Generation meter has no display

Dan-Dan

Hi

Wasnt sure if here or `in my home` was the best forum for this..

We have an E110 generation meter that has lost its display , the inverter in the loft has power and a green light , and the meter itself also has power (i had an electrician come in and he confirmed this for me)

We inherited the system in June and previous owners had it installed in June 2013 , the company who installed it told previous owner the guarantee was transferable to the new owners at no cost , yet the company tell me when i try to change the details of the home owner its £500 to transfer it !

Any help appreciated

Martyn1981

Some thoughts. Is the inverter displaying generation, eg 1,000W, just to make sure energy is still going through the system and at least reducing your import.

Have you kept records of generation, so you can tell your FiT provider asap.

Is your main meter displaying a solid red light to show export.

Hopefully all of that will confirm generation is still happening and working ok.

Regarding the warranty/guarantee, do you have all the paperwork, does it say anything in there. Also you could ring MCS and REA and ask for their views, since (surely?) the warranty is on the system/location, not the owners, so why do you have to pay £500?

When a car is sold under warranty, the warranty transfers with it. Not 100% sure, but don't new build house warranties also stand for a time period, not ownership period.

Regarding the meter, I think they cost about £30 (plus fitting, which should be really fast), but do contact the FiT provider to update them on the serial number.

Best of luck.

Mart.

Dan-Dan

Thanks , i appreciate it

All lights are on in the loft , the generation meter i read from is totally blank , no red lights , i am planning to go in the loft later to have a good look , the company are coming out today but under duress so will see what they say....

Martyn1981

Dan-Dan wrote: »

Thanks , i appreciate it

All lights are on in the loft , the generation meter i read from is totally blank , no red lights , i am planning to go in the loft later to have a good look , the company are coming out today but under duress so will see what they say....

No probs, definitely ring REA for thoughts, they are very helpful, and are concerned about customers rights.

Regarding the solid red light, I meant the main meter (import/billing meter). If it's digital the flashing light (each flash represents 1Wh of import) will change to a solid red. If you have a disc meter, then see if it goes backwards/is stationary when you are exporting. You should be able to work out if you are (should be) exporting from what's switched on, v's the amount of sunshine outside. If it's a lovely day, and no big items are switched on, it's safe (I assume?) to conclude that you will be exporting.

Mart.

Martyn1981

Just had another thought. Our import meter failed about 6 yrs ago, just before PV, also an E110. It does happen, just bad luck.

I wonder if the meter is still under warranty. Perhaps not, but if it is the installer could get that back, so it's really just their time in visiting, and swopping it out.

Mart.

Dan-Dan

Just checked in the loft , green light on , checked billing meter , lovely warm sunny day , washing machine on , disc is stationery , which i am guessing means i am using solar power to do the washing? (and tv is on)

Martyn1981

Dan-Dan wrote: »

Just checked in the loft , green light on , checked billing meter , lovely warm sunny day , washing machine on , disc is stationery , which i am guessing means i am using solar power to do the washing? (and tv is on)

Sounds like it's all working then (apart from the TGM!).

The inverter will have a total generation figure. It's not necessarily as accurate as a 'proper' meter, but if you note the numbers down, you could ask your FiT provider to consider the difference (the new reading when the TGM is replaced - minus today's reading). But I wouldn't hold my breath, unless you have a very friendly FiT provider. They've probably got some rule about only using certified meters, but if you don't ask, you don't get.

Mart.

Dan-Dan

I cant seem to find this inverter number , there is a green button on the bottom of it that scrolls through IP address , and other such stuff but cant seem to find a number that could be a generation figure , no instructions either lol

Company came out agreed the meter is knackered and need the energy suppliers permission to change it apparently , which is a bit of a faff but theres been no more mention of this mystical £500!

Martyn1981

Having fun! It'll be there, but will be different depending on make and model. One of my inverters has it on the main screen all the time, whilst another has a single line of info which cycles through what's being generated, has been generated that day, and total (since install).

Do you know roughly what the last reading was (submitted for FiTs)? Then watch the inverter and look for a similar, but slightly bigger number.

If you google the make and model you should be able to find some instructions. But as I said, the FiT provider might not be able to do anything anyway, but worth asking them.

Also worth contacting the FiT provider to ask about the meter swap. You'll definitely have to tell them what happened, and the new reference number (of the new meter), but I don't know if you need prior permission. Obviously the faster you get it swapped out the better as we are still in the good generation period.

Mart.

Dan-Dan

I knew it would turn into an issue , Eon tell me that them needing to give the OK for a new Ge meter is absolute rubbish (their words)

I have gone back to the company concerned and await a call from the manager , Eon also said if there were readings to obtain somehow from the Inverter it would the install/supply company who would be able to get them , but the engineer yesterday didn't have a clue how to do that