Smart Meters

Davidspeak

Recently I had a smart meter fitted by my then supplier E-on. Shortly after, I switched to MSE collective fix with British Gas. I was amazed to find out that these smart meters are not standard across the industry. The smart meter fitted by E-on is not supported by British Gas so they don't get any information from it. They are not like a normal meters and are difficult to read as they have a keypad and all sorts of information is flashed onto the screen, so not sure what the actual reading is. British gas have asked me if I would like one of their smart meters fitted but I think I will decline as that would mean that every time I change supplier I would need a new smart meter, CRAZY :mad:.
I wished I had kept my old standard meter.

spiro

The issue is the central comms body is not in place yet, once it is these issues will start to disppear as existing meters have their firmware updated to SMETS1 and they are adopted by DCC.

Gizmo247

spiro wrote: »

The issue is the central comms body is not in place yet, once it is these issues will start to disppear as existing meters have their firmware updated to SMETS1 and they are adopted by DCC.

Do you mean SMETS2 (not SMETS1)? I didn't think DCC where going to support SMETS1 as the difference between the two is more than just a firmware change. So every single smart meter installed up to this point and into 2017 will have to be replaced.

Basically, it is too early to be adopting smart meters so get yourself a barge pole and hold off until the end of 2017 when all will be sorted and the energy providers will be forced to install only SMETS2 compliant meters.

System

Gizmo247 wrote: »

Do you mean SMETS2 (not SMETS1)? I didn't think DCC where going to support SMETS1 as the difference between the two is more than just a firmware change. So every single smart meter installed up to this point and into 2017 will have to be replaced.

Basically, it is too early to be adopting smart meters so get yourself a barge pole and hold off until the end of 2017 when all will be sorted and the energy providers will be forced to install only SMETS2 compliant meters.

According to expert witness statements given a few months ago to the HoC Science and Technology Select Committee, the SMETS2 standard runs to 800 pages of A4 of which 80 pages are definitions. What could possibly go wrong being in mind that we are talking about energy suppliers that can't even get their billing and switching systems to work with out error?

spiro

Gizmo247 wrote: »

Do you mean SMETS2 (not SMETS1)? I didn't think DCC where going to support SMETS1 as the difference between the two is more than just a firmware change. So every single smart meter installed up to this point and into 2017 will have to be replaced.

Basically, it is too early to be adopting smart meters so get yourself a barge pole and hold off until the end of 2017 when all will be sorted and the energy providers will be forced to install only SMETS2 compliant meters.

DCC are supposed to adopt SMETS1 but not straight away. The big suppliers have to install about 2k SMETS2 meters each by the end of Jan or Feb 2017 (can't remember which).

System

spiro wrote: »

DCC are supposed to adopt SMETS1 but not straight away. The big suppliers have to install about 2k SMETS2 meters each by the end of Jan or Feb 2017 (can't remember which).

From the CMA Report:

The timetable for the roll-out of smart meters is as follows:51

(a) The Data Communications Company is due to go live on 17 August 2016. DECC considers that suppliers will be able to start installing SMETS 2 (fully interoperable) meters from this date.

(b) SMETS 1 meters that are installed until 28 October 2017 (the ‘SMETS 1 end date’ – 12 months after the Data Communications Company provides the Release 1.3 functionality) will count towards suppliers’ smart meter roll-out targets; beyond this point they will not. As a result, it is unlikely that suppliers would install further SMETS 1 meters beyond this date. (Note that a customer with a SMETS1 meter may lose smart services when they switch supplier.)

(c) We understand that suppliers will be able to ‘enrol’ some SMETS 1 meters into the Data Communications Company at some point in the future, but that this is unlikely to be possible before 2018. Following this, customers with SMETS 1 meters that have been enrolled will no longer face the loss of smart functionality when switching supplier.

(d) DECC estimates that the 2.4 GHz home area networks (already available) will enable suppliers to install smart meters in 70% of households. Where the home area network needs to extend over larger distances, either the 868MHz solution or an alternative home area network solution will be needed. The 868 MHz solution will be suitable for use in 96.5% of households, with the remaining households requiring ‘alternative home area network’ solutions.54 DECC and industry stakeholders are working towards the availability of these solutions in late 2017 or early 2018.

(e) DECC is proposing to require suppliers to fit smart meters for customers requiring a new or replacement meter: the New and Replacement Obligation. This is due to come into force in mid-2018.

(f) The roll-out of smart meters to domestic customers55 is due to be substantially completed by the end of 2020.

[Deleted User]

They're a complete dog's dinner.

Davidspeak

Thanks for everyone's contributions.
Basically I'm getting the message to wait until at least 2018 then.