption. My meter was changed within a week of reporting the problem without any additional checks.

Hi

Really?, all Ampy standard digital meters register both directions of current flow and don't simply have a single count register ? .... I would have thought that the issue described was that the unit was metering import correctly (ie ignoring reverse current), but flashing incorrectly due to either design or software issues. I don't know the service provision from the supplier, but doubt that there's any guarantee to the consumer on the provision of a pulse counter or how it's been configured, so there should be no expectation that there would be no charge for replacement, in any case Andy_WSM's supplier seems to be happy that their meter is working within their own expectations and they're not concerned with the pulse at all. In your particular case you may just well have been lucky to have not been charged, or possibly the unit hasn't been checked/recalibrated yet and there's a potential for a charge still in the pipeline ....

HTH
Z

1961Nick

zeupater wrote: »

Hi

Really?, all Ampy standard digital meters register both directions of current flow and don't simply have a single count register ? .... I would have thought that the issue described was that the unit was metering import correctly (ie ignoring reverse current), but flashing incorrectly due to either design or software issues. I don't know the service provision from the supplier, but doubt that there's any guarantee to the consumer on the provision of a pulse counter or how it's been configured, so there should be no expectation that there would be no charge for replacement, in any case Andy_WSM's supplier seems to be happy that their meter is working within their own expectations and they're not concerned with the pulse at all. In your particular case you may just well have been lucky to have not been charged, or possibly the unit hasn't been checked/recalibrated yet and there's a potential for a charge still in the pipeline ....

HTH
Z

The reply was to EricMears who has the Siemens meter that is well known for displaying the sum of the import & export.

I would assume, unless you know better, that you'd need to be made aware of any potential charges before a meter was changed.