EDF "smart" meters. Grrr

Ectophile

OK, I realise that this isn't the "praise, vent and warnings" board, but I feel like a good rant.

For weeks, EDF have been hassling me to make an appointment to get a smart meter fitted. The good thing about smart meters should be that they can measure the export from my solar panels. That means that I can get paid properly for the electricity I export, not just some deemed 50% of what I generate.

So I asked the EDF green energy team about their new smart meters. Yes, they do have the ability to measure export. No, that feature has never been calibrated, and they have no idea how accurate it is. Since the meters are not certified for measuring export, any readings from them are totally useless.

I'm not sure if EDF simply do not want to pay for exported electricity, or if they were just too cheap to buy meters that had been tested properly.

So far, I have rejected every offer of an appointment. :mad:

Martyn1981

Same here, I asked about export, they said no, but I asked them to check, and they came back saying yes it does measure export ...... but ..... they don't use it for calculating payments.

I have opted for smart meters, mainly because I want to know what my export and consumption is, and I'm hoping the gas meter can be moved a few inches, but there are no plans in my area at the moment.

nobby1963

From my experience having had an EDF smart meter fitted for a few months now ...
The main meter does give you your export actual figures but this information isn't available to be viewed on the in house display unit.
As you have said EDF currently have no plans to use the actual export figures for payment of FIT.
Nobby.

System

Martyn1981 wrote: »

Same here, I asked about export, they said no, but I asked them to check, and they came back saying yes it does measure export ...... but ..... they don't use it for calculating payments.

I have opted for smart meters, mainly because I want to know what my export and consumption is, and I'm hoping the gas meter can be moved a few inches, but there are no plans in my area at the moment.

Martin - you are an informed chap. Why now - why not wait for the rollout of SMETS2-compliant meters which will allow smart switching; i.e., the meter will communicate with all suppliers. AFAIK, suppliers will not be rolling these out until later next year.

Martyn1981

Hengus wrote: »

Martin - you are an informed chap. Why now - why not wait for the rollout of SMETS2-compliant meters which will allow smart switching; i.e., the meter will communicate with all suppliers. AFAIK, suppliers will not be rolling these out until later next year.

Thanks, that's a good point. I was rushing (so to speak) as a slight adjustment of the gas meter would have been nice while redecorating, but not that important.

I do want a better idea of my energy cycle as I'm still basing consumption on a pre-PV figure, but switched to an induction hob (from gas) at the same time, and I use an oil rad quite a bit now, perhaps 100-200kWh pa.

Not chasing the missing export monies (around 900kWh / £30), as I'm on the old and generous FiT rate for my larger system, so can't complain.

All in all, I think you're right, and I'll patiently wait for EDF to 'smart me up' in the future. Thanks.

Sterlingtimes

Presumably the meter provided by Ovo is accurate and calibrated for export measurement unlike EDF's meter as cited above. Ovo does insist upon paying again the export meter reading. Ovo could not do that if the reading were not reasonably accurate.